Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Using Rubrics to Improve Student Outcomes and Improve the Assessment Experience for Instructors

Posted by anne.grey

Presenter: Christine Fanning.

Summary

In this presentation, Christine Fanning examines how rubrics can improve the assessment experience for instructors while also helping students better understand expectations and take greater ownership of their learning. Rather than viewing a rubric only as a grading tool, the session considers how students can use rubrics as learning guides to identify important parts of an assignment, understand how their work will be evaluated, and estimate their own performance before submitting work.

Fanning reviews research on the benefits and limitations of rubrics. Students may experience less uncertainty, focus their effort on the most important parts of an assignment, and use feedback to improve future work. For instructors, rubrics can support more consistent and objective assessment by connecting grades to specific criteria rather than general impressions. The session also considers possible drawbacks, such as making criteria too restrictive or encouraging students to focus on checking boxes rather than learning.

A key recommendation is to teach students how to use a rubric rather than simply attaching one to an assignment. Fanning demonstrates how students can practice evaluating sample work with a rubric, compare their decisions with other assessments, and reflect on why different scores were assigned. This process can help students better understand both the assignment and the instructor’s expectations.

The session also demonstrates how rubrics can be created, attached, and used within D2L Brightspace. Participants see examples of rubrics for written assignments, discussions, mathematics, and resubmitted work. Through a hands-on assessment activity, faculty also consider what happens when rubric criteria are unclear or do not closely match an assignment. The discussion highlights the importance of reviewing and revising rubrics over time so they remain clear, useful, equitable, and aligned with the learning instructors actually want to assess.

Presentation Slides: Using Rubrics to Improve Student Outcomes and Improve the Assessment Experience for Instructors Presentation Slides

Presentation Outcomes

• Describe the core components of a rubric, including assessment criteria, performance levels, and descriptions of expected performance.
• Identify ways rubrics can clarify expectations, reduce uncertainty, support student self-assessment, and improve consistency in grading.
• Recognize potential limitations of rubrics, including overly restrictive criteria, unclear expectations, and criteria that do not align with the purpose of an assignment.
• Teach students how to actively use a rubric by evaluating sample work, discussing scoring decisions, and reflecting on assessment expectations.
• Create, attach, and use rubrics in D2L Brightspace to assess assignments and discussions and provide targeted feedback.
• Evaluate whether rubric criteria accurately reflect an assignment’s learning goals and revise rubrics when assessment results reveal gaps or unclear expectations.
• Use rubrics to support revision and resubmission practices that encourage students to revisit mistakes, respond to feedback, and continue developing their skills.

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