Raeven,
Right on! Any tool that helps both the instructor and students is a "keeper." Connecting the rubric to the learning objectives will also help students understand why they are doing what they are doing. Thanks!
I feel that the rubric helps ensure that both the instructor and the students are on the same page of what is expected. Utilizing a rubric also helps that all students are being graded on the same scale.
Kelly,
Yes - rubrics are good assets for both the instructor and students. If you add the objectives directly in the rubrics, that helps as well. Thanks for your input.
Hello All,
A rubrics can provide goals and direction and overall criteria for the student. In addition, provide for a standard in evaluating outcome and grade those outcomes. Rubrics can be considered guidelines or objectives but also justifications.
Thank you,
Kelly
Justin,
Ah - a "grading arsenal." Love that term. You have hit many points about the benefits of rubrics and how they can help both students and instructors. Nice job.
The rubric is one of the most important tools the instructor has in their grading arsenal. The use is multifaceted both the instructor and for the student. First, a well designed and publicly available rubric serves as a solid baseline for the student to understand how they will be assessed in any given situation. Second, the rubric begins to build feedback. But having a well designed and categorized rubric the student can see where their grades fall and instantly understand what the numbers mean. Third, it offers the instructor a way to address specific weaknesses the student might have while highlighting their strengths. A student might be a poor writer, but their content is fantastic. That will easily be shown on a well written rubric and allow the student to know it's not their effort and content, but rather a specific skill that cost them points allowing them to address the deficiency. Fourth, it helps the instructor to provide deep and robust feedback. Each category can get comments as necessary and when giving the numbers for a category a particularly low or high number can act as a prompting for more feedback. If the student scores 50% of the points in a category, you should recognize that extra feedback in that area might be appreciated. The rubric is highly beneficial to both student and instructor and provides excellent structure, organization, feedback and understanding.
Elodie,
Right on! The rubric helps both the students and the instructor. When everyone understands the expectations more clearly, it's beneficial to all. Thank you.
The role of the rubric is to provide an effective and fair way to assess the students in the class. Also, it guides the students in their response/assignment as they can keep in mind criteria that they are going to be assessed by and so the important things that they should focus on.
Keisha,
Many roles indeed. And, rubrics do help both the students and the instructor. I like that you are emphasizing self-assessment through the use of the rubrics as well. Students need to do that. Thanks for your input.
I think the rubric plays many roles. Rubrics set guidelines for evaluating a student's work, but it also teaches. As part of a student-centered approach to assessment, rubrics can potentially help students to develop skill and understanding of how to judge the quality of their own work using the same guidelines as their instructor.
Frank,
And, they help both the instructor and the students. It's a great day when one tool can help everyone! ;-) Thanks again for posting in these forums.
Rubrics definitely help in the grading process, and also enforce the rules they were given for the assignment.
Monique,
Ah - another good term to use to describe a rubric - a compass. That makes perfect sense. We all need to go "due north" at some time. Ha! ;-) Thanks for sharing.
I see the rubric like a compass where it gives direction and guides, but the final destination is the instructors. I like that we can be flexible in allowing the direction to go a bit off course, yet stay on track for necessary outcomes.
Monique
Carol,
Your hit the nail on the head. ;-) Good things aren't always easy. That's for sure.
But, a good rubric is well-worth the effort. Thanks!
I think a well developed rubric serves several roles:
1. I think first , good rubrics aren't easy to develop ..they require the instructor to clarify objectives and exactly what a "mastered the objective" looks like. Then, it clarifies each step of the process and helps to focus on what is to be emphasized.
2. It helps do the same for the student, just from a different perspective. Students should be able to see exactly why the grade is what it is.
3. It provides a guide for peer editing. In class, I hear students say all the time, "no, if you want a 4 you have to add..."
4. They help the instructor prevent bias.
5. They provide feedback for improvement, they become formative assessment, not just summative.
Bonnie,
And, don't forget all the student benefits of using rubrics. We want them to understand the expectations and move toward the learning outcomes. Thanks1
Patricia,
Good explanation. We, as instructors, should use the rubric as a tool to develop those criteria to make sure the assessment is tied to the learning objectives. And, you're right, giving the rubric prior to the assignment is extremely beneficial to students. Thanks!
I think that the role of a rubric is as a tool for an instructor to use to design general to specific or broad to narrow guidelines for student grading criteria expectations. By providing the rubric for assignments or discussions up front to students, the students know what is expected and will base their participation on that. The instructor uses the rubric to grade all students fairly based on the established criteria.
Dr. Tena:
Rubrics help to unify and standardize grading.
Rubrics give students a visual criteria for
maximizing assignment points. Rubrics also help to insure that grading is fair within the group, and rubrics allow for greater assessment objectivity.
