Advantages of Rubrics
What are the advantages of using analytic rubrics?
A well-designed rubric should tell the student what the teacher is going to base the grade on, not eliminate creativity.
In a class I am taking right now, the professor is using what he calls a rubric, but it doesn't have any numbers on it. He has, for example, two or three "items" per rubric, and, at the bottom, the total number of points for the assignment.
So, I asked--how many points is each of the items worth? The answer, "Each section is worth two or three points to get to a total of 7/8/10 however many the assignment is worth. In other words, he is making it up as he goes, and it isn't a rubric. I find it very frustrating.
The advantages of using a rubric allows students to understand the requirements to meet the expectations of the assignment outcome. The rubric provides clarity which increases the students overall performance. The analytic rubric is a measurable tool to assess the students’ skill set; based on descriptors regarding the students’ level of comprehension of the subject matter including structure and syntax and if references were utilized and cited properly. The rubric is a benchmark that allows the instructor to have a consistent grading system.
Thomas,
Right on! They help both the instructors and the students. A good tool.
Thanks!
Shirley,
Glad rubrics are helping you with consistency in your grading. Know they are saving you time as well. Thanks!
Cynthia & Le,
Great information. Thanks for continuing the conversation. We continue to learn from each other.
Daniel,
Thanks for continuing the conversation about rubrics. It helps us all understand them better.
Christopher,
Sounds like rubrics work for you. I enjoy using them as well and I think they benefit the students.
Cynthia,
Thanks for sharing the advantages and your experience in using rubrics. Excellent.
The biggest advantage I see in that students know exactly what the requirements are for the assignment. knowing the grading scale up front is helpful to students. It also makes it much easier to produce reliable grades.
In a traditional course where assessments are more black and white, rubrics make sense. It allows students to understand expectations and instructors to lay out expectations. If written well - it also allows students to get feedback that helps hem understand how they need to improve their assignments.
We have four seminars teaching the same course at the same time. The rubrics are one of the best ways to communicate to the students what is expected. It is also one of the best ways to ensure grading consistency.
I have to grade about 100 students a week so grading by a rubric gives me a very good starting point of how I grade my students fairly and evenly.
It's nice to have benchmarks and specific point allocations to certain topics. Also you are able to provide detailed feedback to areas that make up the assignment, therefore students are able to see where they were assessed and why points were taken off if they did not address certain areas that were required within the work.
Thank you,
Shirley Chuo
LE,
I agree! Using rubrics provides an efficient way to provide consistent feedback. I have a lot of grades to complete each week, too, and pasting a rubric into the grade book and adding feedback as I evaluate a student's work, speeds up the process!
One of the major advantages is that students know exactly what they will be evaluated on in each assignment. I teach writing; thus, overall, the expectations are the same for each assignment with only slight variations. For instance, one assignment may not require sources or documentation, but other assignments will have those requirements. The rubrics serve as a checklist. Another advantage is students are able to see where they are doing well, and what they need to improve on. The student receives a score in each area (content, critical thinking, and presentation). In addition to a percentage grade given for each criterion, I add additional feedback on the strengths and weaknesses, as well as, provide resources to help in each area. Using rubrics actually speed up my feedback and grading process. I have used them for over 20 year. I have used holistic rubrics for early drafts, but analytical rubrics are used for the final papers.
Jeremy,
Yes, and they help the instructor witht project development and assessment. Thanks.
They help students see what is required for an assignment and how it will be graded.
Robin and Dr. Molnar,
Thanks for keeping the conversation going. Appreciate your input.
Courtney,
Rubrics also make me, as the instructor, think carefully about the learning outcomes and the criteria needed in the rubrics to help students achieve them. Thanks for your input.
In my experience with rubrics, a certain advantage for me as a professor is how clear cut it can make grading. Both the student and I know what's expected and its difficult for a student to challenge the grade. In addition, it makes the task of grading easier because I can cut and paste some of the comments on general topics like APA format, page length, etc. My challenge with rubrics
that I've found is that they don't allow for creativity.
