Consider developing a rubric with your class as part of your in-class writing instruction. If you want more control, define some or all of the categories and then have students work on the skill-level descriptions.
Emphasize what you value. If it’s ideas, make sure the rubric doesn’t dwell disproportionately on surface correctness. As assignments vary, so will rubrics, and the more specific you make your rubric, the more clearly you convey your expectations.
Hand out the rubric with the assignment—or at least early in the process.
Use your rubric as a grading shortcut. MU’s Bess Fox uses a highlighter on sentences in her rubric: where the bulk of the color falls signals to her and her students exactly why they earned a particular grade. She can then focus her comments on ideas and content rather than grade justification. Repeated use of rubrics helps students see patterns across papers in their strengths and weaknesses.
General & Discussion
- AACU “Written Communication” rubric: http://www.aacu.org/value/rubrics/pdf/WrittenCommunication.pdf
- Link to many sample rubrics (Winona State University): http://www.winona.edu/air/rubrics.htm
- Rubric bank (University of Hawaii): http://manoa.hawaii.edu/assessment/resources/rubricbank.htm
- “Building a Better Mousetrap: The Rubric Debate,” pros and cons, Viewpoints: http://faculty.ccp.edu/dept/viewpoints/w06v7n2/rubrics1.htm
- “College Essay Writing Assignment Rubric” (University of Alabama at Birmingham): http://eureka.mhsl.uab.edu/lp/CollegeWritingRubric.html
- “Critical Thinking Rubric” (Washington State University): http://academic.pgcc.edu/~wpeirce/MCCCTR/Designingrubricsassessingthinking.html
- “Generic Writing Assignment Rubric” (College of Wooster): http://www3.wooster.edu/teagle/CT%20Links/generic%20writing%20rubric%20macauley.pdf
- “Research as Inquiry Evaluation (Bridgewater State College): http://www2.bc.cc.ca.us/jfulks/basicSkills%20course_coding/Example_Writing_Rubric.pdf
- WAC “Rubric for Evaluation of Writing” (North Carolina State College): www.ncstatecollege.edu/studentsuccessplan/…/WAC%20Rubric3.doc
- “Writing Rubric,” Keuka College: http://online.keuka.edu/file.php/1/Keuka_College_Writing_Rubric.pdf
By Discipline
- “Art Rubric for Assessment of the Discussion & Writing on Art History, Aesthetics and Art Criticism” (Goshen College): http://www.goshen.edu/art/ed/rubric3.html
- Biology thesis rubric (Duke University): http://www.biology.duke.edu/undergrad/documents/thesisrubric.pdf
- Ethics case analysis, with assignment (College of New Jersey): http://www.tcnj.edu/~set/mw-steps.htm
- “Six Traits for Analyzing Historical Writing” (Montana Historical Society): http://www.winona.edu/air/documents/MontanaHistoricalwriting.pdf
- “History Writing Rubric” (Maricopa Community Colleges):http://zircon.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/mlx/warehouse/01301-01400/01341/History-Writing-Rubric.doc
- “Checklist for Modern Philosophy Papers” (Skidmore College): http://www.skidmore.edu/~mmarx/sewid/summa.htm
- “History and Systems of Psychology Course Paper Rubric” (Central Washington University):http://www.cwu.edu/~warren/461coursepaperrubric.htm
- “Grading Rubric for Sociology Assignments,” including documentation style (Yosemite Community College): http://virtual.yosemite.cc.ca.us/woodsides/Writing%20Assignments/Grading%20Rubric%20Soc%20Writing.pdf
By Genre
- “General Analytic Writing Rubric” (University of Texas): http://www.utexas.edu/provost/sacs/pdf/Rubric%20examples.pdf
- “Iowa Illustrated Map Rubric” (Iowa K-12): http://soli.inav.net/~rpmic/iowa/rubrics/maprub.htm
- “Iowa Oral History Rubric” (Iowa K-12): http://soli.inav.net/~rpmic/iowa/rubrics/ohisrub.htm
- “Live Patient Interview and Case Development” (Bakersfield College): http://www.winona.edu/air/documents/LivePatientInterviewRubric_000.doc
- Peer Review Rubric for Multimedia Assignment: http://imet.csus.edu/imet1/speed/dragonquest/Peer_Review_Rubric.htm
- “Sample Rubric for Reflective Writing Assignments” (Concordia University-St. Paul): http://concordia.csp.edu/writingcenter/_Documents/Rubric_for_Reflectiv.pdf
- “Rubric for Writing and Assessing Research Paper (Dakota State University): http://support.dsu.edu/rubrics/Reseach_paper_French%20Rubric.doc
- “Science Lab Report Rubric” (Utah Education Network): http://www.uen.org/Rubric/rubric.cgi?rubric_id=25