Elaine Willerton, PhD
Assessment Director, SSBS
RUBRIC FAQS
Q: What is the difference between an assessment rubric and a
grading rubric?
A: Assessment rubrics are used to determine a student's achievement of Program
Learning Outcomes (PLOs) or Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILOs). Rubrics
are scored 1-6 using the Bloom's Taxonomy cognitive domains. Grading rubrics
are used to score student's performance on an assignment (0-100): completion,
understanding, clarity of writing, and accuracy.
Q: How will I know if there are rubrics in my courses?
A: Assessment rubrics are visible in the GRADES tool, and grading rubrics can be
seen in the DROPBOX.
Q: What is the value of rubrics?
A: Assessment rubrics give us a sense of whether our students are achieving
the learning goals we have established for each program and for the institution
overall. The combined results give us information about whether our curriculum
and instructional design are sufficient to support students in achieving the level of
learning we expect.
Grading rubrics support both students and faculty. Students find grading rubrics
helpful because they can assess their work before submitting to ensure they've
met the expectations of the assignment. Students are also able to see how faculty
evaluated their work. Grading rubrics support faculty grading by allowing them to
consider student performance on each assignment criteria.
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