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Involving Students in Rubric Development

When do you believe you could involve students in creating rubrics?

I believe I could involve students in the creation of rubrics for class assignments such as group projects, or final course projects. This would allow students to have some feedback and participation on how their assignments will be graded. By this time in the course they would have already seen the use of rubrics on other assignments and would be familiar enough with them to be comfortable creating one of their own. For a group project, this would motivate the students to think about what makes a good group project submission, and how best to work within a group. For a final project, this will assist the students in determining what criteria is important in a project that is larger in scale than their weekly assignments.

Laura,
Would you be comfortable regarding this process? How would you ensure that they know what to be assessed?

Dr. Kelly Wilkinson

I think for larger projects that develop over several weeks (or group projects)would work well with involving students. Part of this is having time in the class to actually get feedback /interaction with students.

Students can create specifics for making the rubric better. Students may provide feedback relating to the actual wording of the criteria, adding or removing criteria, or how well the criteria relates to course outcomes.

Jocelyn Dervis

Jocelyn,

Feedback from students is essential in developing a better course, assignment, project, rubric, etc. Thanks.

I believe students can be involved in creating rubrics for any project/assignment. In order to assess any work, there should be clear criterion that are being evaluated. As such, students can be involved in creating rubrics from the very beginning. Ideas to include students include showing examples of assignments from previous students, discussing expectations, etc.

I believe the best way to involve students in creating rubrics are if it is a group project. This way the students have an idea of what to expect and what others expect within the group work assignments. I know that often I hear from students that the group projects are not fair, because if one student does not do the work others suffer the consequences. By allowing students to participate in creating a specific and detailed rubric of what is expected it will not only help with grades and participation, but also provide a better team understanding what is expected from each individual.

Michelle,

I agree. As long as we all understand the outcomes and how to connect them to the project/assignment, everyone can be involved. Many times this provides for a different perspective on what should be included/valued in the project/assignment. Thanks!

Dr. Tena B. Crews

David,

I have the students use the rubric to self- and peer-evaluate before I evaluate them. This helps them think about whether they left something out of if they could do better before I provide a final evaluation. Many times i then get feedback from students on how to make the rubric better or it provides an opportunity for me to clairfy something they don't understand. Thanks for you input.

Dr. Kelly Wilkinson,
With larger projects that develop over several weeks (or group projects, it would work well with involving students. Bringing students into the assessment process can enhance student motivation, interest, and performance. Thus the students learn to connect the course outcomes to the project objectives.
Sincerely,
Walter
9-7-12

Walter,

Right on. The students can then "put It all together." Excellent.

Since one of the primary objectives of student involvement in building rubrics is to establish their buy-in, class dynamics must allow for students to feel as if they have a voice in the process.

Smaller classes (higher level of personal interaction between faculty and each individual student) of longer duration (10+ weeks), 200 level or higher classes (students already have some experience with rubrics) that have a final project would be an ideal environment to incorporate student input.

Bennett,

Rubrics help the instructor and students. Involving students in the process can help them understand the expectations more clearly and improve the learning experience. Thanks for your input.

I have never thought of this before, but using student feedback provided feedback to the instructor about the quality of the content to the end user, the student.

Final projects would seem a good option for student input on the rubric.

Rubrics for group projects designed by students, this is a great idea to get buy in for the group work.

Charles,

Glad it made you think about this in a different way. Cool.

Charles,

Yes, and when they use the rubric to assess their peers it provides another opportunity for them to review the rubric and think about it in a critical way. Thanks.

I would use student involved in both discussion type assignments and group projects. Both represent a kind of cohort learning process, and it is sometimes difficult to create rubrics for discussions and group projects. What constitutes a good discussion contribution? How many replies should a student make, and what should the reply consist of? In a group project students need to understand that all members need to contribute in terms of research, analysis, writing, editing or presenting. A rubric often includes the criteria for the finished project, but does not allow for the evaluation of individual contribution. Getting students involved in creating rubrics for these projects would greatly enhance their motivation, understanding and satisfaction with their involvement in the assignment.

Joseph ,

I like the use of the word cohort. It is excellent to get feedback from students and act upon the feedback. Thanks.

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