Rubrics

A “rubric,” used in the educational sense, is a framework for assessing work. I find Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe’s rubric for the “six facets of understanding” incredibly useful, but lately I’ve also been on the lookout for a rubric that would work well with online discussions. Dick Nysse uses one in one of his classes, and today he sent me a link to a site that’s overflowing with other useful rubrics. In preparing my classes for the fall, I’m working hard on trying to be as transparent as possible, particularly in terms of what I’m expecting students to accomplish. That’s where rubrics come in handy.