Gan Moodley and Deborah Robertson-Andersson. Presented at AMS Colloquium 2015.

1. The use of rubrics in enhancing
student’s scientific writing skills in a
variety of disciplines in the Life
Sciences
Dr. Deborah V. Robertson-Andersson
SLS Westville

2. • Formal classroom teaching,
• Lectures
• Class discussions
• Instructional videos
• Practical work
• Computer simulations
• Laboratory activities
• Online teaching
• Field trips
Rahman,&
Spafford (2009)
3 avenues through which life
sciences can be taught

3. Involve students in meaningful
learning experiences that challenge
them to meet real-world standards.
What do we want from our lessons?

4. How Do We Assess learning?

5. How do students
know whether they are learning?
What does 75/100 mean for
students?

6. To be a life long learner and critical
thinker
“Learning increases, even in its
serendipitous aspects,
when learners have a sense of
what they are setting out to
learn, a statement of explicit
standards they must meet,
and a way of seeing what they
have learned.”
Huberet al. 2000

7. When students know what they are learning their
performance on average is
27 percentile points higher
than students who do not know
what they are learning.
Dr Robert J Marzano (Marzano 2005)

8. Why Rubrics?
• Formative type of assessment
• Ongoing part of the whole teaching and
learning process.

9. How do students
know whether they are learning?
• Rubrics answer student questions about
learning by:
• Making criteria for improvement visible.
• Revealing a process of learning
• Showing standards
Huba and Freed, pp. 154-55

10. BIOL231
BIOLOGY
GEOLOGY
CHEMISTRY
PHYSICS
BIOL231
student

11. This Is My Country! Criterion-Based Performance List
Yes No Points
Student has chosen a name for their new  
country.
(5 points)
Student has identified five requirements  
for citizenship.
(10 points total, 2 points each)
Student has justified the reason for each  
of the five requirements.
(10 points total, 2 points each)
Student has presented the requirements  
to a small group of students.
(5 points)
Total Points /30
Final Grade _________

12. Performance criteria Biological
Science
Chemistry Geology Physical
oceanography
Write, criticize and analyse concepts in science 4 4 4 4
Use the process of scientific enquiry to formulate
hypothesis relevant to the assignment
4 4 4 4
Apply content knowledge from and resolve issues 4 4 4 4
Reason logically 3 3 3 3
Critically evaluate their information particularly in
context with relevant literature
3 3 3 3
Argue their viewpoint persuasively 2 2 2 2
Illustrate the relevance of their work to everyday lives 1 1 1 1

13. 2013
Biological Science Chemistry Geology Physical
oceanography
Mean (std dev) 53 (17) 51 (12) 52 (11) 55 (14)
Range 11 – 90 14 – 85 24 – 85 17 – 86
Median 54 50 51 57
Mode 46 50 46 60
Pearson 1 -0.440 0.114 0.496 -0.360
Pearson 2 -0.166 0.343* 0.180 -0.478*
Number of values
in the Mode
6 15 7 15

14. 2014
Biological
Science
Chemistry Geology Physical
oceanography
Mean (std dev) 61 (14) 58 (11) 55 (14) 61 (11)
Range 17 - 92 25 – 80 20 – 95 23 – 85
Median 62 59 55 61
Mode 68 62 46 59
Pearson 1 -0.463 -0.386 0.657 0.187
Pearson 2 -0.142 -0.177 0.051 0.020
Number of
values in the
Mode
8 13 9 9

15. Mean (std dev) 22 (10)
Median 19
Mode 17
Range 4 – 52

16. 22 % increase in pass marks from
2013 to 2014
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
0 -39 40 - 49 50 - 59 60 - 69 70 - 74 75 - 100
2013 2014
2013 pass rate 2013 average class
mark
2014 pass rate 2014 average class
mark
56.9 % passed
74 of 130 students
50.6
86.2 % passed
137 of 159
57.4

17. 2015
Biological
Science
Chemistry Geology Physical
oceanography
Mean (std dev) I wish I could say the same:
There is no bias in the marking:
I. Despite employing 4 additional markers to cope with the
increase in class size (137 % increase).
II. Despite 8 demonstrators never doing the course
III. Despite 5 demonstrators coming from other disciplines
BUT
Range
Median
Mode
Pearson 1
Pearson 2
Number of
values in the
Mode

18. 2015
Biological
Science
Chemistry Geology Physical
oceanography
Mean (std dev)
BUT
70 students failed to achieve a 40 % DP
Due to 3 weeks of the course being affected
by strikes
Marks show no incremental increase in
learning during or post those 3 weeks
Range
Median
Mode
Pearson 1
Pearson 2
Number of
values in the
Mode

19. Thank You

20. References• Scoring Rubrics in the Classroom. By Judith Arter and Jay McTighe.
Corwin Press, 2001.
• Learner-Centered Assessment on College Campuses by Mary E. Huba
and Jann E. Freed. Allyn and Bacon, 2000. *
• Introduction to Rubrics, by Dannelle D. Stevens and Antonia J. Levi.
Stylus Publications, 2005. *
• Assessing for Learning, by Peggy L. Maki. Stylus Publications, 2004.
• Assessing Student Learning by Linda Suskie. Anker, 2004.
• http://jonathan.mueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/glossary.htm