David Keller, Ph.D. Curriculum & Assessment Specialist Rubric Development David Keller, Ph.D. Curriculum & Assessment Specialist

Resources Stevens, D. D., & Levi, A. J. (2013). Introduction to Rubrics (2nd ed.). Sterling, VA: Stylus. www.aacu.org (Value rubrics)

What is a rubric? Tool which divides an assignment into core dimensions Allow to assess each dimension individually Provides detailed description of levels of performance for each dimension

Benefits of a rubric Save time Improve consistency of assessing and grading Relay expectations to others Provide detailed feedback to students Promote critical thinking

Elements of a rubric Task Description Scale Dimensions Description of Dimensions

Task Description Description of a specific assignment Paper Presentation Description of more global behavior/attribute Participation Follow lab protocol Communication with client/patient

Scale Description of how well a particular task or dimension has been performed Determine number of levels 3 to 5 is best With more levels, it is more difficult to differentiate between them Scale labels Semantics matter! Avoid being too negative

Sample Scale labels – 3 levels High level, Middle level, Low level Excellent, Competent, Needs work Exemplary, Competent, Beginning Exemplary, Competent, Not yet competent Proficient, Intermediate, Novice Excellent, Good, Developing Strong, Satisfactory, Weak

Sample Scale labels – 4 levels Sophisticated, Competent, Partly Competent, Not yet competent Exemplary, Proficient, Marginal, Unacceptable Advanced, Intermediate high, Intermediate, novice Mastery, Partial mastery, Progressing, Emerging Distinguished, Proficient, Intermediate, Novice Accomplished, Average, Developing, Beginning Highly Developed, Developed, Emerging, Initial

Dimensions Determine distinct parts of the assignment or performance Describe components which must be combined to successfully demonstrate learning task Dimension labels should not include quality descriptors (that goes in the rubric) Label “Grammar” not “Correct Grammar”

Description of the Dimensions Start with highest performance description of the dimension Next describe lowest performance description (short of not submitting/doing anything) Often negation of highest performing description List of typical mistakes Fill in middle dimension(s) differentiating the levels of performance

Other considerations Check boxes next to criteria helpful especially when applying rubric to live demonstration Adding points/percentages clarifies relative importance of each dimension to overall grade

Let’s Build a Rubric: Reflection Why did you create this assignment? What exactly was the task assigned? How does this assignment relate to the rest of what you are teaching? What skills will students need to have or develop to successfully complete this assignment? What evidence can students provide in this assignment that would show they have accomplished what you hoped they would accomplish when you created the assignment? Have you given this, or a similar, assignment before? If so, how did students perform? Were there any particularly satisfying/disappointing results

Let’s Build a Rubric: Listing What specific learning outcomes do you hope students will demonstrate with the completion of this assignment? What does the highest level performance look like? One idea/outcome per post-it.

Let’s Build a Rubric: Group & Label Cluster post-its around common themes. Label the themes – these become the dimensions for your rubric

Let’s Build a Rubric: Application Transfer dimensions to rubric Use outcomes and exemplary work descriptions to create criteria for each dimension on the rubric