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Published on: July 18, 2014
Development of a Writing Rubric: A Failed Research Study Yielding Positive Results
Gayle L Kruse1, Susan L Baylor, Phyllis D Thomson
1About the Authors Gayle L. Kruse, MS, APRN, GCNS-BC, ACHPN, Instructor, and Susan L. Baylor, MSN, RN, NCSN, CNE, assistant professor are now retired, from Saint Anthony College of Nursing, Rockford, Illinois, when this article was written. Phyllis D. Thomson, PhD, RN, CNE, and Peggy L. Wagner, MSN, APN, FNP-BC, CCRN, are currently assistant professors at Saint Anthony College of Nursing. Andrea S. Doughty, PhD, is an associate professor at Saint Anthony College of Nursing. For more information, contact Phyllis D. Thomson at phyllisthomson@sacn.edu.
Faculty developed a writing rubric to address student writing deficiencies but failed to achieve interrater reliability. Lessons learned led to a rubric contract and improved faculty-student communication processes.
Area of Science:
- Educational assessment
- Academic writing instruction
- Higher education pedagogy
Background:
- Faculty expressed concerns regarding inconsistent grading and poor student writing skills.
- A writing task force was established to address these educational challenges.
- The initial objective was to create a standardized writing rubric.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and implement a writing rubric for consistent grading.
- To assess the effectiveness of the writing rubric through a research study.
- To improve faculty-student communication regarding writing assignments.
Main Methods:
- A writing rubric was developed by a faculty task force.
- A research study was designed to measure the rubric's effectiveness.
- Attempts were made to achieve interrater reliability among faculty using the rubric.
Main Results:
- The research study failed to achieve interrater reliability.
- The rubric's effectiveness could not be conclusively measured due to reliability issues.
- The study highlighted challenges in standardizing grading criteria.
Conclusions:
- Despite the failed study, valuable lessons were learned regarding rubric implementation.
- A rubric contract was introduced to enhance clarity and agreement.
- Innovations in faculty-student communication processes were developed.
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