OPIT

Using rubrics as a tool for assessing, for learning or both?

A rubric is an assessment tool that explicitly lists the criteria against which student work will compared and describes the levels of quality for each criterion. They provide a structured way to recognize concrete levels of achievement, helping students focus on their development rather than viewing learning as a static endpoint. By framing learning as a process, rubrics encourage continuous improvement and progress.

Rubrics can be designed to serve different purposes. They are a template for evaluating student’s work but can also be of significant help in learning. Teacher-centered rubrics focus on helping instructors to quickly and objectively assign grades. In contrast, student-centered rubrics emphasize learning and achievement, aiming to support the student’s growth and understanding of the subject matter, e.g. when using rubrics as formative assessment that does not necessarily is a graded activity.

In a student-centered approach, the focus is on building rubrics to guide students on what is expected of them, clearly outlining both the minimum requirements, and also what constitutes excellent work. By incorporating a “way-forward” mentality, rubrics are helping students understand where they stand and how they can improve. This approach fosters in the students a sense of control over their own results, which can reduce performance anxiety in challenging tasks.

Instead of comparing students against each other, rubrics focus on comparing individual performance with the levels of achievement for specific learning outcomes, i.e. how well a certain competence has been demonstrated. They are particularly useful for multifaceted skills, where a student’s development might progress in different paces for each aspect. Rubrics also make positive feedback more effective by highlighting specific strengths and achievements.

As a tool for streamlining and standardizing evaluation, rubrics are a powerful tool to provide objective, fair, and consistent feedback. Particularly in larger courses, where different graders are working on the same activity, having a blueprint for assessment can ensure that the students will be evaluated in a consistent manner.

Rubrics can be used in different activities on MyCourses, including tools such as FeedbackFruits, Workshop, and Assignments. However, rubrics have their own set of challenges and their use must be considered critically too. For example, they may sometimes discourage experimentation or going beyond what is explicitly asked for. Strictly following any assessment template, can make it difficult to give credit for outstanding or innovative work that exceeds expectations.

In a nutshell…

A good rubric:

• Is designed not just as a scoring tool but as a means to deliver high-quality, constructive feedback.
• Clearly describes the criteria and performance levels using concrete terms and avoiding vague or ambiguous language.
• Outlines the progression between levels, providing clear, actionable steps for improving performance.

References:
Ragupathi, K., Lee, A. (2020). Beyond Fairness and Consistency in Grading: The Role of Rubrics in Higher Education. In: Sanger, C., Gleason, N. (eds) Diversity and Inclusion in Global Higher Education. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-1628-3_3