The Power of Rubics - Part 2 Transcript

Graduate School Faculty Meeting
February 28, 2004

Here is a definition of rubrics. I collected a bunch of them and I put together the main threads that I found in all of those definitions.

• First of all, rubrics are performance-based assessments that evaluate student performance. So, that relates to that first definition that we went through in which we have a product and that product is a result of applying skills that are learned in the course.
  
  So, rubrics are used for a given task, its not about the students, but about that task. In these tasks in the end of these tasks you have a final product that you are looking at, and before that, you have the expectations for that product outlined very clearly.
  
  
• For rubrics you use specific criteria as a basis for evaluating students performance.
  
  Many instructors do not have formally written rubrics, but I am certain they all have their rubrics in their heads. I mean when we sit down to evaluate any kind of assignment, we have an expectation built inside us. Its true, also, that sometimes we have expectations and when we look at the set of assignments from our students, those expectations kind of slightly move from looking at them in a comparative way. But at least, a minimum of items that we want students to perform, we have those in our minds, even if theyre not written down.

• In any rubric, what we do is describe several levels of proficiency.
  
  What we have in the end is a table in which we will describe several levels of competency, from the poor to the excellent. The way you want to do it doesnt matter, but in the end you have a couple of levels, not too many, but a couple of levels that describe different levels of quality for the students product.
  


• We will see in the step-by-step description that, actually, the first step in writing a rubric is this: Given a certain product, I will define what are these levels of proficiency. And then the second step will be actually assigning the values... Thats the moment where the grading comes in; that is, I will assign a score for each of these values.


• Then the way I will assign these values can be either
  • looking at the full product, or
  
  
  • doing it in an analytical way in which I will cut the product into several different aspects and give scores for each of these aspects and for the levels of proficiency for each of these aspects
    

I have examples here [of a holistic and an analytical rubric not my own]. You will see later than in my own rubrics, I usually use the analytical way of doing it, just because its easier to concentrate on one aspect (Well, Im just weighting here the APA style or Im weighting here just if its technically sound.). That is easier for me, but any of those two ways is valid.

This is an example of holistic scoring guide the topic here is mathematical equations. Here, we dont have a table with rows describing pieces of the product, but each of the levels describes a level of proficiency for the whole product. So, I would say that, usually, if the assignment is very focused (its not [complex] like a term paper, but it is something that is very focused), then, the holistic way of doing the rubric will work very well.

When you start having multiple things that youre looking at in the same product, usually the analytical way will work best. And here is an example of an analytical rubric.

Here, instead of looking at the full product, I have several pieces that are part of or aspects of the same problem that Im looking at. In the column [headings], I have the scoring. And in each of the little boxes, I have the description of how that aspect is defined for that level. So, its a little bit more wordy, but sometimes its easier when youre doing the grading, depending on the assignment, to do it in this way.

(These are not mine... Ill show you mine in the end. I just wanted to show here more of the format and how you divide the product into different aspects.)

Next is a list of some benefits of having that set of criteria and standards.

I think theres a benefit of not only having your criteria and standards in your head but also of having them formally written down. The aspect of writing them down and this is why I think the rubric makes a difference when you write them down, sometimes you will confront yourself, Well, this is not really it, you know, when you put it on paper. So, it is a great benefit to actually reflect on the process of grading.

• Defining grading rubrics saves time.
  
  Well, the saving time.... At the end of talking about this, some people think, Oh, this is a lot of work! You have to sit down and write this whole table, you write the descriptions... Yes, there is some work right in the beginning, but then after you start using it, youre saving time because the grading process becomes more homogeneous.
  
  You dont have to go back so much to other assignments. Lets say you had already graded an assignment. Then you have to go back and say, Oh, but I think I graded that person differently, you know, you have to go back. If youre like me, since I hate grading, I dont do it like in one day because I cant stand it. I do a little piece, and then I do another little piece, and then I do another little piece. I like having something that keeps me on track in terms of grading when, you know, that day I didnt sleep well or Im tired, which changes the way I grade because our emotional settings change the way we grade, things that we accept and things that we dont accept. So, the rubric helps a lot in keeping that standard and in that sense saves a lot of time.
  
  
• It allows me to make that process consistent and fair.
  
  I dont know if you feel the same way, but I hate to be unfair. If I have to be unfair, I prefer to give extra points instead of taking away points. Rubrics help a lot in that sense.
• It helps me explain to the students what I expect, if I show students the rubric first.
  
  It also will help you when you have complaints [to deal with contested grades]. You will know exactly why, in which aspect, that students grade was such and such.
  
  And if you want to directly use the table of rubrics to give back to the students, you can use rubrics not only to build your feedback, but you can also provide the whole table and the points for each aspect to the students. Again, that usually will reduce the number of questions, because everything is there.


• Building the rubrics up front helps me refine the emphases of my teaching.
  
  Sometimes what happens is, we build the way were going to grade when we give assignments back. But if were able to build the assignment tools and build the rubrics before we start the assignments everything early then we really know, these are the things that we are looking for... We know where the emphases of our courses should be.
  
  This is a circle thing, because when we put down the rubric, we reflect on really what is essential and put away what is minor in that whole context.
• We identify essential relationships between discipline information and processes.

• [Providing rubrics] helps students participate in their own and each others work.
  
  If you have a rubric, you can use it for your own grading, but you can also ask students to evaluate their peers work; they have a common [framework] to do that evaluation. (Actually, in one of the texts I was reading, a nice experience was before you actually grade the assignments using that rubric to let students experience using the rubric to evaluate anonymous work so theyre really comfortable in what is being expected of them.)
  
  
• It saves you from having to explain your criteria, as I mentioned before. Its very clear what youre expecting and what your grading framework is.

• It helps student peers give each other constructive feedback.
  
  Instead of just saying, Oh, this is bad, they can say, I think you should do this such and such way because the expectation is such and such.
  
  
• It helps team teachers or teaching assistants grade student papers.
  
  Usually, TAs dont grade assignments [at UMUC Graduate School], but in other environments, this happens frequently. So, if you have the rubric, you have a common platform of grading criteria.

• It helps teachers of sequenced courses communicate with each other about standards and criteria [across a program].
  
  This is very important. Sometimes because of lack of communication, expectations change sharply from one course to another. So, if there is a common way of using rubrics, and if there are differences, you can understand what is the mindset of the students who are coming into your course from a previous course, and what kind of things are they used to, so you can actually show them what is being changed and be clear about the different expectations.


• Also, I think that the more we have [rubrics] embedded in courses, creating, for example, outcomes assessment plans you heard of that in the beginning of our faculty meeting becomes very easy because you have everything in terms of expectations already laid out very clearly.

Go to transcripts of sections

• Using Rubrics, Part I - Introduction: Defining Holistic Assessment
• Using Rubrics, Part II - Defining Rubrics and their Benefits
• Using Rubrics, Part III - The Processes of Developing and Using Rubrics
• Using Rubrics, Part IV - Two Examples (Porto), and References

Go to Videos of sections

• Part 1 : Introduction: Defining Holistic Assessment (10:20 mins.)
• Part 2 : Defining Rubrics their Benefits (11:54 mins.)
• Part 3 : Process of Developing and Using Rubrics (7:48 mins.)
• Part 4: Two Examples by Dr. Porto, plus References (6:10 mins.)