A rubric is a scoring tool used to assess student performance based upon a specific set of criteria. A rubric consists of the following three components:
1. Criteria: the characteristics of performance (e.g., thesis statement, organization, evidence.
2. Levels of performance: the degree to which a student is expected to meet a given criteria (e.g., exceeded expectations, met expectations, did not meet expectations)
3. Descriptors: specific explanation linked to each criteria and level of performance. the characteristics associated with each dimension (e.g., Bibliography contains very little information, All relevant information is included)
Rubrics can be used to provide feedback to students on diverse types of assignments, from papers, projects, and oral presentations to artistic performances and group projects.
Below are important points/questions to consider while constructing a rubric:
It is very important to define the goals for which you intend to develop a rubric. Do you intend to use it to grade students’ assignment/project or provide feedback or both? Is the rubric meant for a simple learning task or a major/complex project?
The choice of a rubric type will depend on the nature of the assignment you need to score using a rubric. Do you need to use an analytic rubric and, therefore, provide students feedback and detailed score, or do you need a holistic rubric to allow for broad feedback and overall sense of students’ performance?
The criteria in a rubric should reflect observable and measurable expectations relative to the task/assignment for which you are developing a rubric. Each criterion should be different from the other, and should be stated in a precise, unambiguous language.
How will you determine various levels of student performance? How many rating scales do you plan to have in the rubric? Do the rating scales reflect the purpose of the rubric?
Descriptors should be observable and measurable, and distinct from each other. They should show "growth" or "progression" from lower levels of performance to higher levels of performance, and should be written in a consistent and parallel language across the scale.
The benefits of using rubrics in courses can be observed by both instructors and students. According to Suskie (2009, p. 139), rubrics:
The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) developed a set of rubrics for institutional-level use in evaluating and discussing student learning through a project called VALUE: Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education. The rubrics were developed for the following outcome categories/themes.
