Making Assignment Expectations Clear: Create a Grading Rubric Barb Thompson Communication Skills Libby Daugherty Assessment FOR Student Learning 1

Learning Outcomes After attending this presentation, you should be able to name the three essential parts of a rubric, construct a rubric for a specific assignment, and use your rubric to evaluate the assignment 2

Today’s Learning What Is a Rubric? Rubric Construction Rubric Language Bloom’s Taxonomy Helpful Links 3

What Is a Rubric? Scoring guide Essential features evaluative criteria definitions strategy Source: Center for Research on Education, Diversity, & Excellence (University of California at Berkeley) 4

Constructing a Rubric State criteria for assignment. Identify levels of achievement Describe criterion 5

Sample criterion description (Job objective on a resume): Job Objective Excellent Job objective refers to a specific position, is clearly worded, and indicates what duties the applicant will perform in the position Adequate Job objective refers to a general position and is clearly worded IneffectiveJob objective is vague, unclear, or omitted 6

Rubric Language Excellent – mastery of literary conventions Good – usually follows literary conventions Fair – frequent lapses in use of literary conventions Poor – little or no attempt to follow literary conventions 7

Cognitive levels of mastery Knowledge Comprehension Application Analysis Synthesis Evaluation Bloom’s Taxonomy 8

Knowledge Recall data or information. Examples: Recite a policy. Quote prices from memory to a customer. Repeat the safety rules. Key Words: define, describe, identify, label, list, match, name, outline, reproduce, select, state 9

Comprehension Demonstrate understanding of the meaning, translation, and interpretation of instructions and problems. Examples: Explain in your own words the steps for performing a complex task. Translate an equation into a computer spreadsheet. Key Words: convert, explain, interpret, give examples, paraphrase, summarize, translate 10

Application Use a concept in a new situation or unprompted use of an abstraction. Apply what was learned in the classroom into novel situations in the work place. Examples: Use a manual to calculate an employee’s vacation time. Apply laws of statistics to evaluate the reliability of a written test. Key Words: apply, demonstrate, modify, operate, predict, prepare, produce, relate, show, solve, use 11

Analysis Separate material or concepts into component parts so that its organizational structure may be understood. Distinguish between facts and inferences. Examples: Troubleshoot a piece of equipment by using logical deduction. Explain logic fallacies in reasoning. Key Words: analyze, break down, compare, contrast, diagram, deconstruct, differentiate, distinguish, outline, relate, separate 12

Synthesis Build a structure or pattern from diverse elements. Put parts together to form a whole, with emphasis on creating a new meaning or structure. Examples: Design a machine to perform a specific task. Integrate training from several sources to solve a problem. Key Words: compile, compose, create, devise, design, generate, organize, plan, rearrange, reconstruct, reorganize, revise 13

Evaluation Make judgments about the value of ideas or materials. Examples: Select the most effective solution. Hire the most qualified candidate. Explain and justify a new budget. Key Words: appraise, criticize, defend, evaluate, justify, support 14

A more detailed chart for Bloom’s Taxonomy can be found at the following link: A set of rubrics to measure general education across the curriculum can be be found at the following link: In the “General Education Goals” menu, click on the “Gen Ed Rubrics” link. 15