Applied Critical Thinking - Faculty Assessing What We Value, Students Valuing What We Assess - TTACT Workshop Decker

Sep 22, 2026

Uploaded by Bintang

Workshop notes on applying critical thinking through effective assessment feedback and rubric design. The session emphasizes how faculty can provide actionable comments and how students can use them, introducing rubrics for summative and formative assessment. Key points include institute-wide general education rubrics, rubric practices for AP Computer Science Principles and other AP subjects, and using rubrics to guide goals, calibration, peer review, and ongoing dialogue. Participants were encouraged to share assessment challenges and create rubric drafts for discussion later in November.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Your feedback and effective critical-thinking assessment

Rubrics as summative assessment

Institute-wide general education rubrics

AP exam rubric practices

Rubrics as formative assessment

Writing-focused rubric considerations

Peer review and conversation-based use

Notes from Q&A and discussion

Gradescope and grading consistency

Homework: creating rubrics

Applied Critical Thinking: Faculty Assessing What We Value; Students Valuing What We Assess Tuesday, September 26: 9:30am-11:00am Your feedback on student work is vital in helping students learn to think critically. How can you make sure the feedback you’re providing is effective? How can you be sure that students will use your feedback? In this first of a two-part series, we will discuss how to assess and articulate what we value, and how rubrics can help. We will discuss how you can effectively apply rubrics and what value they bring to the educational process for both faculty and students. Participants will be encouraged to share their assessment challenges and participate in a rubric-design activity. Part Two of this workshop happens in late November, when we come back together (and welcome additional participants) to discuss rubrics that we have customized or created and how we might best use these rubrics with students. Notes from September 26th session Hosted by Fram Faculty Fellow, Adrienne Decker ([adrienne.decker@rit.edu](adrienne.decker@rit.edu)) and Rebecca Johnson, Teaching & Learning Services, [rljtls@rit.edu](rljtls@rit.edu) Speakers: Paul Tymann, Professor, Computer Science ([pttics@rit.edu](pttics@rit.edu)) Paulette Swartzfager, Lecturer, University Writing Program ([pmsgsla@rit.edu](pmsgsla@rit.edu)) I -Rubrics as summative assessment a. Discussion of how we typically use rubrics to provide summative assessment, provide for consistency in grading, and to give clear and specific grading criterion. b. Introduction to the institute-wide rubrics for gen ed courses [http://www.rit.edu/academicaffairs/outcomes/general-education-assessment/rubrics](http://www.rit.edu/academicaffairs/outcomes/general-education-assessment/rubrics) [c. Rubrics in AP Exam grading-Computer Science Principles](c. Rubrics in AP Exam grading-Computer Science Principles) (Paul is Chief Reader) i. Goal of AP rubrics [in general] 1. Large scale grading (many readers, many exams) 2. Rubric should be easy to understand for the reader (i.e. be able to train easily) 3. Able to be applied so that interrater reliability is high (approximately 80% or more) ii. The rubrics for AP CS Principles are about scoring a project that the students complete throughout the course 1. [https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/pdf/2018-explore-performance-tasks](https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/pdf/2018-explore-performance-tasks)sg. pdf?course=ap-computer-science-principles 2. [https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/pdf/2018-create-performance-tasks](https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/pdf/2018-create-performance-tasks)sg. pdf?course=ap-computer-science-principles iii. Resources from AP/The College Board 1. College Board-AP Central-[https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/](https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/) 2. Course page: [https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses](https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses) [3](3). Psychology questions from 2017 exam [https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/pdf/ap-psychology-frq-](https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/pdf/ap-psychology-frq-) [2017.pdf?course=ap-psychology](2017.pdf?course=ap-psychology) 4. Psychology rubrics from 2017 exam: [https://secure](https://secure)[media.collegeboard.org/ap/pdf/ap17-sg-psychology.pdf](media.collegeboard.org/ap/pdf/ap17-sg-psychology.pdf) 5. Sample responses and commentary Psychology 2017 [https://secure](https://secure)[media.collegeboard.org/digitalServices/pdf/ap/ap17-psychology-q1.pdf](media.collegeboard.org/digitalServices/pdf/ap/ap17-psychology-q1.pdf) 6. AP Research Rubric: [https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/pdf/ap-research](https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/pdf/ap-research)academic-paper-rubric. pdf?course=ap-research II -Rubrics as formative assessment (Paulette) a. Most writing teachers don’t like rubrics-concern that the students will only perform for the points b. Writing a rubric makes me think about what I value, as I’m develo

FAQs

How does the workshop define the goal of feedback on student work?

The workshop frames feedback as vital for helping students learn to think critically. It focuses on ensuring feedback is effective and that students will actually use it.

What are rubrics used for in summative assessment?

Summative use is discussed in terms of consistency in grading and providing clear, specific grading criteria. The notes also cover institute-wide general education rubrics and AP rubric approaches for training readers and improving interrater reliability.

How should rubrics function in formative assessment?

Formative use is described as supporting student goal-setting, calibration for grading, and initiating conversation—not simply assigning a grade. The session highlights writing teachers’ concerns and benefits such as clearer expectations and improved engagement with feedback.

Sep 22, 2026

Uploaded by Bintang