Rubrics as a way of providing transparency in assessment

This paper reports on a study where rubrics have been used to convey assessment expectations to students (n = 176) in three different assessment situations in professional education. These situations are: (1) the development of a survey instrument, which was part of a course in statistics and epidemiology; (2) an inspection of a house, which was part of a course about the functions of buildings for real estate brokers and (3) a workshop in communication with patients, which was part of a course in the evaluation of diagnostic procedures and treatments of oral infections in dental education. In all situations, students’ perceptions and uses of the rubrics were investigated. Findings suggest that it is indeed possible to convey expectations to students through the use of rubrics, in the sense that students not only appreciate the efforts to make assessment criteria transparent, but may also use the criteria in order to support and self-assess their performance. Important features of the rubrics, which were found to facilitate students’ understanding and use of the criteria in these situations, are presented and discussed.