Understanding Rubrics
Rubrics are a tool for both teachers and students. Educators value rubrics differently, but several identified uses are:
Assessment (Deane, Montgomery, Spence): The primary objective for an educator using a rubric is generally as a tool for assessment. Rubrics used in assessment allow instructors to justify grades and offer reliability, the concept that multiple assessors would agree on a grade. They are also generally applauded for allowing ease of assessment - offering a template for grading as it were. Some ambitious educators, such as Robbin Ferrell, utilize rubrics to assess students in innovative ways. Ferrell incorporated a cooperative rubric building task in her freshman composition course. Students in this course collaborated with Ferrell in setting criteria on the grading rubric. By incorporating this technique, Ferrell was able to assess the level of comprehension regarding writing standards in her students. Learning (Andrade, Wygaard and Gehrke): Many educators value rubrics for their ability to present criteria to students. By using rubrics, writing instructors make explicit the standards of college level composition to those that need it most: the students. The criteria set forth in rubrics for composition are especially important in this regard, as learning these standards goes a long way toward interdisciplinary writing. Heidi Andrade encourages the use of instructional rubrics, analytic rubrics with detailed criteria and added emphasis on feedback. She emphasizes the value in learning from feedback and grading - by clearly showing how students met (or did not meet) certain criteria, those students can learn about themselves as writers. Using Rubrics to Promote Thinking and Learning |
Scaffolding (Cho):
Some students may utilize rubrics in the creation or revision process. By setting forth criteria, rubrics allow students a reference by which to assess their own work. Indeed, several students report using rubrics that are not involved in assessment when composing interdisciplinary papers. Furthermore, some instructors utilize rubrics as scaffolding for lesson plans. Rubrics offer a reference for the standards of writing, which constitute the majority of learning objectives in composition courses. By covering the rubric extensively, the instructor can effectively communicate what is expected in addressing audiences via the written word. Another practice that benefits from the guidelines that rubrics offer is the peer review process. An added benefit of incorporating rubrics in peer review is granting the student experience in assessing the work of others, thereby affording them insight into how their papers are assessed as well as a heightened awareness of the criteria due to collaborative discourse. |