Evaluation Rubrics and the WebRubrics are very important in helping students do their best on more open ended assignments, assignments that are not evaluated by short answer tests such as fill-in-the blank, multiple choice and true-false questions. They are helpful to instructors and teachers because they require the instructor to think through how an assignment will be evaluated before the work has been submitted. Clarifying evaluation goals for both the instructor and student helps focus both teaching goals and student questions. When it comes time to evaluate submitted work, a grading rubric allows the instructor to move quickly through what will initially seem like a mountain of reading and decision making. Rubrics are not just for complex activities. No matter how carefully an assignment or project is explained orally in class, not only is it difficult for learners to discern where the teacher is placing the accent, but important features will be forgotten or misunderstood. If the project or open-ended assignment is important enough to render a grade that will be recorded, then a grading rubric should be strongly considered. Grading rubrics also have an inherent weakness. They can seen by learners as the maximum requirement for a project. There are always other wonderful and creative ideas that could be invented which go beyond the factors in the grading rubric or could introduce new elements without reflecting negatively on the other assignment goals. In other words, grading rubrics can be rationalized by students in a way that can limit personal growth and achievement. To reduce the liklihood of this perception, it is suggested that one or more rubric elements include encouragement to seek extra credit for elements that the instructor did not imagine as long as they do not detract from the stated goals. This encouragement could also include specific examples of extra credit possibilities. Another effective approach in using grading rubrics would be to have students serve as editors and proofreaders to assess each other's assignments and projects, using the grading rubric to determine if all assignment elements are in place and at an adequate level of development. Such proofreading activity of someone else's work develops critical thinking skills that help with self-evaluation during the student's next assignments and projects. At a minimum, students should be asked to complete the grading rubrics for their own work as they submit their assignments. This provides one last focused review of the work as it is being completed. Grading Rubrics are used for several different types of assignments in the Computers in Education course: Web site lst evaluation ; Desktop Publishing Newsletter ; Video Composition ; Web Site Final ; Unit Plan ; Electronic Slideshow (Powerpoint) ; QA: Classroom participation and interaction . In each case, the grading rubric is to be studied by course participants from beginning to the end of the assignment and a completed rubric submitted on the day the assignment is due along with any other required material such as a paper or disk or CD (compact disc). The web adds real value to the use of rubrics in many different ways. Several examples of each of these ways can be found in the bibliography below. First, it provides numerous examples that educators have put online, examples numbering in the thousands. However, because of the ready editability of web pages, these rubrics are more than just examples to study. Web pages can be slipped into a web page editor and quickly modified for more precise fits to a teacher's or administrator's particular teaching situation. There is so much on the web related to rubrics that the odds are good for finding a subject specific rubric simply by using a web search system and typing in the name of a subject area followed by rubric, such as history rubric. Second, the web provides links to software programs that can be downloaded as demos as well purchased and run on desktop computers that automate many aspects of creating rubrics. More importantly, web sites are increasingly becoming software applications. In this case, the examples below also provide automated features for creating rubrics. Finally, the web provides immediate access to a rich collection of professional articles. Included in the links below are complete online articles and book length works that discuss the theory and use of rubrics in education in some detail. Online bookstores and libraries also provide ready access to numerous books on the subject of evaluation rubrics.
BibliographySamples and Models
Rubric Builder Advise and Tools
Refereed ArticlesThe ERIC database of educational literature uses the descriptor of "scoring rubrics" to identify this discussion of rubrics in the literature. As of December, 2001, there are 68 articles in the ERIC database in which "scoring rubrics" is used as a major descriptor in the article.
Abstract: "Argues that, in all subject areas, assessment trends are moving toward teaching concepts rather than teaching facts, and toward application of information and skills. Discusses how rubrics are helpful in specifying what criteria student performance and proficiency levels should be evaluated. Offers three rubrics (problem solving, group oral presentation, and holistic writing), and offers suggestions for designing or modifying rubrics."
Abstract: "This Digest describes different types of scoring rubrics and explains why they are useful. Scoring rubrics are descriptive scoring schemes that are developed by teachers or other evaluators to guide the analysis of the products or processes of students' efforts. Scoring rubrics are generally used when a judgment of quality is required, and they may be used to evaluate a broad range of activities. The evaluation of writing is a common use of scoring rubrics. Several types of scoring rubrics are available. The first distinction is between analytic and holistic scoring rubrics. An analytic scoring rubric allows for the separate evaluation of each factor considered in the evaluation. A holistic scoring rubric may be preferable when there is an overlap between the criteria set for the evaluation of the different factors. Rubrics are also divided into general versus task-specific rubrics, and may be designed to contain both general and task-specific components. (Contains 12 references)." [The full text of this article is available online when searching the ERIC database.]
Un-refereed Articles
BooksWorks that are also available through the university library have their library catalog numbers at the end of the citations below. To quickly find these works, look for the phrase Hunter Library in university purple.
Updated December 23, 2001 | Page author: Bob Houghton |