Faculty workshop
Build criteria and feedback guides that help students make better work
Notice what makes a rubric easy or hard to use before drafting new criteria.
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Use your own rubric, or select one you know well.
Mark any term, criterion, or level description that leaves you asking, “What would I do differently?”
Write one specific question a student might ask before submitting work.
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Select a small set of assessable qualities that connect directly to the assignment.
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A criterion names a quality of the work, not a task step or personal trait. “Uses evidence to support the claim” points to something a reader can inspect. “Works hard” does not. Keep criteria distinct: if two rows would receive the same evidence and feedback, consider combining them.
Start with the assignment’s learning outcomes. For each one, ask what a reader would see or hear in successful work. Use that evidence to draft a criterion.
Choose one learning outcome the assignment is meant to assess.
List the evidence a reader would notice, such as a claim supported by relevant sources.
Use a short phrase naming that quality, such as “Uses relevant evidence to support the claim.”
Confirm the assignment gives students a fair chance to show this quality.
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Describe meaningful differences in quality rather than relying on labels or vague praise.
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A performance description should tell students what the work shows at that level. Labels such as “excellent,” “good,” and “poor” name a judgment but not the evidence behind it. Describe differences in the work instead.
For example, for “Uses relevant evidence to support the claim,” one level might say, “Evidence is relevant and each example is connected to the claim.” A lower level might say, “Evidence is included, but its connection to the claim is unclear.” Keep the same criterion in view across levels.
Use a criterion from your draft, such as “Interprets results in relation to the research question.”
Write what a reader would see in work that meets the intended standard.
For the next level, name what is missing, inconsistent, or less effective—not simply that the work is weaker.
Check that each description addresses the same criterion and that adjacent levels are clearly different.
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Use a sample to check clarity, fairness, and consistency before sharing the rubric.
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Choose anonymized student work or a sample response that illustrates a real decision point.
Apply your draft rubric without revising it mid-way. Note the evidence that supports each decision.
If a colleague is available, compare decisions. If working alone, reread the descriptions and list plausible alternative interpretations.
Clarify the criterion or level description where the evidence does not lead to a confident, explainable decision.
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Plan how students will encounter, discuss, and use the rubric before final submission.
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A rubric is more useful when students meet it before the final submission. Ask them to apply one criterion to an example, identify evidence in a draft, or use the descriptions to set a revision goal. Explain how the rubric connects to the assignment outcomes and invite questions about unclear language.
Decide when students will first see the rubric, such as during assignment planning or peer review.
Ask students to use one criterion to annotate an example or identify evidence in their own draft.
Invite students to flag wording they cannot translate into an action.
Write one change you will make to the rubric or the way you introduce it.
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