The use and design of rubrics to support Assessment for Learning

2013

The mainstream research on scoring rubrics has emphasized the summative aspect of assessment. In recent years, the use of rubrics for formative purposes has gained more attention. This research has, however, not been conclusive. The aim of this study is therefore to review the research on formative use of rubrics, in order to investigate if, and how, rubrics have an impact on student learning. In total, 21 studies about rubrics were analyzed through content analysis. Sample, subject/task, design, procedure, and findings, were compared among the different studies in relation to effects on student performance and selfregulation. Findings indicate that rubrics may have the potential to influence students learning positively, but also that there are several different ways for the use of rubrics to mediate improved performance and self-regulation. There are a number of factors identified that may moderate the effects of using rubrics formatively, as well as factors that need further investigation.

2015

The changing environment for both students and lecturers dictates the requirement for giving feedback on assessment activities rapidly. In order to close this cycle of learning for the student and facilitate the feed-forward process, the development of rubrics has become an essential part of the workload. The rubric tool needs to have clearly stated performance indicators and criteria so that both student and lecturer have the same expectations of the assessment activity. The rubric must be robust enough to be able to capture the balance of being both an easy tool for marking but also detailed enough to give constructive feedback reflecting the learning outcomes. The rubric development, given its complexity, when constructing this tool, can be time consuming but eventually becomes time saving. Thereby reducing the grading workload effort of the lecturer while maintaining the knowledge gained by the students through the assessment activity. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4995/HEAd15.2015.414

Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 2010

This paper critically reviews the empirical research on the use of rubrics at the post-secondary level, identifies gaps in the literature and proposes areas in need of research. Studies of rubrics in higher education have been undertaken in a wide range of disciplines and for multiple purposes, including increasing student achievement, improving instruction and evaluating programmes. While, student perceptions of rubrics are generally positive and some authors report positive responses to rubric use by instructors, others noted a tendency for instructors to resist using them. Two studies suggested that rubric use was associated with improved academic performance, while one did not. The potential of rubrics to identify the need for improvements in courses and programmes has been demonstrated. Studies of the validity of rubrics have shown that clarity and appropriateness of language is a central concern. Studies of rater reliability tend to show that rubrics can lead to a relatively common interpretation of student performance. Suggestions for future research include the use of more rigorous research methods, more attention to validity and reliability, a closer focus on learning and research on rubric use in diverse educational contexts.

Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Higher Education Advances, 2017

This study examines students' views regarding two types of feedback: that obtained through rubrics and that given by the class tutor (rubrics and inclass feedback, respectively). We constructed an ad hoc questionnaire to assess students' perceived usefulness of both types of feedback. The sample comprised 135 undergraduates from the University of Barcelona who were enrolled in a Research Designs course as part of the degree in Psychology. On almost all the questionnaire items the percentage of positive views was high for both types of feedback, although especially for in-class feedback. As for academic achievement, we observed no statistically significant differences between those students who only used rubrics, those who attended feedback classes and those who received both types of feedback. However, the latter left fewer questions unanswered in the multiple-choice exam, as compared with their peers who only used rubrics. Finally, those students who felt that the use of rubrics and feedback classes had helped them feel less anxious about exams obtained higher grades.

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access Proceedings, 2020

Homework is a formative assessment to provide feedback to students regarding the new concepts learned on a weekly or biweekly basis. It also acts as a tool for the instructor to gage student learning outcomes. It provides real-time information to the instructor to design the coursework for effective student learning. This study aims to center a conversation about homework grading for new educators and provide one example of a homework grading rubric that is efficient and effective at providing feedback. A grading rubric was created to achieve the objective. To effectively understand the dynamics of varying student populations and backgrounds, the homework grading rubric study spans multiple classes at two higher education institutions to provide a comparative analysis of the outcomes. Time studies as well as student surveys are conducted to assess two outcomes; efficiency of the rubric and, effectiveness of feedback regarding the strengths and weaknesses in learning the course content. The study showed a decrease in grading time spent on the homework as well as the feedback helped in getting higher exam scores. Student surveys are being conducted during the 2019-2020 academic year.

Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 2005

This study suggests that students use rubrics to support their own learning and academic performance. In focus groups, fourteen undergraduate students discussed the ways in which they used rubrics to plan an approach to an assignment, check their work, and guide or reflect on feedback from others. The students said that using rubrics helped them focus their efforts, produce work of higher quality, earn a better grade, and feel less anxious about an assignment. Their comments also revealed that most of the students tend not to read a rubric in its entirety, and that some may perceive of a rubric as a tool for satisfying a particular teacher's demands rather than as a representation of the criteria and standards of a discipline.

This study suggests that students use rubrics to support their own learning and academic performance. In focus groups, fourteen undergraduate students discussed the ways in which they used rubrics to plan an approach to an assignment, check their work, and guide or reflect on feedback from others. The students said that using rubrics helped them focus their efforts, produce work of higher quality, earn a better grade, and feel less anxious about an assignment. Their comments also revealed that most of the students tend not to read a rubric in its entirety, and that some may perceive of a rubric as a tool for satisfying a particular teacher's demands rather than as a representation of the criteria and standards of a discipline.

2020

Despite significant reforms in the past decade in relation to criteria- and standards-based assessment in tertiary education contexts, assessment remains the most significantly criticised aspect of the student tertiary experience and a major driver of student engagement. The key tool in this experience is the rubric, also known as the criteria sheet or the ‘Guide to Making Judgments’. This book discusses the significance of assessment rubrics in tertiary education. Assessment rubrics impact the student experience in multiple ways: as a guide to students and assessors prior to grading; at the point of grading by the assessor; when moderating during the post-grading process; in providing an additional guide to students in the assessment planning stage; and as a feedback mechanism to students once results are released. This book explains how the rubric reflects key principles of assessment. It explores different models of rubrics used in tertiary contexts, and provides data from studen...

2016

Together the ERG provided feedback, guidance and advice to the project. Thanks also to Professor Kerri-Lee Krause for acting as the project's External Evaluator. The team acknowledges the support of the Department of Education and Training for providing funding for the project. It is acknowledged that the lead institution (Avondale) and partner institutions (CSU and UTS), provided substantial in-kind project funding and support. Finally, we would like to thank all the wonderful lecturer and student Owning the Rubric: Student engagement in rubric design and use v Executive summary The project focuses on collaboratively constructing and using assessment resources designed in partnership between teachers and students in higher education contexts. Traditionally, the early stages of assessment design were the domain of teachers. In recent years, many educators and researchers have called for increased levels of involvement by students during the development of assessment criteria, instructions and rubrics. By engaging students to work collaboratively with their university teachers to prepare and create assessment guidelines and rubrics, there is a greater potential for students to take ownership of and be accountable for their own learning outcomes.

Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 2013

Students and teachers play different roles and thus have different perceptions about the effectiveness of assessment including structure, feedback, consistency, fairness and efficiency. In an undergraduate Business Information Systems course, a rubric was designed and semi-automated through a learning management system (LMS) to provide formative feedback. Action research with a qualitative approach was undertaken by the teacher. A questionnaire was administered to the 55 students to gather their perceptions of the effectiveness of the process. Students reported benefits of clearly being able to see what they needed to do, what they had achieved, and what they needed to do to improve. The majority (95%) recommended further use of the rubric process. From the teacher's perspective, a key benefit was an estimated 40% reduction in marking time and improved student satisfaction with feedback. An insight from the student feedback and teacher reflection was that there is a balance between providing clear detailed structure versus challenging students with freedom to deal with the ambiguity of open ended issues. The study provides practical insights for further roll-out of assurance of learning initiatives based on rubrics embedded in LMSs, and contributes a model for further research into student and teacher perceptions of assessment effectiveness.