Qatar University College of Arts and Sciences Developing rubrics to assess courses Abdou Ndoye Fall 2010

Workshop objectives and learning outcomes Workshop ObjectivesLearning Outcomes : at the end of this workshop, participants will be able to Present the rationale and purposes for using rubrics Identify the rationale and purposes for using rubrics Review different types of rubricsDistinguish holistic from an analytic rubric Present an overview of principles of designing a good rubric Apply the principles of designing a good rubric to revise existing rubrics in use in their courses or create new ones.

The rationale and purposes for using rubrics

Assessment and rubrics Two types of assessment :  Traditional assessments (tests)  Norm referenced assessment : Performance is compared based on a norm ( SAT)  Authentic assessment  Criterion referenced assessment : Assessments in which we evaluate students performance based on a set of criteria ( Students performing lab procedures )

Rubric as one of the tools Why rubrics ▫Authentic assessment  Allows students to perform a real world task  Demonstrates combination of different skills and competencies  Performance or product required  Focuses on learning outcomes  Challenges ( More difficult to design and assess )

Challenges of authentic assessment  Harder to assess and more complex ( it is easier to assess a multiple choice than a term paper) No obvious set of criteria Risks of personal bias Combines different competencies and skills Rubric is a tool that can help solve these problems

Rubrics and authentic assessments ▫Rubrics are hard to design ▫Rubrics take time and are constantly reviewed and adapted ▫Opportunities for reliability across instructors ( reduces personal bias) ▫clear set of expectations ( no ambiguity between performance criteria or scale ) ▫Guidelines for scoring ▫Rubrics provide students with a self assessment tool to improve learning ▫Communication tool for consistency

Types of Rubrics

Types Holistic : ▫Looks at the product or performance as a whole Analytic ▫Breaks the performance or product into criteria( Dimensions) ▫See Handout for examples

Overview of principles of designing a good rubric

Principles of designing good rubrics Break down performances in specific sets of skills and criteria Aim for clear and concise descriptors ( scale and criteria should be exclusive, and also clearly stated) ( avoid ambiguous words as much as you can ( often, rarely, meaningful etc…) Use specific and observable criteria or provide for a way to accommodate them ( Creative and thoughtful) Keep it to what is essential ( avoid lengthy and cumbersome rubrics ). “….lengthy rubrics only gather dust…” (Benjamin 23) Descriptors and performance levels should be clear ( equal step between scales) the difference between 4 and 3 should the same as the difference between 3 and 2 List skills consistently in a continuum across levels Link assignment to rubrics Shared with colleagues : Have colleagues review and check it for you Apply and readjust

Steps See Handout Task Break down tasks into attributes (criteria) Develop levels of performance Describe each criteria and level

Task : Students are asked to do a presentation on the components of a healthy food pyramid What are the criteria for the presentation ? What dimensions will you look for? What do you expect from students for each these criteria ? Those are your descriptors. What are the expected levels of performance? Decide also on your point value Engaging the audience Criteria Meet expectations Content of the presentation Relevance Student makes eye contact Student engaged audience through questioning

References Allen, N. (20xx). Designing Rubrics. A PowerPoint presentation. Benjamin, A.(2000). An English teacher’s guide to performance tasks and rubrics. Larchmont: Eye on Education. How to Create Rubrics. Retrieved from : ed.com/assessment/HowToCreateRubric s.htm ed.com/assessment/HowToCreateRubric s.htm