Benefitting from Rubrics

 Benefitting from Rubrics 

A carefully designed rubric can offer a number of benefits to instructors. Rubrics help instructors to:

• reduce the time spent grading by allowing instructors to refer to a substantive description without writing long comments
• help instructors more clearly identify strengths and weaknesses across an entire class and adjust their instruction appropriately
• help to ensure consistency across time and across graders
• reduce the uncertainty which can accompany grading
• discourage complaints about grades

An effective rubric can also offer several important benefits to students. Rubrics help students to:

• understand instructors’ expectations and standards
• use instructor feedback to improve their performance
• monitor and assess their progress as they work towards clearly indicated goals
• recognize their strengths and weaknesses and direct their efforts accordingly