{"id":5257,"date":"2026-03-03T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/inspire\/?p=5257"},"modified":"2026-03-03T08:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T16:00:00","slug":"two-sides-to-every-rubric","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/faculty\/inspire\/2026\/03\/03\/two-sides-to-every-rubric\/","title":{"rendered":"Two Sides to Every&nbsp;Rubric"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Research on rubrics has often focused on validity and reliability (Matshedisho, 2020), but more recent work explores how students actually interpret and use rubrics (Brookhart, 2015; Matshedisho, 2020; Taylor, 2024; Tessier, 2021). This emerging scholarship consistently shows a gap between instructor intention and student interpretation. For example, Matshedisho (2020) found that \u201cstudents expected <em>procedural<\/em> and <em>declarative<\/em> guidance, while instructors expected <em>conceptual<\/em>, reflective work\u201d (p. 175).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If students understand rubrics differently than we intend, rubrics cannot fully support learning. Below are key reasons this mismatch occurs\u2014and strategies to close the gap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tacit Knowledge and Language<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Students bring varied backgrounds, disciplinary exposure, and assumptions to their learning (Brookhart, 2015; Matshedisho, 2020). Many do not enter college knowing what a rubric is or how to apply one (Tessier, 2021).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Key issues include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Unfamiliar terms or disciplinary jargon<\/strong><br>Early\u2011year students may lack field\u2011specific language. In Matshedisho\u2019s (2020) study, first\u2011year medical students struggled with the sociological-specific criteria required for a reflective assignment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Different meanings across disciplines<\/strong><br>Terms like \u201cconcept,\u201d \u201canalysis,\u201d or \u201cargument\u201d shift across fields, confusing students taking multiple general\u2011education courses.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ambiguous or subjective labels<\/strong><br>Students struggle to distinguish between words like <em>good<\/em> and <em>very good<\/em>, and terms such as \u201ccritical analysis\u201d can feel subjective (Taylor, 2024).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Minimal differentiation between performance levels<\/strong><br>When descriptors are too similar, students, unable to discern differences between the ratings, cannot see how to progress.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Students Use Rubrics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Students often approach rubrics differently than instructors expect:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>They treat the rubric as separate from course content, starting with the criteria column and reading each cell in isolation (Matshedisho, 2020).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They search for procedural instructions, expecting the rubric to tell them <em>how<\/em> to complete the assignment (Matshedisho, 2020; Taylor, 2024; Tessier, 2021).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Many prefer hard\u2011copy rubrics over digital versions (Tessier, 2021; Panadero, 2025).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bridging the Gap Through Instruction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rubrics only support learning when students understand them as instructors intend (Brookhart, 2015). Effective strategies include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Build Shared Understanding<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Explain key terms and check for tacit knowledge\u2014especially discipline\u2011specific language (Taylor, 2024).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Explicitly teach what a rubric is and how to use one; don\u2019t assume prior knowledge (Tessier, 2021).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Calibrate expectations by discussing examples and rating sample work with students (Taylor, 2024).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Integrate Rubrics Into the Course<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Refer to the rubric during lectures and discussions. (Tessier, 2021).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Provide feedback that directly connects to rubric criteria.\u00a0(Matshedisho, 2020)\u00a0(Taylor, 2024)\u00a0(Tessier, 2021).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Celebrate or reinforce active rubric use (Tessier, 2021).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Provide hard copies of the rubric whenever possible (Tessier, 2021; Panadero, 2025).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Support Instructors<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Offer training in rubric design and student\u2011centered implementation\u00a0(Brookhart, 2015) (Taylor, 2024).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use shared rubrics for multi\u2011section courses to support consistency.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Meet as a teaching team to create and calibrate the common rubric.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Recognize limitations of online rubric platforms; include clarifying hyperlinks or exemplars when possible (Panadero, 2025).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Clarify Task Expectations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Students often want a <strong>checklist<\/strong>. Provide procedural instructions separately, and use the rubric for <strong>conceptual evaluation<\/strong> (Matshedisho, 2020; Taylor, 2024; Tessier, 2021).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Research has proven that students comment favorably when it comes to questions referencing a rubric\u2019s validity and reliability, but when the research focuses on how students interact with, understand, and apply the rubric, it is clear we still have a long way to go. Hopefully the suggestions above will get you started on the road to even better creation and application of your rubrics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">References<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Brookhart, S. M. (2015). <em>The quality and effectiveness of descriptive rubrics.<\/em> Educational Review, 67(3), 343\u2013368. doi:10.1080\/00131911.2014.929565<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Matshedisho, K. R. (2020). <em>Straddling rows and columns: Students&#8217; (mis)conceptions of an assessment rubric.<\/em> Assessment &amp; Evaluation in Higher Education, 169\u2013179. doi:10.1080\/02602938.2019.1616671<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Panadero, E. O. (2025). <em>Analysis of online rubric platforms: Advancing toward erubrics.<\/em> Assessment &amp; Evaluation in Higher Education, 31\u201349. doi:10.1080\/02602938.2024.2345657<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Taylor, B. K. (2024). <em>Rubrics in higher education: An exploration of undergraduate students&#8217; understanding and perspectives.<\/em> Assessment &amp; Evaluation in Higher Education, 799\u2013809. doi:10.1080\/02602938.2023.2299330<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tessier, L. (2021). <em>Listening to student perspectives of rubrics: Perceptions, Uses, and Grades.<\/em> Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 32(3), 133\u2013168.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Research on rubrics has often focused on validity and reliability (Matshedisho, 2020), but more recent work explores how students actually interpret and use rubrics (Brookhart, 2015; Matshedisho, 2020; Taylor, 2024; Tessier, 2021). This emerging scholarship consistently shows a gap between instructor intention and student interpretation. For example, Matshedisho (2020) found that \u201cstudents expected procedural and declarative guidance, while instructors expected conceptual, reflective work\u201d (p. 175). If students understand rubrics differently than we intend, rubrics cannot fully support learning. Below are key reasons this mismatch occurs\u2014and strategies to close the gap. Tacit Knowledge and Language Students bring varied backgrounds, disciplinary exposure, and assumptions to their learning (Brookhart, 2015; Matshedisho, 2020). Many do not enter college knowing what a rubric is or <a href=\"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/faculty\/inspire\/2026\/03\/03\/two-sides-to-every-rubric\/\" class=\"more-link\">&#8230;<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Two Sides to Every&nbsp;Rubric<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[17,19],"tags":[124,154,319,328,408],"class_list":["post-5257","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-teaching","category-tips-tricks","tag-course-design","tag-ecampus","tag-online-learning","tag-oregon-state-university","tag-rubric"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/faculty\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5257","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/faculty\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/faculty\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/faculty\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/45"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/faculty\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5257"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/faculty\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5257\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/faculty\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5257"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/faculty\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5257"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/faculty\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5257"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}