Francisco,
You are exactly right. Students must understand the expectations and have clear communication to help eliminate confusion. Thanks for your input.
Ken,
And, they help the instructor be more consistent in grading. Thanks!
I have found that rubrics are even more important as an online instructor than when I taught on campus. Students tend to questions grade when they feel that their "effort" doesn't match the grade. Seeing in black and white really makes it hit home for the students that in college courses "effort" isn't a correct indicator of success. I always use the example, "What if the mechanic who put the brakes on your car "tried really hard" to do the right thing but installed them incorrectly"? After the huh?/ quizzical expressions and some explanation, they start to see the need for accuracy as a determination of success and not just "how hard a person tries." Analytical rubrics give me a chance to say, "This area is strong. This was okay, so let's work on __________. But in XYZ category, you really had trouble." The students can see where they are weak in an area and I can see what I may need to re-teach or at least re-visit when I lecture.
Alaina,
I like the statement "so let's work on...". That is the point - that your feedback help the, improve. Excellent.
I too feel that for online education the use of Rubrics as not only a way to measure and judge a students word - but - it is a very effective method of illustrating to the student what the professors is looking for. I have had students tell me that they write their assignments with guidance from the Rubrics supplied.
David,
Even more reason why the criteria need to connect to and assess the learning outcomes. Thanks!
Fred Boye, I see your point about the potential limited utility of rubrics in a creative environment, but keep in mind that you can create a "task-specific" rubric to evaluate a piece of art, by requiring the students to add at least 3 creative elements to their artwork, then use a 3-2-1-0 scale in your rubric.
Mike Crowley
As online instructors, it is incredibly important for us to use rubrics, so that the students understand exactly what we are looking for in each assignment.
As online instructors we need to think about the online learner who probably begins their assignments at 11:30 PM, and only has maybe an hour to spend on their work… and this student needs great clarity in order to make the limited amount of time they have available productive.
Keeping these busy adult learners in mind helps us to produce very clear assignment descriptions and Rubrics, so that our students know exactly what we are looking for.
Dr. Michael Crowley
Michael,
I like the way you gave us a reality check. You describe many of our students and their needs. Thanks for helping us thing about this
Using a rubric benefits the student in several ways. One, viewing the rubric before completing the assignment allows the student to include all essential components of the task. Two, the rubric allows the student see the weak and high points of his or her assignment. Finally, a rubric provides an opportunity for growth.
Amy Branch
Amy,
And, the rubric helps the instructor. The key point you brought up about students though is to help them grow. Nice job.
When you use Rubrics "effectively", they can be a very useful tool in communicating to students where they did well on a particular assignment and where they might need to focus on some more. It also helps and Instructor to grade "fairly" in that everyone is being measured the same way.
Tom
Thomas ,
Right on! It helps both the instructor and students. Thank you.
I enjoy rubrics because they do save time and make grading more consistent. I do find that students can even generate a creative approach to a writing project and I have to be flexible and on my toes when using the rubric in those cases. Weighting can be a bit tricky as well. Virginia Shrader
Virginia,
Yes, it may be difficult weighting the criteria, but worth the effort. Thanks for your input.
It is important to use rubrics to increase transparency in the grading process so students understand what is required of them.
Elizabeth,
To help both the instructor and the students. It's a duo-tool.
The rubric allows the instructor to quantify what is expected of the student. Not just how points will be given for the grade, but also what is important to master and define and answer, relatively speaking for the question being asked or task to be performed.
As an online instructor, the use of rubrics to clarify what is important and help get the students to travel on the right path in order to reach their learning objectives for the unit and course is a great tool The students get formative feedback from them (along with any other comments posted with the grade) and it applies a standard across the grading so that each student gets fairly scored. Students do share their scores with each other, I have found. It positions you as an instructor to receive less contact via Open Office, emails and chats with students who think they were graded unfairly. The one thing that does happen though is many students don't know or don't bother to check their grading comments, despite multiple communications to the class that they need to do that.
Donald,
AND - don't forget how rubrics impact the students. Rubrics help them understand the expectations and should answer the question - "Why are we doing this" as it connects them to the learning outcomes. Thanks for your input.
