Today's online instructor is accustomed to using rubrics to assess student work with the assumption that uniformity will translate to fairness; it can also reduce grading time. There are also perks for the student, including access to the grading parameters while working on an assignment to guide in the chunking of large projects into manageable parts, reinforcement of instructions, a way to proofread for completeness, and practice with self-assessment for future work. A completed rubric in the grade book can obviously also highlight strengths and weaknesses that will need to be addressed as a student progresses through their program. That being said, confusing or inconsistent structure, insufficient detail within the grid, poorly chosen point values, and lack of individualized commentary diminish rubric worth; if a student feels like asking, "did you actually read my paper?" it is clear that grading via that rubric did not provide pedagogical purpose. Lost in the shuffle too often between course developers, limitations of Learning Management Systems, instructors, and students is a need for "humanized" development and use of rubrics. This session will present a short history of the rubric, followed by descriptions and benefits/shortcomings of several kinds, including holistic, analytical, single-point, developmental, and checklist matrices. Both good and "bad" examples will be shared, and online development tools will be investigated to help attendees learn how to develop strong, academically-sound rubrics.
Tamara Phillips Fudge