Assessing Student Learning in Higher Education

 Section 1
 Introduction

Section 2
 Background and Rationale for Assessment

Section 3
Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

Section 4
  Assessment Tools and Data
 Quality Data
 Defining Terms
Assessment Tools
 Grades & Assessment
Primary Trait Analysis
Rubrics
Selecting the Tools
Creating a Tool
Quiz
 Your SLOs

Section 5
 Course Assessment

Section 6
 Program Assessment

 

Section 7
Closing the Loop
 

Section 8
 Implementing Assessment Training on Campus

 

Section 9
 References & Resources


Definitions

Workbook

 Using Materials from this Website

 

Rubrics

A rubric is a set of criteria used to determine scoring for an assignment, performance, or product. Rubrics may be holistic providing general guidance or analytical assigning specific scoring point values.

Rubrics are useful because they help to:

  1. Focus instruction on the most important outcomes.

  2. Provide diagnostic formative feedback so students can improve.

  3. Communicate explicit expectations which substantiate the grading process.

  4. Convert the assignment to a valid assessment tool.

  5. Articulate how scoring is determined, enable students to better meet expectations.

  6. Produce more consistent and reliable grading that can be compared over time, between sections and even amongst diverse courses.

Using the primary traits and performance standards in the Primary Trait Analysis a rubric is constructed to evaluate the work. I have included a flow chart to complete the process for the oral report. The resource section also has links to a written step-by-step using student artifacts and a variety of rubrics other faculty have created. Notice that they are all different and specifically designed for each assignment with relation to that course and the desired outcomes.

Creating a Rubric for an Oral Report in a Science Course

Oral Science Report   date______
Title____________________
Name

Excellent

5

Good

4

Average

3

Poor

2

Absent

1

Thesis

clarity

 

 

 

 

 

support

 

 

 

 

 

Content

subject knowledge

 

 

 

 

 

alternative opinions

Two or more opposing opinions are described.

An opinion differing from the student's opinion is described.

The student admits that others have differing opinions

Only the student’s opinion is described

No opinions are evident

currency of  data

 

 

 

 

 

scientific sophistication

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3

3

2

1

1

Organization

 

attention grabber

 

 

 

 

 

supporting arguments

 

 

 

 

 

conclusion

 

 

 

 

 

Sources

cited correctly

 

 

 

 

 

reliability

 

 

 

 

 

Delivery

pronunciation

 

 

 

 

 

eye contact

 

 

 

 

 

use of visuals

 

 

 

 

 

demeanor

 

 

 

 

 

content appropriate to audience

 

 

 

 

 

 

5

5

5

3

0

Timing

 

 

 

 

 

 

Primary Traits

Values – some people describe these, others assign numbers

Performance Criteria – some people make comments or just give checks, others describe each level explicitly.

You may  want to vary the weight of some criteria.

In this report the scientific content is more important than delivery, but delivery is a performance criteria contributing to the overall assessment.

*NOTE: In contrast to holistic rubrics, analytical rubrics have a value assigned to each criterion and  the numbers an be added to get a score. There is a potential problem in this - notice in the rubric below. The student got average marks for every criterion but would receive a total score of only 60%. Adjusting the scale and point values will correct this.

Criterion

5

4

3

2

1

 With average marks on all criteria
5 criteria X 3 pts each =15

15/25 total points = only 60%

1

 

 

√

 

 

2

 

 

√

 

 

3

 

 

√

 

 

4

 

 

√

 

 

5

 

 

√

 

 

 

Selecting the Tools

Resources and Links
 

Process for Creating a Rubric
Pluta

The Use of Scoring Rubrics for Assessment and Teaching
 CSU's Teaching and Learning Institute Allen
 

Go to Kathy Schrock's Guide to Rubrics at http://school.discovery.
com/shrockguide/
assess.html
(not linked)

Jon Meuller's Website on Authentic Assessment

Sample Rubric for web resource evaluation
scroll down to rubric


Sample Rubric used for writing essay on a standardized ETS test

Sample Public Speaking Rubric

Rubric for  Graphing Assignment in Microbiology

English Rubric

Math Rubric

Information Competency Rubric

 Case Study Rubric
 

Janet Fulks
Assessing Student Learning in Community Colleges (2004), Bakersfield College
jfulks@bakersfieldcollege.edu    
07/11/2006