This webpage provides an introduction to rubrics, highlighting why rubrics should be used for certain assessments, the necessary components of a rubric, and the types of rubrics that can be used. If you desire more information on rubrics, download our resource on Advanced Rubrics.
What is a rubric?
A rubric is a comprehensive set of criteria used to assess students on a specific task based on a list of performance levels to measure its quality (Brookhart, 2013). A good rubric serves three purposes: (1) it creates a systematic way to evaluate students on content knowledge, (2) it provides quick and easy feedback to both the instructor and the students, and (3) it measures teaching (Reeves & Stanford, 2009; Steven & Levi, 2013).
Why use a rubric?
Rubrics have fast become the tool faculty use to evaluate student learning in performance-based assessments, but why do so many faculty rely on rubrics to measure student learning? Rubrics are both flexible and adaptable. When used correctly, rubrics have shown to:
- provide timely feedback
- prepare students to use detailed feedback
- engender critical thinking
- improve teaching methods
- outline expectations for both students and instructors
- deliver a quick, easy, and informative way of grading
- allows for objective evaluation of student performance
- identify areas that students specifically exhibit difficulty
When rubrics are tracked over time, instructors can easily find holes in the student learning and their own teaching.
Rubrics consist of four parameters (Steven & Levi, 2013):
- Assignment Description – This provides students with a full description of the students must do to complete the task. This portion connects the assignment itself to the rubric. This will include directions, time limits, and criteria for the assignment.
- Scale Level – Scales help to distinguish student work from the most exemplary work to the poorest quality. There are no well-established rules on the number of levels, but some recommendations include a range between 3 and 6 levels for analytic rubrics (Arter & McTighe, 2001, p. 31).
- Dimensions – The dimensions of the rubric outline the desired skills the course instructor expects the students to demonstrate in the assignment. Each dimension must be linked and mapped back to the course, program, or institutional learning outcomes.
- Dimension Criteria – The dimension criteria differentiates the quality of work between each scale level of each dimension. This section of the rubric allows instructors to compare what is expected of the students and what the students have produced.
As shown in Figure 1, a rubric can serve as a table in which instructors to quickly analyze student work based on the criteria listed and offer rapid feedback on student performance. See the “Types of Rubrics” tab above for examples.
Title of Rubric
Assignment Descriptions.
| Scale Level 1 | Scale Level 2 | Scale Level 3 | |
| Dimension 1 | Dimension Criteria | … | |
| Dimension 2 | … | ||
| Dimension 3 | |||
| Dimension 4 |
Figure 1. Basic table of analytic rubric.
Helpful tip: Ask a colleague, search the internet, or ask Teaching and Learning Innovation if a rubric exists for your assignment or a similar assignment to yours. There is no point in reinventing the wheel! Similar rubrics can be easily modified to better fit your needs and will save you some time in the long run.
Consider this: Think about how you want to emphasize your feedback on assignments. Each rubric tells you and the student something different. If you are interested in giving quick, but less specific feedback, consider using a holistic rubric or checklist. If you have the time and want to give individualized feedback to students, then consider the scoring guide or analytic rubrics.
There are numerous types of rubrics that can be used to assess student work. They allow instructors to make judgements and decisions on what students are learning in relation to the learning outcomes. This document will discuss four types of rubrics: holistic, analytics, checklists, and scoring guides.
The holistic rubric contains a full scale and the corresponding dimension criteria for each level (Figure 2). However, the scale only measures one dimension of the assignment. Essentially, the instructor rates the students on one element of the assignment. These are typically used in presentations or on assignments where a particular feature is emphasized. The following is an example of a holistic rubric that would be used to assess presentation skills:
Presentation Skills
Students will present on a special topic related to the class. Presenters must include visual aids and handouts that complement the presentation. The rubric below outlines the criteria for each level of performance.
| 3 – Exceeds Expectations | 2 – Meets Expectations | 1 – Fails to meet expectations |
|
|
|
Figure 2. An example of a holistic rubric for presentation skills.
Analytic rubrics contains the rubric dimensions in the left most column, the scale levels running across the top of the table and a list of corresponding criteria that serve as the dimension criteria of the rubric (Figure 3). This is often the most difficult and time consuming rubric to construct; however, instructors find that this rubric is the most robust and allows them to save time on grading large assignments with multiple outcomes. The following is an example of an analytic rubric that would be used to score students’ collaboration in a service learning project.
