Closing the loop: using holistic rubrics for effective assessment and feedback

Honeychurch, S. (2020) Closing the loop: using holistic rubrics for effective assessment and feedback. CABS Online Festival of Learning, Teaching & Student Experience, 14-18 Sept 2020.

Abstract

Can using a rubrics help students to improve their performance without increasing staff workload? This was the question that we asked ourselves in our Business School. We had several motivations for asking: the need to introduce rubrics as part of the Assurance of Learning that we are implementing, the desire to improve NSS scores to the Assessment and Feedback questions, the wish to help to scaffold the processes around assessment and feedback while teaching in post-pandemic times, and the need to do all of this without increasing the workload of our already busy academics. This presentation is a case study of our journey, beginning with a pilot study in 2018. It sets out the decisions we made and the reasons for these decisions. It starts by explaining what a holistic rubric is, and how it differs from other types of rubric and situates this within the relevant pedagogical literature. Examples of rubrics we produced are provided, including the template that we provided to all staff involved in the pilot. At the end of this pilot we conducted an evaluation including a survey of students, and a summary of the results is given, including quotations from students explaining why they found the use of rubrics was helpful to them and for their learning. As we have piloted this approach, we have also developed a workflow for writing successful rubrics by taking the course Intended Learning Outcomes and using Blooms Taxonomy to articulate assessment criteria and levels of performance, and this is set out and explained. The presentation closes by talking about the next steps of this project: to implement rubrics across the whole of the School.

• Item Type: Conference or Workshop Item
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Honeychurch, Dr Sarah
• Authors: Honeychurch, S.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > Adam Smith Business School; University Services > Learning and Teaching Services Division
• Published Online: 17 September 2020