Activity: develop a marking rubric

Grading is inherently subjective and depending on our previous experiences and context (Bloxham et al, 2015 Links to an external site.). This is quite a challenging concept for educators, but it is true (see a proper explanation in chapter 2 of Forsyth, 2022). A good marking or grading rubric can help to mitigate some of the challenges of our own subjectivity, although it is not a complete solution. They can also speed up marking, as you are always referring to a consistent set of possibilities when you are making decisions. However, they are very difficult to write! Why not try using a GenAI tool to create a draft for you?

As usual, you can choose a GenAI tool to try this with, such as one those listed on this page.. Then write a prompt something like this, adapted of course to your own situation:

"Please create a grading rubric for this learning outcome: "you will be able to work as part of a team to solve a complex problem in human resources management"? The assignment task is a report and the students are doing this at the end of a Bachelors degree. There should be five grading bands: fail, pass, good, very good, and excellent. You should use meaningful and descriptive language to generate the criteria for each band (for instance, words such as 'sufficient' for the pass band, 'insightful' for the very good band, or 'innovative' for the excellent band."

You can then repeat this for each learning outcome in the course.

Here is the output I got for this specific prompt above:

Grading Rubric for Team-Based Human Resources Management Problem-Solving Report

Collaboration and Teamwork	Fail: Little to no evidence of teamwork; lack of cooperation and communication among team members.	Pass: Basic level of teamwork; minimal collaboration and communication are evident.	Good: Adequate teamwork; team members collaborate and communicate effectively.	Very Good: Strong teamwork; team demonstrates effective collaboration, communication, and conflict resolution.	Excellent: Exceptional teamwork; team exhibits seamless collaboration, innovative problem-solving, and exemplary communication.
Understanding of the HRM Problem	Fail: Inadequate understanding of the HRM problem; lacks clarity and depth.	Pass: Basic understanding of the problem; some relevant issues are identified.	Good: Solid understanding of the problem; most relevant issues are well-identified and explained.	Very Good: Deep understanding; insightful analysis of the problem with comprehensive identification of issues.	Excellent: Outstanding understanding; innovative and thorough analysis of the problem, demonstrating advanced insight.
Quality of Analysis and Solution	Fail: Poor or no analysis; proposed solutions are irrelevant or non-existent.	Pass: Basic analysis; proposed solutions address some aspects of the problem.	Good: Good level of analysis; solutions are relevant and reasonably effective.	Very Good: Detailed and insightful analysis; solutions are well-justified and highly effective.	Excellent: Exceptional and innovative analysis; solutions are original, thoroughly justified, and demonstrate advanced problem-solving skills.
Report Presentation and Writing Quality	Fail: Report is poorly structured and written; numerous grammatical and spelling errors.	Pass: Report is adequately structured; some grammatical and spelling errors.	Good: Well-structured report; clear writing with minor grammatical or spelling errors.	Very Good: Very well-structured and articulated report; virtually free of grammatical or spelling errors.	Excellent: Exceptionally well-structured and written report; professional quality, completely free of errors.
Use of Evidence and References	Fail: Little to no use of evidence or references; fails to support arguments.	Pass: Basic use of evidence and references, though not always relevant or effectively integrated.	Good: Good use of relevant evidence and references; supports most arguments effectively.	Very Good: Strong use of high-quality evidence and references; insightful and integrated well into arguments.	Excellent: Exceptional use of a wide range of relevant evidence and references; integrated seamlessly and enhances the argument.

I don't think this is bad, and it really makes use of this learning outcome. Of course, it isn't my specialist area, so I won't judge it beyond that, but I think it gives you something to work with and to discuss with colleagues.

briefcase to represent a portfolio Bonus: add to your teaching portfolio. Have you used rubrics before? Try using such a rubric to grade an examination or assignment you have previously graded. Did you find it easier or harder? Were the grades similar?