Effectiveness of Online Rubrics
Rochelle Henely
Walden University
Erica Watson
Integrating Technology in the Curriculum-part two
March 18, 2007
Many areas of math call for memorization or instant recall of facts and rules. Others incorporate specific rule use and evaluation of mathematical problems. As classrooms become more technologically advanced, the students are learning through more complex projects. It is in this area that teachers are able to generate much more original thought and ideas. These projects allow such mathematical concepts as Tessellations to be discovered and created.
This tessellation lesson will expose students to such geometric properties as transformations, patterns, and symmetry. The students will first be drawn into the lesson with an eye-catching Power Point presentation including various samples of tessellations in life and art. This presentation will be followed by a web lesson to lead the students to discovery of the history and properties of tessellations and their properties. The students will continue their investigation by creating computer generated tessellations using a Shoder interactive activity. As a closure the students will present completed tessellations to the class for critiquing. The many different levels of this lesson are difficult to assess. The use of a rubric will streamline and simplify the grading process and ensure fairness and accuracy.
With the many performance-based lessons that can be utilized to teach students, newer and better assessments are needed (Canter, L., & Winberry, K., 2003). Performance-based methods of assessment cannot easily be graded with the traditional methods of assessment. Rubrics, as defined by Rubistar, are used to define quality work and also assist students in critiquing their own work prior to grading (University of Kansas, 2006). The creation of rubrics is not an easy task. The effort and time needed to create a good, usable rubric can be daunting to any teacher (Canter, L., & Winberry, K., 2003). Using sites such as Rubistar simplifies this process and offers many other resources to the user. Bernie Dodge, a professor of educational technology, believes that rubrics are great for evaluating complex assignments such as WebQuests (Starr, L., 2005).
In creating the rubric to grade the Tessellation project, Rubistar was used. Although the Rubistar tutorial was very thorough, many times the best method of learning is through example and exploration. The many valuable samples at Rubistar made the creation of a rubric easy. Allowing the creator to use pre-made indicators or to create their own was probably the best feature of this resource. One rubric will not fit every lesson, but parts from many varied sources can be used to create the perfect assessment tool. Another very important tool in Rubistar is the retrieve feature. Whether a user is looking for their rubric or another rubric, finding it is easy. Searching using titles, names, or emails allows the searcher to fulfill specific needs (University of Kansas, 2006).
As with any educational tool, rubrics are adaptable. The rubric created for this particular lesson seems adequate. It evaluates the major components of the assignment with clear indicators and descriptors. Distributing the rubric to the students prior to the assignment will assist them in creating quality work. The indicators and descriptors clearly relay to the student the quality of workmanship needed for success. This rubric stresses content, originality, and organization. These are three important aspects of almost any lesson. As with any project based product, effort and cooperative learning skills are essential. After the completion of this project, both the project and rubric will be analyzed for usefulness. Useful to this task is the Analysis feature in Rubistar. The Analyze Rubric page will enable the teacher to enhance the lesson, the rubric, or both for better use. Whether the students need to better understand a concept or the goal was not clearly defined can be determined through analysis.
Overall, rubrics are an effective method of assessment. As stated, grading complex projects can not be done effectively through subjective grading. A rubric gives the teacher and the student accountability for the final grade. A rubric created with the assistance of such sites as Rubistar are effective tools in assessing complex projects.
Resources
Canter, L., & Winberry, K. (Directors). (2003). Program three: Technology tools for assessment, part one. [Motion picture]. In C. Arnold (Producer), Integrating Technology into the Curriculum Part Two. Los Angeles: Laureate Education, Inc.
Starr, Linda, (2005). Meet Bernie Dodge- the Frank Lloyd Wright of learning environments! Retrieved March 17, 2007 from http://www.education-world.com/a_issues/chat/chat015.shtml
University of Kansas, (2006). Rubistar -Create Rubrics for your Project-Based Learning Activities. Retrieved March 12, 2007 from http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php.