Rubrics can help clarify an assignment's goals and greatly reduce the time spent grading and responding to student work. Some faculty suggest that handing out the rubric beforehand also improves the quality of that work. Rubrics typically take the form of a grid: the rows list the criteria the instructor will use to assess performance in class and the columns articulate levels of performance (usually expressed as a number) for each criterion.

Strategies and Resources

General

• Understanding Rubrics (Harvard)
  - Discussion of why, how and tips on using rubrics
• Online tool for creating rubrics
• Creating a Rubric- Tutorial for Faculty (University of Colorado)
  
• Using Rubrics to Achieve Greater Equity

Extensive collection of sample rubrics (Winona State University)

Sample rubrics for assessing specific skills or areas:

Writing

• Find and adapt sample rubrics at the Faculty Resources section of the Center for Writing.
• For help developing rubrics for course assignments, contact Matthew Pearson, Center for Writing.

Critical thinking

• Guide to rating integrative & critical thinking (Washington State)
• Critical thinking rubric (Facione)
• Holistic critical thinking scoring rubric (California Academic Press)

Online learning

• Online discussion rubric (Harper College)
• Six examples of online discussion rubrics (Middle Tennessee State University)

Collaborative learning

• Collaboration rubric (San Diego State)
• Team work

Blogs

• Blog reflection rubric (San Diego State)

Wikis

• Collaborative writing wiki rubric (Univ. of Minnesota)

Class participation

• Class participation rubric (SIU-Edwardsville)

Experiential learning

• Learning in an internship
  - Rubric for assessing career portfolios
  - Rubric for assessing memos

DePaul Resources