Owning the rubric: Co-constructing assessment rubrics with students | 28 July

Hot Topic Theme: Feedback and Assessment

In the assessment and feedback literature, we are frequently told that co-constructing rubrics with students is an important way to engage them early in the assessment process. Indeed, co-constructing rubrics with students has been shown to support them in clarifying assessment requirements and take ownership of their own learning. And while this sounds like a helpful and reasonable idea, many academics remain curious about how this is done, and done well.

In this webinar, Professor Maria Northcote and Dr Jason Morton (Avondale University) and Dr Andrew Kilgour (CSU) will share insights and examples from their OLT research project, “Owning the Rubric: Student engagement in rubric design and use”. They will explain the concepts and processes associated with co-constructing assessment rubrics in partnership with students in coursework degrees, share a range of protocols devised by lecturers and students, and provide a model for collaborative rubric co-construction that you will be able to adapt to your context. This will be an interactive session where you will be encouraged to reflect on how rubric co-construction processes may be applied to your own context.

The content and activities in this webinar have been drawn from the “Owning the Rubric: Student engagement in rubric design and use” research project, funded by an Innovation by the Office for Learning and Teaching (OLT). This project was conducted by researchers at Avondale University, Charles Sturt University & University of Technology Sydney. More information about this project can be found at the  Owning the Rubric website. [Project ID16-5374]

Guest Speakers

Dr Jason Morton, Senior Lecturer in Biology, Avondale University

Jason Morton is a Senior Lecturer at Avondale University where he has worked for the past 20 years. His specialty is marine science, with his PhD focusing on local sex-changing fishes. Jason’s teaching fields are diverse, including biology, environmental studies and mathematics, and his research areas extend from applied ecology to wellbeing and pedagogy.

Dr Andrew Kilgour, Senior Lecturer in Medical Imaging, Discipline Lead Medical Radiation Science, Charles Sturt University 

Andrew Kilgour qualified as a radiographer in 1985, and worked full time clinically until 2007, when he joined the University of Sydney, where he worked until 2013. Since then, he has worked at Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga, where he is Senior Lecturer and Discipline Lead in Medical Radiation Science. Andrew’s PhD developed an innovative model of assessment in workplace learning for radiography students.

Professor Maria Northcote, Director Higher Degree Research Avondale University

Maria Northcote is an experienced researcher and has managed many projects within Australian and international higher education institutions over the past 20 years. Her interest in negotiating curriculum with students led to her involvement in the rubric co-construction project. She is the Director of Higher Degree Research at Avondale University.

More upcoming sessions:

Wednesday 11 August

Co-constructing rubrics with your students: An experience from Alison McEwen | 11 August

What are Hot Topics?

Hot Topics are curriculum and teaching themes that have emerged in UTS from student learning experiences, student feedback surveys (SFS), consultations and other strategic projects. They are a series of professional development and engagement opportunities to enhance courses and provide longer-term support through community building and sustained critical dialogues.