Using Rubrics

Jennifer Ahern-Dodson | Thompson Writing ProgramYvonne Belanger | Center for Instructional Technology

Jessica Thornton | Provost Office

USING RUBRICS

Duke UniversityAssessment Roundtable

23 April 2012

BackgroundGetting you Started - Audience

ParticipationExamples from Across DukeTake-awaysQuestion and Answer

Sign-in! Handouts Available

RUBRICS:WHAT ABOUT THEM?

Word Root: Red Ink

In the mid-90s reframed as a evaluation tool

A scoring tool that lays out specific expectations for an assignment

Divides assignment into its component parts

Can include descriptions of acceptable and unacceptable performance

OVERVIEW: WHAT EXACTLY ARE RUBRICS?

Help with GradingCommunicate Expectations to StudentsSharing Best PracticesProgram Assessment

OVERVIEW: WHY USE RUBRICS?

Task DescriptionDimensionsScaleDescription of Performance at each

level and dimension

OVERVIEW:COMPONENTS OF RUBRICS

OVERVIEW: EXAMPLES

Rubrics are not necessarily:Quantitative Summative Tied to GradesUseful only at the assignment levelComprehensiveBoring checklists

OVERVIEW:THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX

GETTING YOU STARTED

What do you most care about students learning?

How is this communicated to students (mission statement, syllabus, application)?

What skills or experiences do they need to get there?

NAMING WHAT MATTERS

Name at least one learning goal and describe (or bullet list) what it would look like if students mastered that goal.

Concept: “backwards design”

GETTING SPECIFIC: WHAT WOULD SUCCESS LOOK LIKE?

What do you want students to be able to do by the end of the project/course?(Learning goals)

How do you give them practice in those goals? (Teaching or Mentoring Strategies)

How do you know that they are learning (in process) and have learned (at end) these goals? (Feedback strategies and evaluation)

ALIGNING FOR LEARNING

EXAMPLES FROM ACROSS DUKE

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EXAMPLES FROM DUKE:DIVINITY

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EXAMPLES FROM DUKE:FOREIGN LANGUAGE

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EXAMPLES FROM DUKE:BIOTAP

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EXAMPLES FROM DUKE: PRATT

TAKE-AWAYS

Start SmallStart with one assignment

Keep learning goals at centerScaffolding

TAKE-AWAYS:HOW TO GET STARTED

Abundance of Rubrics on the InternetEasy to create and make your ownBuild consensus in your program or

department

TAKE-AWAYS:HOW TO CREATE A RUBRIC

AAC&U VALUE RubricsAvailable at assessment.aas.duke.edu

Book: Introduction to Rubrics (Stevens & Levi)

Article: On the “Uses” of Rubrics: Reframing the Great Rubric Debate (Turley & Gallagher)

RESOURCES

Questions? Thoughts? Feedback?

THANK YOU!

Subject Matter Expert Driven Interview faculty individually or in small groups

Determine dimensions and descriptions of performance from interviews

This approach may need assistance on the front-end

MAKING IT YOURS:HOW TO BUILD IT? GET CONSENSUS?

Ground up ApproachStart with a blank rubricAsk faculty to score and make notesRubric will evolve over time with feedback

MAKING IT YOURS:HOW TO BUILD IT? GET CONSENSUS?