All About Rubrics Book

5. The Good, Bad, and Ugly

Not all rubrics are created (or employed) equally. Let's consider the benefits and pitfalls of rubrics when used in our courses:

When designed well, rubrics...

• describe (or show) the expectations for quality of performance.
• provide a guide or checklist for students to follow.
• improve the reliability and validity of the evaluation/judgment.
• increase efficiency of marking.
• indicate the gaps in quality.

• justify the score assigned to the performance or task.

At their worst, rubrics...

• are unidimensional and flat, despite the fact the performance never is.
• suggest that the sum of the "rubricized parts" equals the quality of the whole
• list a bunch of invalid criteria that are easy to check-off but misaligned with the outcomes. 
• shackle professional judgement.
• decrease risk-taking by students.
• act as a ceiling on performance and subconsciously communicate that there is no more improvement to be had. 
• are not used by learners for learning.
• are just more work for the instructor.
• can fail to capture that "je ne sais quoi" in overall performance.