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 Spring 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 Spring.  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 Spring 2006 and use the previous semester grades as a benchmark. I will then compare and contrast grades from Fall 2005 and grades from Spring 2006 to see if grades tend to improve.

    In addition, I will use an assessment tool at the end of this semester that will gather information from the students on each individual assignment that would indicate whether or not they felt that they really understood the expectations of the assignments.  At the end of Spring 2006, I will use the same tool to assess whether or not rubrics had any effect on student success in those two specific classes.

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 Fall 2005, with grades on those same assignments in Spring 2006.
2.    I will use an assessment tool that will elicit the students responses from both Fall and Spring 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 many 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 one of the institutes’ offerings, 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.