Racquel ,
You hit the nail on the head. The objectives should actually be in the rubric. If there is an objective or criteria in the rubric that does not align with the assignment, it's useless. We have to take the time to carefully design the rubrics. Thanks for your input.
Racquel ,
A consistent, reliable tool - what a good idea! ;-) That's what we are working toward. I'm glad you have the opportunity to give feedback at your institution and I hope they listen carefully. Keep it up!
Racquel ,
Students can be let down by their own anticipation. . .but they should earn what they earn. With appropriate rubrics, a connection of the content to learning outcomes, and appropriate assignments, there should be no question on what they have earned. Thanks!
Hello Dr. Crews and colleagues, :-)
The text mentions the following mistakes:
"Putting too many criteria in the rubric; using "quantity" components in a rubric; using a varying scale within a single level of assessment; not allowing for students to see improvement; not clearly defining the criteria; and not connecting the assignment or project to course outcomes within the rubric."
As I'm new to the “world†of rubrics, I'll follow the above criteria as examples of what not to do when creating effective rubrics.
Sara Fine
Online Instructor
Sara,
when we have too many criteria in the rubrics or unclear criteria, the students who can become confused. We want rubrics to help the students, not confuse them. Thanks!
I know the most common mistake I make is being too vague. I am trying to make them general so they can used in multiple environments. I need to make sure that I am more specific to each of the assignments I am trying to assess. It just doesn't pay to cut corners. Nobody wins in the long run.
Francis ,
We do have to be clear with our expectations and make sure we are helping the students understand the expectations.
Thanks!
One of the common mistakes online instructors can make when creating rubrics is to choose the wrong wording. Jargon or technical language that is unfamiliar to students should be left out of rubrics since it can lead to misunderstandings and an avalanche of emails asking for explanations. Also including too much detail in descriptions can discourage students from reading the content.
robert,
The criteria, how they are worded and their connection to the objectives are essential. You're right - the rubric should alleviate questions instead of increase the confusion. Thanks!
While an instructor may have the best intention, using too many criteria is confusing for the student. The reading recommended 4 -8 criteria, in that the student can clearly identify what is needed to achieve an excellent rating. As instructors we need to be clear what is expected and connect the assignment with the rubric.
Daron,
You are right. Too many or poor criteria can hinder learning instead of improve learning.
Good point!
One problem I see is that the criteria are hard to judge based on what the assignment is. So, for example, a rubric is generic for discussions, but it is also being used for all assignments and it is not clear how many points should be taken off for the criteria. I also see it being difficult to determine between exceptional and meets expectations if there are not any comments to explain the differences.
Deb
Deborah,
The criteria are the key. They can't be too "general," yet if they are too "specific" they don't leave any means for creativity. We have to work carefully each time we create a rubric. One size does NOT fit all. ;-)
Too much critieria and too much based on Quanity was added and the student was too confused about the standardize way they think about their assignments. The criteria also has to fit the class.
Aisling,
Yes, the criteria has to fit everything - the course, the learning objective, the assignment/project, etc.
Probably making them too generic to save time. That and using old rubrics from past sessions or previous instructors that again save time.
William,
Yes, there is no one-size-fits-all rubric. The criteria can't be too generic, not too specific as to stifle creativity. Thanks!
I think I can relate to every mistake mentioned in our text. Early on, I tried to just whip one up at the last minute and have made some frustrating mistakes. I remember one that was to evaluate a project but the project was going to be used to determine if the students had met standards. First off, my rubric was too vague. Students weren't sure what I expected. That was probably because I didn't take the time to chart the objectives I needed the students to display and didn't develop a task analysis of the project. As a consequence I didn't gather the information I needed, wasted a lot of time doing the project and still had to assess the standards. I was so frustrated and mad at myself that I wanted to give up on rubrics...because getting the time to think this through is half the battle...figured I wasn't going to be able to do a good job. But this course, and others I've taken have taught me a lot,
One of the mistakes that I've seen is the variation of the quality of work within a criteria. The ones I've seen are the 4-3-2-1 or some variation of it. But, I've struggled to figure out the grade within that point value. I've seen students get a 3 which would translate to the students as a B, but as an instructor, not all 3s are the same. I'm not sure yet, how to fix that. I've used the 3+, 3- ..but that seems too vague to the students too.
carol,
We've all been there. We have all worked at that last moment trying to "whip something up." Again, we learn from this. As we learn from others, we get better at what we do. Thanks!
