Rubrics for Complex Papers/Projects

Academic Assessment Workshop

May 13-14, 2010

Bea Babbitt, Ph.D.

2

The Teaching-Learning-Assessment Cycle

1. Learning Outcomes

4. Using Results

2. Learning Opportunities

3. Measurement and Analysis

Assessment Plan Program Learning Outcomes

+ Selected universal UG learning outcomes

Curriculum Matrix (where taught/what level)

Assessment Matrix Which questions/benchmarks Where/when assessed How assessed (what tools) Who analyzes/reports Who determines implications How disseminated

Alignment with Unit Accreditation

NWCCU Broad guidelines Six or seven outcomes Choose own tools

Direct & IndirectGrades alone

insufficient Collect some data each

semester Emphasis-use results

to improve teaching and learning

Document results, use, and effect

Unit Accreditation

Complex Project Can be used to gather information on multiple

learning outcomes for the course or program.

Examples include end-of-semester paper or project, semester-long project, capstone project, research study, clinical experience, thesis, dissertation.

Assessment DefinitionAssessment is an ongoing process aimed at

understanding and improving student learning. It involves making our expectations explicit and public; setting appropriate criteria and high standards for learning quality; systematically gathering, analyzing, and interpreting evidence to determine how well performance matches those expectations and standards; and using the resulting information to document, explain, and improve performance.

~Tom Angelo, AAHE Assessment Forum

Can you answer the following questions?

What do you want students to learn?

How well do you want them to learn it?

What evidence of learning will you require?

Do students understand your expectations?

How well do individual students or groups of students perform?

What’s the relationship between instruction and various components and levels of performance?

When performance doesn’t match expectations, what actions can be taken to improve performance?

Do the actions taken result in improved performance?

What’s a rubric?Scoring tool

Lays out specific expectations for an assignment

Divides an assignment into its component parts

Provides a detailed description of what constitutes acceptable or unacceptable levels of performance for each of those parts

Why rubrics for complex papers/projects?

Defines major components of paper/project

Communicates expectations

Conveys feedback to students

Saves grading time

Insures cross-section/cross-instructor scoring consistency (with training, of course)

Facilitates aggregating scores across students/sections to determine group performance on each skill component, or program or general education objective.

Parts of a RubricTask description (the assignment)

Scale (e.g. Exceeds expectations, meets expectations, below expectations)

Dimensions (a breakdown of the skills/knowledge demonstrated through the assignment)

Descriptions (describes the dimension in detail at each level of the scale) set out on a grid (matrix).

Basic Rubric Grid Format

Scale Level 1

Scale Level 2

Scale Level 3

Scale Level 4

Dimension 1

Dimension 2

Dimension 3

Dimension 4

Dimension 5

Assignment TitleTask Description:

Rubric with Scale: High to Low

Exemplary Proficient Basic Novice

Dimension 1

Dimension 2

Dimension 3

Dimension 4

Dimension 5

Short EssayTask Description (complete):

Add Dimensions

Exemplary Proficient Basic Novice

Structure

Analysis

Evidence

Add dimension

Add dimension

Short EssayTask Description (complete):

Outstanding Meets Expectations

Poor Name this level

Clarity of Ideas Generally easy to readIdeas appear to relate to one anotherIdeas do not easily flow from one paragraph to another

.

Disease Description Description is accurateGraphs/charts enhance disease explanationImpact on populace described

No description of the disease

Symptoms Outlines and describes each of the symptomsRelates symptoms to the cause/origin of the disease in a few cases

Provides list of symptoms with no descriptionDoes not relate symptoms to cause/origin of the disease

Etc.

Write Descriptions

Position PaperTask Description: Write a research paper on an assigned disease.

Partial Rubric

Examples, examples, examples

Starter Resources Internet Resources for Higher Education Outcomes

Assessment http://www2.acs.ncsu.edu/UPA/assmt/resource.htm

Miller, R., & Leskes, A. (2005). Levels of assessment: From the student to the institution. Washington, D.C.: Association of American Colleges and Universities.

UNLV Assessment Home Page http://provost.unlv.edu/Assessment

Winona State University Sample Rubrics http://www.winona.edu/air/rubrics.htm