Collaboration in a Service-Learning Project
Students will work in a group of four to begin brainstorming and research effective ways to promote diversity at the local community center. Write a 4-5 paper reflective paper on your experience on the group dynamics. How did you work effectively with your peers and community members? How were issues and disagreements resolved?
| Objective | 4 – Advanced | 3 – Accomplished | 2 – Developing | 1 – Beginner |
| Facilitates the contributions of team members | Engages team members in ways that facilitate their contributions to meetings by both constructively building upon or synthesizing the contributions of others as well as noticing when someone is not participating and inviting them to engage. | Engages team members in ways that facilitate their contributions to meetings by constructively building upon or synthesizing the contributions of others. | Engages team members in ways that facilitate their contributions to meetings by restating the views of other team members and/or asking questions for clarification. | Engages team members by taking turns and listening to others without interrupting. |
| Contributes to team meetings | Helps the team move forward by articulating the merits of alternative ideas or proposals. | Offers alternative solutions or courses of action that build on the ideas of others. | Offers new suggestions to advance the work of the group. | Shares ideas but does not advance the work of the group. |
| Communicates with others | Tailors communication strategies to effectively listen and respond to the diverse perspectives of others. | Frequently shows the ability to effectively listen and respond to the diverse perspectives of others. | Occasionally shows the ability to effectively listen and respond to the diverse perspectives of others. | Rarely shows the ability to effectively listen and respond to the diverse perspectives of others. |
| Individual contributions outside team meetings | Completes all assigned tasks by deadline; work accomplished is thorough, comprehensive, and advances the project. Proactively helps other team members complete their assigned tasks to a similar level of excellence. | Completes all assigned tasks by deadline; work accomplished is thorough, comprehensive, and advances the project. | Completes all assigned tasks by deadline; work accomplished advances the project. | Completes all assigned tasks by deadline. |
| Works within group contexts/structures | Demonstrates ability and commitment to collaboratively work across and within group contexts and structures to achieve a common aim. | Often demonstrates ability and commitment to work actively within group contexts and structures to achieve a common aim. | Occasionally demonstrates ability and commitment to work actively within group contexts and structures to achieve a common aim. | Demonstrates some ability to identify intentional ways to participate in group contexts and structures. |
Figure 3. An example of an analytical rubric for collaboration.
Adapted from AAC&U (2009)
Checklists serve as an easy way to quickly check that students are meeting the basic criteria of the project (Figure 4). These are perfect for yes and no type criteria. They also offer students a quick and easy way to do a self-assessment of whether they are meeting the learning outcomes and expectations of the project.
Teamwork Skills in Class Project
The student fosters constructive team climate through the following:
□ Treats team members respectfully by being polite and constructive in communication.
□ Uses positive vocal or written tone, facial expressions, and/or body language to convey a positive attitude about the team and its work.
□ Motivates teammates by expressing confidence about the importance of the task and the team’s ability to accomplish it.
□ Provides assistance and/or encouragement to team members.
□ Offers helpful ideas that drive discussion and/or push the team to think creatively.
□ Demonstrates a reliable and responsible character that shows other team members a genuine commitment to the team and project.
□ Shows attentive behavior when others are presenting or sharing ideas with the group while keeping an open mind to those ideas
Figure 4. An example of a checklist for a class project.
Adapted from AAC&U (2009)
A scoring guide rubric contains only the criterion for the highest level of work (Figure 5). The instructor assesses the students on each established dimension of the rubric. Students are judged on the highest level of work. If students fall short of the highest level, the instructor can pinpoint the areas of weakness and make comments on what was unsatisfactory, what needs to be improved, and, possibly, how they might improve these weaknesses. This type of rubric is well suited for oral presentation as they provide quick and well-organized grading when the work is done well. The following is an example that has been adapted from the service-learning rubric provided above.
Collaboration in a Service-Learning Project
Students will work in a group of four to begin brainstorming and research effective ways to promote diversity at the local community center. Write a 4-5 paper reflective paper on your experience on the group dynamics. How did you work effectively with your peers and community members? How were issues and disagreements resolved?
| Objective | Criteria | Comments |
| Facilitates the contributions of team members | Engages team members in ways that facilitate their contributions to meetings by both constructively building upon or synthesizing the contributions of others. They also notice when someone is not participating and invite them to engage. | |
| Contributes to team meetings | Helps the team move forward by articulating the merits of alternative ideas or proposals. | |
| Communicates with others | Tailors communication strategies to effectively listen and respond to the diverse perspectives of others. | |
| Individual contributions outside team meetings | Completes all assigned tasks by deadline; work accomplished is thorough, comprehensive, and advances the project. Proactively helps other team members complete their assigned tasks to a similar level of excellence. | |
| Works within group contexts/structures | Demonstrates ability and commitment to collaboratively work across and within group contexts and structures to achieve a common aim. |
Figure 5. An example of a scoring guide rubric. Notice that only the highest level of criteria is listed and comment section is included. The comment section should provide extra feedback if the students did not achieve certain parts of the criterion.
Adapted from AAC&U (2009)
References:
Arter, J., & McTighe, J. (2001). Scoring rubrics in the classroom: Using performance criteria for assessing and improving student performance. In Guskey, T.R., & Marzano, R.J. (Eds.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). (2009). Collaboration VALUE Rubric. Retrieved 29 August 2017 from https://www.aacu.org/value-rubrics/collaboration.
Brookhart, S.M. (2013). How to create and use rubrics for formative assessment and grading. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Reeves, S., & Stanford, B. (2009). Rubrics for the classroom: Assessment for students and teachers. The Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, 24-27.
Stevens, D.D., & Levi, A.J. (2013). Introduction to rubrics (2nded.). Sterling, VA: Stylus.