Rubrics serve as guiding tools for instructors in evaluating their students' work or performance, enhancing reliability, validity, and transparency in assessments (Chowdhury, 2018). While not suitable for all scenarios, such as multiple-choice exams, rubrics prove invaluable for performance-based tasks like writing, oral presentations, and projects. Generally, rubrics fall into three categories: analytic, holistic, and checklist.
Analytic Rubrics
Analytic rubrics resemble grids with grading criteria listed in the leftmost column and performance levels across the top row, often indicated by numbers or descriptive tags (DePaul University). These rubrics excel in breaking down tasks into specific categories with varying performance levels, allowing students to focus on particular skills and understand what to improve based on instructor feedback.
Moreover, analytic rubrics offer nuance by acknowledging students' strengths, even if they haven't fully mastered a skill or concept. However, their effectiveness relies on clearly defined performance levels. For certain assignments, alternative rubric types may be more suitable.
Analytic rubrics break down tasks into specific categories with varying performance levels, recognizing and rewarding student strengths. However, their efficacy hinges on clearly defined performance levels. A subset of analytic trait rubrics, developmental rubrics gauge students' progress in acquiring specific skills or abilities (DePaul University).
View an example of an analytic rubric.
Developmental Rubrics
Developmental rubrics, a subset of analytic trait rubrics, are designed to gauge the extent to which students are developing specific skills or abilities (DePaul University). These rubrics, often based on developmental theories, may not immediately benefit higher education courses. However, they could prove useful for students pursuing careers involving children or teenagers.
Holistic Rubrics
Holistic rubrics consist of a single scale where all evaluation criteria are considered together, such as clarity, organization, and mechanics (DePaul University). Easier to create and potentially very reliable with proper rater training, holistic rubrics allow for swift assessment by evaluating the overall product rather than its individual aspects.
Holistic rubrics are particularly valuable for assignments like reflections, where students are expected to express thoughts and ideas without nuanced performance levels. By quickly highlighting the essential aspects of the reflection, instructors allow students to approach the task in ways that suit their learning styles while meeting requirements.
While holistic rubrics offer advantages, it's crucial to keep descriptors concise. Typically, describing performance levels in 1-3 sentences suffices. If more extensive descriptions are necessary, an analytic rubric might be preferable.
View an example of a holistic rubric.
Checklist Rubrics
Unlike other rubrics, checklist rubrics feature only two levels of performance, taking an "all or nothing" approach to evaluation (DePaul University). Despite potentially longer checklists, well-written checklist rubrics can efficiently assess student work.
Checklist rubrics are particularly useful in fields like mathematics, where correct answers, demonstrated work, and explanations based on course principles are essential. However, they are less suitable for assignments with nuanced criteria or varied levels of performance.
Rubrics need not only assign grades; checklist rubrics serve as valuable reflective tools for students. For instance, providing a checklist rubric before submitting an essay allows students to review their work before submission. Clear communication about whether the rubric will also be used for evaluation or solely for formative purposes enhances students' understanding of its value in reflecting on assignments.
View an example of a checklist rubric.
Benefits of Using Rubrics
Creating rubrics can be challenging, but focusing on their advantages is crucial. Rubrics promote course consistency by aligning assignment criteria with learning objectives, facilitating objective and consistent grading practices (Ragupathi & Lee, 2020). They enhance reliability in scoring, especially when supplemented with exemplars or rater training (Jonsson & Svingby, 2007).
Moreover, rubrics benefit students by providing feedback that helps them identify strengths and areas for improvement (Pinkerton, 2022). Students can track their progress over time, especially when the same rubric is used for multiple assessments. Additionally, rubrics serve as scaffolds for assessment, empowering students to plan, clarify targets, and regulate their efforts (Ragupathi & Lee, 2020).
Rubrics are particularly beneficial for marginalized student groups, as they clarify learning expectations and assist both students and support personnel in understanding assignment requirements (Wolf & Stevens, 2007).
Getting Started
The first thing to do to get started is to not reinvent the wheel; there are tons of resources that exist online to help you build a rubric. For example, AAC&U has 16 VALUE rubrics that might prove helpful as a baseline to get started. Consider tweaking these existing rubrics to meet the needs of your students and your courses.
Generative AI can also help in this regard. AI for Education has a page with different prompt suggestions for how to get ChatGPT to help you create a rubric. Like any query with ChatGPT, there will likely be editing to do on your part to completely align the rubric to learning objectives in your course, but this can reduce the amount of time needed to create the tool. If you’re a Harmonize discussion user, the ability to have ChatGPT generate a rubric for a discussion is built directly into the platform. We’ll have a teaching tip on this topic coming next week!
If you prefer to start from scratch, you’ll want to make sure that you create the rubric before assigning the task to students, and when considering what criteria to include and how many points to award, consult the learning objectives for your course, module, unit, etc., as well as your grading scale. Once you’ve created your rubric, you can add your rubric directly to Canvas, which will allow you to grade assignments using the rubric directly in SpeedGrader.
And of course, COLRS is always happy to help! We’ll be holding a workshop on rubric creation on February 28th at noon in the COLRS Zoom.
Resources
American Association of Colleges and Universities. (n.d.). Download the VALUE Rubrics. AAC&U. Retrieved January 30, 2024, from https://www.aacu.org/initiatives/value-initiative/value-rubrics
Chowdhury, F. (2019). Application of Rubrics in the Classroom: A Vital Tool for Improvement in Assessment, Feedback and Learning. International Education Studies, 12(1), 61-68. https://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/ies/article/view/0/37944
DePaul University. (n.d.). Types of Rubrics | Rubrics | Feedback & Grading | Teaching Guides | Teaching Commons. DePaul University. Retrieved January 30, 2024, from https://resources.depaul.edu/teaching-commons/teaching-guides/feedback-grading/rubrics/Pages/types-of-rubrics.aspx
Distol, P. (n.d.). Rubrics — AI for Education. AI for Education. Retrieved January 30, 2024, from https://www.aiforeducation.io/prompts/rubrics
Illinois Online Network (ION). (n.d.). Rubric Introduction. University of Illinois Springfield. Retrieved January 30, 2024, from https://www.uis.edu/ion/resources/tutorials/assessment/rubric-introduction
Jonsson, A., & Svingby, G. (2007). The use of scoring rubrics: Reliability, validity and educational consequences. Educational Research Review, 2(2), 130-144. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1747938X07000188
Metropolitan State University of Denver. (2022, November 30). Consider including students in creating rubrics. MSU Denver. Retrieved January 30, 2024, from https://www.msudenver.edu/early-bird/consider-including-students-in-creating-rubrics/
Pinkerton, A. (2022, November 22). Rubrics: Benefits for Faculty and Students. Center for Teaching and Learning. Retrieved January 30, 2024, from https://ctl.jhsph.edu/blog/posts/rubrics-benefits-faculty-students/
Quality Matters. (2023). General Standard 3 - Assessment and Measurement. In Rubric Workbook: Standards for Course Design (HE) (7th ed., pp. 28-29). Quality Matters.
Ragupathi, K., & Lee, A. (2020). Beyond Fairness and Consistency in Grading: The Role of Rubrics in Higher Education.