1. Rubrics as Pedagogical Tools
Ben Peterson
UTLC Teaching Innovations Office

2. Rubrics as Pedagogical Tools
Basics of Rubrics
For Instructors and Students
Transparent, Intentional Design through Rubrics
Bright Lines and Authentic Assessment
Beyond Rubrics as Generic Assessment
“Dogfooding” a Rubric
Rubrics and Canvas

3. Basics of Rubrics Dimensions and Scales Flexibility of Standards
Upfront Communication
Balance Detail and Clarity

4. Types of Rubrics Holistic v Analytic v Single-Point
General v Task-Specific
Summative v Formative

5. Fears about Rubrics Upfront Costs Formulaic In, Formulaic Out
Lack of Comfort and Familiarity
Binding Constraints

6. You Idiots! We’ve all got swords!

7. Fears about Rubrics
Are there any fears, concerns, or negative experiences that you have had related to the use of rubrics in a course? How were you able to overcome those fears/concerns/negative experiences?

8. Instructors and Students
For Instructors:
Simple, Systematic, and Consistent
Transparency and Expressed Intentionality
Reflective Design
For Students:
Clarity in Communication of Standards
Matching Feedback to Level of Attention
An Invitation for Detail

9. Transparent, Intentional Design
Learning Objectives and Backward Design
Standards for Competency and Mastery
Consistency and Predictability
Encourages Adopting the Perspective of the Learner

10. Bright Lines and Authentic Assessment
Facilitating Complexity in Assignment Design
Authentic Assessment, Novelty, and the Need to be Explicit
Assuages Concerns in Connecting Task to Assessment
Requires Pervasive and Intentional Use

11. Beyond Rubrics as Generic Assessment
The Importance of Presentation
The Rhetoric of the Form
Rubrics as Invitations
Single-Point Rubrics as Hybrids
Peer Assessment
Instructor- or Peer-generated
Self-Assessment

12. “Dogfooding” a Rubric
“Dogfooding” in Silicon Valley: Using your own product to test it in real-life scenarios before presenting it to others and to demonstrate confidence
Quasi-Dogfooding: Use your rubric to assess a similar assignment from a previous course/semester
Is the rubric consistent with your prior grading?
Does it permit or restrict what is most important to the task and learning goals?
Are you happy with what the dimensions and scales communicate?
If not, iterate!

13. Rubrics and Canvas

14. Rubrics and Canvas

15. Rubrics and Canvas

16. Rubrics and Canvas

17. Rubrics and Canvas

18. Additional Resources and References
AACU VALUE Rubrics:
TLT Group:
Stevens, Dannelle D., and Levi, Antonia J. Introduction to Rubrics (2nd ed.). Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing, 2013.
Gonzalez, Jennifer. “Know Your Terms: Holistic, Analytic, and Single-Point Rubrics.” Cult of Pedagogy. May 1,
Fluckiger, Jarene, "Single Point Rubric: A Tool for Responsible Student Self- Assessment" (2010). Teacher Education Faculty Publications. 5. Retrieved from

19. Discussion: Holistic, Analytic, and Single-Point
Can you think of assignments (or assignment types) in your courses for which each of these types of rubrics would be a better fit?
What are the advantages of that type of rubric? What would you need to attend to when presenting the assignment and rubric?