1. Dannelle D. Stevens, Ph.D., Antonia Levi, Ph.D. Portland State University October 4 & 5, 2010 University of Maryland University College 1

2. Understand the value & use of rubrics For faculty, students……. & programs Learn step-by-step technique Make grading rubric Practice rubric data analysis (Case #1) Develop program assessment plan. 2

3. I.Rationale: Uses, benefits II.Steps in rubric creation: Halloween costume III. Steps in rubric creation: For your course IV. Rubrics and Program Assessment: V. Case #1: Grading online discussions I. Rubrics & Program Assessment II. Case #2: The “no-frills” program assessment plan (Walvoord, 2010) III. Case #3: Direct & Indirect Assessment IV. Case #4: “Common rubrics” customized? IV. Develop action plans DAY 1: Monday DAY 2: Tuesday 3

4. For faculty  Save grading time  Ensure consistency/fairness  Facilitate communication with others  Feedback on our teaching  Improve teaching  Keep track of student learning (as opposed to student evaluations) 4

5. For students  Clarify academic language  Better serve the needs of non-traditional students.  Better serve the needs of international students  Encourage students as stake-holders  Encourage student empowerment  Encourage student perceptions of fairness  Encourage critical thinking (Peat, 2006) 5

6. For programs  From grading rubrics to assessment rubrics  Path to program improvement  Communication with adjunct faculty  Consistency in multiple class situations  Link to basic university goals 6

7.  Why score a Halloween costume?  Focus on the process  Shake free from previous work and preconceptions  It’s seasonal  And fun 7

8.  STICKIES  SMALL ONES  LARGER 5 & 8s   FLIP CHARTS  MARKERS 8

9.  A rubric is a scoring tool used to grade student work. It is a description of an assignment laid out on a matrix.  It has 4 basic parts:  TASK DESCRIPTION from syllabus  DIMENSIONS  LEVELS OF PERFORMANCE  DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DIMENSIONS 9

10.  Suspend your disbelief..  If you have designed and worn one, you have rich & memorable experiences.  If you have seen one but never actually made one, you are an informed audience.  If you know nothing about Halloween and/or creating a Halloween costume, you are curious, so ask questions. 10

11.  Reflecting  Listing  Grouping & labeling  Application 11

12.  What are the characteristics of the best Halloween costume you have made or seen?  How would you describe it?  You already know this stuff– except for the curious ones who ask questions.  (You also already know how you grade and on what.) 12

13.  Take a stack of stickies.  Describe the best costume and how it was created.  One idea per sticky.  The fewer words, the better.  The more stickies, the better. 13

14.  Post the stickies on the flip chart.  Have a couple of people go up to the flip chart and begin to group similar ideas together.  Another couple of people go up and make labels for the groups.  Avoid evaluative words for the labels. 14

15.  Create grid on new piece of flip chart paper.  Move labels and small stickies onto grid.  Small stickies= DESCRIPTIONS  Large stickies= DIMENSIONS 15

16.  Useful? Benefits? 16

17.  You have criteria in your head.  Collaboration generates more ideas.  Rubrics are not cast in cement.  You share common interests.  COFFEE BREAK…. 17

18.  REMEMBER THE 4 STAGES OF RUBRIC CREATION  REFLECT  LIST  GROUP & LABEL  APPLICATION 18

19.  Think of a task you actually assigned.  Recall and jot down notes about it.  Describe it to others at your table.  Write down the task as nearly as you can remember it.  Have you assigned it before? How did it work?  Were there any problems with it?  How did it fit your overall objectives?  Do you want to tweek it a bit to get a better result? 19

20.  Take a large stack of small stickies.  Brainstorm and write down as many descriptions of the best possible fulfillment of this assignment as you can.  Remember: One idea per sticky. Brief notes.  Generate a lot of stickies (do not edit at this point.)  Add any idea, even “silly” ones like:  Page numbers required  Paper is clean and free of coffee stains  Student’s name is on the assignment 20

21.  Find a place to lay out all your stickies.  Read them and group them into piles of similar ideas.  Create non-evaluative labels for the piles.  “organization” not “excellent organization”  “critical thinking” not “clear critical thinking”  “grammar and spelling” not “good grammar and spelling” 21

22.  Take out the blank rubric grid in packet.  Put labels on groups as your DIMENSIONS for the rubric.  Copy the descriptors in the first column of the rubric. Highest level of performance…  Decide on descriptions of levels such as:  exemplary, competent, beginning  proficient, intermediate, novice  strong, satisfactory, weak 22

23.  About rubrics?  About this process?  About how you grade?  About how you teach?  About what your teaching goals really are? 23

24.  Rubrics and academic language  Rubrics and consistency  Rubrics and collaboration  Rubrics and teaching  Rubrics and student learning, most important of all…. 24

25.  Grading is assessment  Grading rubrics as data  For student use  For faculty use  Course improvement  Promotion and tenure  For department or program use  BACKGROUND  CASE #1: GRADING ONLINE DISCUSSIONS 25

26.  3 REASONS FOR PROGRAM ASSESSMENT  ACCOUNTABILITY  ACCREDITATION  STUDENT LEARNING!.... BEST REASON  PROGRAM NOT FACULTY ASSESSMENT  DATA, DATA, EVERYWHERE, BUT…  End of assessment….. ACTION! 26

27.  WHY A CASE?  See how rubrics can inform program assessment.  Work collaboratively to address problem.  Share expertise and insight in safe context.  HANDOUT: Case #1  CASE DESCRIPTION  RUBRIC & Student scores  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 27