I have recently begun to take an interest in the use of Rubrics for assessment/grading.  This semester I have designed and implemented a few for some of my assignments in various classes.  I have noticed that students seem to appreciate the objectivity they seem to create in grading, as well as, understanding exactly what the instructor is looking for.

    The project I would like to undertake for Fall 2006, involves designing rubrics for all of the assignments in ECE 110 and ECE 120 which account for two of the classes that I will be teaching in Fall.  Currently, I have not used rubrics in those classes and as I grade papers this semester, I realize that students may benefit from this technique.

    I will design these rubrics prior to the beginning of Fall 2006 and use the previous semester grades as a benchmark. I will then compare and contrast grades from Spring 2006 and grades from Fall 2006 to see if grades tend to improve.

    In addition, I will use an assessment tool at the end of Spring 2006 that will consist of ten questions that will assess their experiences without rubrics and then I will use the same assessment tool at the end of Fall 2006 to see if the students felt that the use of rubrics did indeed help them to be more successful.

The objective of my project is to assess whether or not rubrics have a direct effect on student motivation and success.  Does knowing exactly what is expected of the student on each assignment; motivate students to do their best?  Do well designed rubrics enhance student success?  Are students desirous of having the expectations of class assignments spelled out so precisely?

The evaluation method I will use is two-fold:

1.    I will compare and contrast grades on each individual assignment in ECE 110 and ECE 120 from Spring 2006, with grades on those same assignments in Fall 2006.
2.    I will use an assessment tool that will elicit the students responses from both Spring and Fall as to how prepared they felt they were for each assignment and if they felt that they were given adequate expectations for each assignment.

In the courses that I have taken from the Institute, the overarching objective has been to use the techniques and apply them for student retention and success.  When I was first introduced to rubrics in EDU 082, I was sold on the aspect of helping and motivating students with specific guidelines, to give them a solid opportunity to perform to their highest ability.  I think that this project, specifically will give students the opportunity to have better productivity in the class, because they will be given specific guidelines as to what is expected for each assignment.  It is true, that some students seem to know this without any explanation; however, that is not true for most college students today, and I view my role as a professional, to help to ensure that all my students are given equal opportunity to do the best that they can.

What I hope to gain from this project is the satisfaction that I can be a conduit to student success and retention by continually honing my skills and assignments to reach a wider student population consisting of all skill levels.