LaShanta ,
Thanks for adding specifically what you are assessing: fair, comprehensible, objective and reasonable. So many times this comes back to the categories and criteria. Thanks!
With anything in an online environment it is important to continue to assess the relationship it has to the class and to make sure that it is still valid. In order to keep your students engaged, it needs to be relevant to them and if you can evaluate and provide feedback that is relevant to them, it will improve the entire process and their satisfaction in the class.
MeriAnn,
Right on! The key, as you noted, is to make sure it provides and excellent way to evaluate and provide the feedback students need to help them learn and improve. Thanks for your input.
I evaluate by rubrics by the results and feedback that I receive from the assignment.
James,
And, we can also ask students simply to tell us how to make the rubric better. Thanks for your input in this forum.
Any time an instructor implements a new policy or technique, it is beneficial to test prior to implementing. Self-evaluating rubrics can identify areas of the rubric which need clarification or improvement. Receiving feedback from other instructors offers another perspective as well as insight from someone who may have experienced failed rubrics.
Aaron,
Absolutely. Test, re-test and then implement. Then, still get feedback from the students and edit some more. It's a never ending cycle, but worth it. Thanks!
Rubrics should be evaluated both prior to use and after it has been used to grade an assignment. As we have been reading and discussing rubrics are created for a specific purpose and unless it is evaluated after use there is no way to know if it is meeting the needs of both the instructor and the student.
The evaluation should include the goals of meeting the outcomes of the assignment; it is assessing the students performance; it is focusing on excellent work criteria and current standards; are the criteria well defined; are the scales well defined; and finally would the rubric be able to be used consistently by other instructors thereby providing reliability.
It is possible that after use and evaluation that there might be areas that need to be changed in order to assure that the rubric is assessing the assignment in the best way possible.
Evaluating Rubrics. Retrieved from http://teachingcommons.depaul.edu/Feedback_Grading/rubrics/evaluating-rubrics.html
Sandra,
Definitely. Rubrics are no different than any other tools we use - they must be assessed. Thanks also for the link you provided.
I believe that we need to take a look at everything when we start a term. Is the syllabus still relevant? Has new information been developed that changes some of the teaching concepts? Did the newer edition of the text change any of my basic learning expectations?
The same would go for rubrics. Has there been a change in the learning expectation due to changes in the text? Are we going to measure the same things or have we added additional course requirements?
Reviewing the rubrics should be key to making sure we are still measuring the correct concepts.
John,
Definitely. The review process is a ongoing thing and we have to review everything. Students and peers can give us great feedback too as we review the course.
Rubrics should be evaluated because courses are updated with different objectives and goals. If the rubric is not updated as well then it would not effectively do its job in providing feedback to the students.
Lakithia,
Everything we use should be evaluated and rubrics are one of those important things. As we grade the assignments using the rubrics and get feedback from students, we can always edit them a bit to make them better. Thanks!
Hello,
To make sure the type is correct for the objectives the faculty member has in providing feedback and to make sure the student understands the feedback provided so he or she can improve.
Catherine,
Ah - good point. We have to make sure that what we use can help the students learn the content and assess them effectively. Thanks!
I think that after teaching online for 5 years, I have never stopped evaluating and improving my rubrics. Student feedback always helps me, too.
Michael,
We have to continually assess our rubrics, our assignments, our teaching. That's the only way we will be better. Thanks!
Meta-evaluation in any area of education is critical. About the time I am satisfied with the effectiveness of the rubric I have been using for a given unit of instruction, the rubric has probably become outdated. I also strongly believe that rubrics should be geared to the stakeholder's learning strenghts- much like Gardner's MI theory. Since we all see different learners with each new session or term or semester, it is paramount that my rubrics are updated to meet the needs and expectations of the students who will be evaluated by the rubrics I have created.
Rick,
You bring up a great point about the multiple intelligences. The more we get to know our students and critically think about how to assess our students, the better. Thanks!
In order to check whether it is effective or not.
