Development of a scoring rubric for A to F grading and assessment of Master’s Theses that are using quantitative methodology
Författare
Summary, in English
Malmö University uses ECTS grades (A to Fail) in parallel with Swedish grades for some courses. During 2008 and 2009 I was course director for the course Masters Thesis at the International Masters Programme for Public Health at Malmö University, Sweden. After our first examination it was evident that lecturers from different backgrounds had widely disparate grading criteria and the same quantitative thesis was graded from A to Fail. It is key for teachers to adopt a common standard in grading.
The aim of this project was to develop a detailed scoring rubric for grading of master’s theses based on quantitative methodology according to a seven-grade scale (A to Fail) that reflect how well the learning objectives for the course are met. The rubric could be used for both formative as well as summative assessment.
A detailed rubric was created. Students, examiners and opponents received the rubric. As only one thesis was completed and graded during the period of this project, it was not possible to formally evaluate the validity and reliability of the rubric. However, all parties found the rubric useful and easy to use and gave me constructive feedback, which has been incorporated in the updated version of the rubric that is included in this paper.
In conclusion, the rubric should be aligned with the learning outcomes. The student needs access to the rubric from the start of the thesis work and the rubric should also be provided to the supervisor, opponent, and examiner. The rubric may be a useful tool for formative assessment during thesis writing and may also improve the objectivity of the final grading. As several higher education institutions in Sweden have introduced a criterion based A to F scale, the rubric may also be useful for summative grading. Since only one essay was graded based on the criteria listed in the rubric, the validity and reliability of the rubric warrants evaluation in an independent setting.
The aim of this project was to develop a detailed scoring rubric for grading of master’s theses based on quantitative methodology according to a seven-grade scale (A to Fail) that reflect how well the learning objectives for the course are met. The rubric could be used for both formative as well as summative assessment.
A detailed rubric was created. Students, examiners and opponents received the rubric. As only one thesis was completed and graded during the period of this project, it was not possible to formally evaluate the validity and reliability of the rubric. However, all parties found the rubric useful and easy to use and gave me constructive feedback, which has been incorporated in the updated version of the rubric that is included in this paper.
In conclusion, the rubric should be aligned with the learning outcomes. The student needs access to the rubric from the start of the thesis work and the rubric should also be provided to the supervisor, opponent, and examiner. The rubric may be a useful tool for formative assessment during thesis writing and may also improve the objectivity of the final grading. As several higher education institutions in Sweden have introduced a criterion based A to F scale, the rubric may also be useful for summative grading. Since only one essay was graded based on the criteria listed in the rubric, the validity and reliability of the rubric warrants evaluation in an independent setting.
Avdelning/ar
Publiceringsår
2011
Språk
Engelska
Länkar
Dokumenttyp
Rapport
Förlag
[Publisher information missing]
Ämne
- Medical and Health Sciences
Nyckelord
- SoTL
Status
Unpublished