"A rubric for assessment, usually in the form of a matrix or grid, is a tool used to interpret and grade students' work against criteria and standards. Rubrics are sometimes called "criteria sheets", "grading schemes", or "scoring guides". Rubrics can be designed for any content domain". (Source: UNSW)

What is a rubrics?

"A rubric is an explicit set of criteria used for assessing a particular type of work or performance (TLT Group, n.d.) and provides more details than a single grade or mark. Rubrics, therefore, will help you grade more objectively."*

Developing a grading rubric

First, consider using any of a number of existing rubrics available online. Many rubrics can be used “as is.” Or, you could modify a rubric by adding or deleting elements or combining others for one that will suit your needs. Finally, you could create a completely customized rubric using specifically designed rubric software or just by creating a table with the rubric elements. The guide from Northern Illinois University Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning gives you guidance on developing a rubric. Here are the four steps they outline. More details on their page above.

1. Select a performance/assignment to be assessed. Begin with a performance or assignment which may be difficult to grade and where you want to reduce subjectivity. Is the performance/assignment an authentic task related to learning goals and/or objectives? Are students replicating meaningful tasks found in the real world? Are you encouraging students to problem solve and apply knowledge? Answer these questions as you begin to develop the criteria for your rubric.

2. List criteria. Begin by brainstorming a list of all criteria, traits or dimensions associated task. Reduce the list by chunking similar criteria and eliminating others until you produce a range of appropriate criteria. A rubric designed for formative and diagnostic assessments might have more criteria than those rubrics rating summative performances (Dodge, 2001). Keep the list of criteria manageable and reasonable.

3. Write criteria descriptions. Keep criteria descriptions brief, understandable, and in a logical order for students to follow as they work on the task.

4. Determine level of performance adjectives. Select words or phrases that will explain what performance looks like at each level, making sure they are discrete enough to show real differences. Levels of performance should match the related criterion.

*CC Share-alike: Northern Illinois University Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning. (2012). Rubrics for assessment. In Instructional guide for university faculty and teaching assistants.

You can read more about rubrics used by KI staff later in the module.

Videos on using rubrics

On this page you can watch two films on the reasons for using rubrics for assessment. The first one is an introduction to the subject. The second is an interview discussing the place of moderation and rubrics in assessment.

Assessment using rubrics

In the first film: Assessment using rubrics (9:11min) Michelle Prytula from the College of Education at the University of Saskatchewan discusses assessing using rubrics. She looks at what we mean by rubrics as well as outlining the three basic parts to a rubric ie. the criteria themselves, the weighting for those criteria as well as the levels of quality for each of those criteria. Rubrics inform the student about what counts and as a result directs their work. Michelle shares an example of one of her own rubrics with us. She concludes by listing the benefits for students as well as the benefits for the instructor of using rubrics.

Moderation and rubrics

In the second film from the series Teaching Development, University of Wollongong, Australia, Professor Chris Rust and Professor David Boud discuss the role of moderation in assessment practices. In this interview (3:26min) we can reflect in more detail on why rubrics are necessary to ensure alignment in marking across large classes but also as devices to help communication with students categorized according to the headings in the rubric.

Further reading

Medical Education Guide 4 "Making thinking visible"

Using Assessment Rubrics (University of New South Wales)

Tools for creating rubrics

Here are a couple of tools to help you create rubrics for different topics

Rubric maker
Rubistar