Teaching Tip: Use rubrics with caution
September 30, 2014
Many educators don’t know that rubrics evolved to support consistency in assessing
the essay portion of standardized tests and that their use in other fields is questionable.
That isn’t to say that rubrics are categorically bad or that the non-pedagogical reasons
for them should be ignored. Instead, rubrics should be approached with a healthy amount
of skepticism.
Tips for better rubrics
- Use rubrics to support process and revision. Even with a well-composed rubric, it’s possible to receive work that meets all the criteria but is, taken as a whole, terrible. Rubrics make the most sense during the formative stages.
- Blanks spots in the rubric are OK. Some criteria are simply done properly or not; you don’t need to create artificial levels.
- Lose most of the rubrics. Use rubrics like a strong spice, where it supports but doesn’t overwhelm or become the focus of the dish. Usually this is in the more “objective,” task-based activities.
Go to iTeachU for the full article, which includes more tips.
-- Teaching Tip by Chris Lott, UAF eLearning associate director of teaching and learning