News

The UTokyo FFP DAY 4 focusing on evaluation was held on November 4th and 8th.

The goals and objectives were as follows:

Goals
To obtain basic knowledge in evaluating student learning, to understand the significance and features of evaluation, and to be able to apply evaluation to student learning.

Objectives

• ・To be able to explain the significance of evaluation.
• ・To be able to contrast formative evaluation and summative evaluation.
• ・To be able to explain any given evaluation method based on the features of evaluation.
• ・To be able to create a rubric.

The exercise in giving marks to a paper assignment and creating a rubric for that is incorporated into the learning of the rubric.

“Knowing” rubrics and “Being able to create” rubrics are completely different, so that is why we would like the learners to create one in the classroom. The exercise of creating a rubric is included in the activities from the first semester of the UTokyo FFP. Participants can feel the benefits and difficulties of creating a rubric together in groups.  Then, they realize the advantages and disadvantages of rubrics through the exercise.

By the way, we often hear that it is hard to create a rubric from scratch. One of the effective ways to make it easier is to find a standard type of rubric with similar learning goals to yours and customize it. Please refer to the following two websites:

AAC&U VALUE Rubric
American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) offers what they call “VALUE rubrics.” They are templates of rubrics for various tasks, which you can use and customize. You have to go through the “shopping cart,” but they are available for free download.

Rubric Bank (Japan Association for Educational Development in Higher Education)
The website collects rubrics created by teachers in Japan. They are designed for particular tasks while VALUE Rubrics are designed as standard types of rubrics.

(Kurita)