Using RUBRICS to Assess Program Learning Outcomes By Dr. Ibrahim Al-Jabri Director, Program Assessment Center April 16,

1. Using RUBRICS to Assess Program Learning OutcomesByDr. Ibrahim Al-JabriDirector, Program Assessment CenterApril 16, 2007

2. OUTLINE • Questions?? • Assessment Cycle • Direct & Indirect Measures • What is rubric? • Type of rubrics • Constructing Rubrics • Using Rubrics • Advantages of Rubric • Examples

3. Questions?? • What do we want students learn? • Do students have the opportunity to learn it? • How do we know that they learned it? • What do we do with that information?

4. Assessment Cycle Write expected outcomes/objectives Effect improvements through actions Ensure students have opportunity to learn Assess performance against criteria View results

5. Direct and Indirect Measures of Student Learning • Direct measures: • “… tangible, visible, self-explanatory evidence of exactly what students have and haven’t learned” (Suskie, 2004, p. 95). • Indirect measures: • “… signs of what students are learning, but the evidence of what they are learning is less clear and less convincing” (Suskie, 2004, p. 95).

6. Direct and Indirect Measures of Student Learning • Direct • Tests • Rubrics • Portfolios • Capstone projects • Field supervisor ratings • Employer ratings • Indirect • Course grades • Surveys • Focus Groups • Student self ratings • Course evaluations • Graduate school admissions

7. One Useful Direct Measure of Student Learning in Courses or Programs is Rubric

8. What is Rubric? Rubrics offer the Instructor an opportunity to assess the student's understanding of a scientific topic by levels of performance on certain criteria

9. Type of rubrics Rubrics may be used “holistically” or “analytically”… • “Holistic” Rubric: • The entire response is evaluated and scored as a single performance category • “Analytical” Rubric: • The response is evaluated with multiple descriptive criteria for multiple performance categories

10. Template for analytic rubrics

11. Example for holistic rubrics

12. Constructing a Rubric • Know the goals for instruction- what are the learning outcomes? • Decide on the structure of the rubric- holistic or analytical--what fits best for the task? • Determine the levels of performance- are there levels of performance specific to each criteria? • Share the rubric with your students-students should have an opportunity to see, discuss or even design the rubric.

13. What are the steps in creating a rubric? • Define the focus / topic / task / learning objective • List the criteria for assessing the performance • 3 - 8 characteristics • Clearly written with action verbs • Write descriptions for the levels of performance • Usually 3 - 5 levels • Define top level first, then bottom level, and finally middle level(s) • Test rubric

14. Program assessment, giving direct evidence of student learning – most common use Embedded course assignments Capstone experiences Field experiences Portfolios Using Rubrics Useful in other ways: • Self-assessment • Peer evaluations • Analysis of electronic discussion threads • Employer ratings of recent graduates

15. Using rubrics in assessment • Formative assessment: Rubrics can be used as ongoing ways of measuring student progress. This feedback provides direction for further teaching. • Summative assessment: Rubrics can be used to measure achievement of specific objectives, competencies, or learning goals.

16. Advantages of Rubrics • Help students know what to expect • Provide detailed feedback • Help students see improvement over time • Offer guidance for continuous improvement • Align teaching and learning to standards

17. Examples

20. Thank You