Raising the Bar......

I posed an interesting question at the end of my week two seminar reflection. The question was related to the quality of work fellow co-hort memeber will put out over the next eight weeks (remember, I asked this in week 2). This week KZ did conducted what I consider the best student led seminar this quarter. I think KZ used the best combination of interactive media, thought provoking questions, and scholarly articles in any of the weeks. I am not discrediting any of the previous weeks seminar leaders (heck I led two myself), I just came away very impressed this week.

I like to pride myself on the ability to ask thought provoking questions, but KZ asked the most thought provoking question I have encountered this quarter.

The appendix at the back of your text has examples of 5 rubrics beginning on p. 121 used to assess learning goals in the University Studies Program at Portland State University. Look at them and take a moment to be overwhelmed. Now here is your question. You are on the assessment team at your college. Each program (Radiography, IT, Early Childhood Education, Medical Assisting, Media, Continuing Education, Fire Science, etc.) must assess themselves on a yearly basis. You would like the team to consider the use of rubrics for the individual programs. Each program would have the same basic format of rubric with some modifications for program differences. Let’s hear your explanation to the assessment team of why your college programs should use rubrics for assessing their programs. Describe some of the dimensions that might be included in the program rubric.

I am going to assume I was not the only person blown away by that question. It did not draw a student response until Saturday. When I finished my response I was not sure if I had answered the satisfactory. The question asked for specific characteristics and my response basically said this question was not applicable in my current situation. When someone poses a question of "how can" and you get a response of "you can't," is that an open-minded, practical answer?

This concludes our textbook on rubrics. I wanted to finish this blog with some thoughts I have on rubrics.
-When I first read the preface of the book, I thought this book was going to shove Portland State's ideas on them down our throats. I was wrong, the book provided great information and objectivity.
-Every coin has two sides. I was constantly in search of the opposing view of using rubrics. Turns out there isn't an abundance of information on this topic. I am glad my fellow cohort members share the same skepticism as me; meaning rubrics are great as long they are used correctly and in the right situations.
-Although the term rubric is new to me, I have encountered them in many stages of my academic development. Many past teachers were using them already, they just may not have known it.