Rubrics are underestimated
I think rubrics are often underused by teachers, in that they are usually hidden in online classes. So, they are not easily accessible for students and therefor not often used by them. I also think students underestimate rubrics because they think they are tools for teachers and not for them. I have this habit of printing out the rubrics and telling at-risk students to use them as check-off lists.
I think rubrics are essential for any learing setting. Establishing the expectation for the students and the grading process helps to set the students up for success. Without rubrics there can be too much of a gray area in the grade and the instructor can be too subjective.
That's exactly the point behind Rubrics, that they state as clearly as possible what your expectations are. The student will know exactly what it is that you are looking for and how to get there. I also like the idea of the at risk students using them as checklists to help them better stay on track.
We are not required to use rubrics at my school, I decided to create my own because I felt that I wasn't consistent enough with my grading. My rubrics required several edits but I now have them the way I want them and I find that they make grading easier and less time consuming, they also give the students an idea of exactly what I want. For example, I require that sources be written in APA format, that their document has fewer than 3 grammatical or spelling errors, etc.
Hello,
Funny, not really, I joined this Tech. school about a year ago, and at that time everybody was talking about the Rubric's. Now it seems nobody is using it. I was never formally taught how to use it and I saw one response in this forum about how many different versions there are out there. I understand the basic set up, but it seems really complicated and almost makes me feel like I would have to re-vamp my entire lesson plans. Any suggestions on the most "basic" version of the rubrics and do you feel we should start migrating back to it, or that it may be falling out of fashion?
James,
Has the implementation of rubrics limited the amount of students that complain about their grades?
Tremayne Simpson
We have just recently introduced Rubrics into a project based environment. This has helped tremendously with both time management, less time explaining, and higher quality of work. The end result has been positive from students and instructors.
