Rubrics
Why use a rubric?
Rubrics are grading tools for assignments that are simultaneously student-facing and instructor-facing.
A well-written rubric accomplishes several things for students:
- Explicitly states the expectations and success criteria for an assignment
- Divides the final product (e.g. presentation, portfolio) into its essential parts (e.g. project outline, lab report)
- Describes different performance levels for each component (e.g. “does not meet expectations” to “exceeds expectations”)
- Clarifies the weight of each assignment component (e.g. abstract 5 points, bibliography 10 points)
For instructors, a rubric can fulfill the following purpose:
- Serves as guide for consistent scoring and grading
- Clarifies own expectations for assignment deliverables
A rubric usually looks like a matrix with assignment components on the left, a rating scale across the top, and descriptors under the rating scale for each level of performance.
Examples
Examples
- Lab report rubric
- First-Year seminar rubric
- Computational thinking rubric
- Analytic, holistic, and specific task rubrics (scroll down)
- Academic writing rubric
Let us know if you are looking for a specific rubric and have not been able to find a helpful example!