Abstract:

As teaching strategies innovate, so too does the student investment in performing well. Students truly desire to have meaningful feedback on their work. One of the challenges across programs is to create feedback mechanisms which are consistent in language and terms as well as marking value. Increased student numbers mean that there are often multiple markers across several disciplines. In order for assessment to maintain a fluid state as well as a solid base, rubrics have a role to play. Rubrics should have identifiers which reflect not only the University standards, but also the lexicon of the discipline. At the Adelaide Nursing School of The University of Adelaide, a system for rubric creation, as well as accepted terms and identifiers has been formulated. The system is one of building blocks, written in Microsoft Excel format, so that tailored yet consistent rubrics can be imported into different marking programs such as Turnitin. The identifiers are generic, consistent and serve to scaffold the specific content requirements of each format of assignment.

In Excel, ‘bookends’ of a rubric have been formulated, such as the ‘structure’ and ‘referencing’ modules. The modules utilise the following approved identifiers: High Distinction – Skilful, Distinction – Proficient, Credit – Competent, Pass – Adequate, Fail – Inadequate. The student then has a useful category which applies to the quality of their work. The marker is able to place the students work in a more meaningful category than by a number alone. A statement of proficiency with identifiers gives a better indication to students about strengths and improvement strategies for their work than a score alone.

Not all assignments have the same content requirements. Standard ‘content’ modules were written after the ‘bookend’ modules, as requirements for a poster presentation are different to an essay or a portfolio. By writing the content modules, then adding the ‘bookend’ modules, many tailored rubrics were able to be formulated. Each rubric has consistent language, format and identifiers for standards of work. Because the rubrics have been written in Excel, they can be edited easily and uploaded to a client program such as Turnitin.

Rubric consistency is important when providing feedback not only to students who can then conceptualise requirements as well as strengths and improvement potential for their work across their program, but also for Course Coordinators and markers to achieve consistency in feedback value through shared language and terms as well as sophisticated response sets.

Keywords:

Rubric, Identifier, Assessment, Feedback.