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Introduction to rubrics: An assessment tool to save grading time, convey effective feedback, and promote student learning.
Reviewed by Nina Furry, Senior Lecturer, Department of Romance Languages.
Stevens, D. D., & Levi, A. (2005). Introduction to rubrics: An assessment tool to save grading time, convey effective feedback, and promote student learning. Sterling, VA: Stylus Pub. Price $17.95 | 112 pages.
In their two-part Introduction to rubrics: An assessment tool to save grading time, convey effective feedback, and promote student learning, Dannelle Stevens and Antonia Levi provide academics in higher education with a concise how-to manual for the construction of rubrics, describing step-by-step design and offering examples from actual classroom settings for various disciplines throughout. Moreover, they make a convincing case for the use of rubrics by pointing out their pragmatic advantages for instructors as well as their value in enhancing learning among students.
Part 1 explains the components of rubrics, giving a persuasive rationale for their use before introducing a four-stage procedure to facilitate constructing them. Rather than advocating a one-size-fits-all mentality, the authors emphasize flexibility in arranging components to meet a variety of needs. They also demonstrate effectively how different kinds of rubrics are suited to different purposes and populations. For example, the particular content and nature of a written paper require different criteria from those used to evaluate oral presentations. Likewise, it is generally preferable to assess undergraduate performance with a three-to-five level rubric whereas a scoring guide rubric, which spells out only the highest level of performance, is more appropriate for graduate students. The authors organize and present all these details clearly, recapping the important ones in a short conclusion at the end of each chapter. Those new to rubrics can thus gain a better understanding of them while others with experience can glean tips to improve upon them.
In Part II, the authors explore five models of collaborative rubric construction that involve students in this process to varying degrees. Some compelling insights from research on learning are cited to support integrating rubrics into more learner-centered teaching methods. The relationship between engaging students in understanding or constructing rubrics and the development of critical thinking is revisited here in practical terms. While supplying theoretical bases for their arguments, the authors encourage readers to experiment and find the approach that works best in the context of their own classes and assignments. They also discuss the benefits of collaborating with teaching assistants, tutors, and colleagues in achieving the fundamental goal of rubrics: communicating expectations and helping students to meet them. Finally, they address ways in which rubrics can be used to assign grades as well as to evaluate teaching effectiveness in meeting instructional and programmatic objectives.
The authors have succeeded admirably in delivering a thorough primer for their peers on the use of rubrics as a time-saver that still communicates detailed and meaningful feedback to students. Educators will appreciate the authors’ honest comments about classroom realities as well as the respectful tone of the advice they give based on their knowledge and experience. Those motivated by both practical and pedagogical concerns will see that rubrics serve as a tool for both assessment and learning in ways they might not have considered previously. Indeed, after reading this book, you may well agree with those professors who consider rubrics “the most effective grading devices since the invention of red ink” (p. 3)!
