A First Step Towards Synthesizing Rubrics and Video for the Formative Assessment of Complex Skills

Abstract

The performance objectives used for the formative assessment of complex skills are generally set through text-based analytic rubrics [1]. Moreover, video modeling examples are a widely applied method of observational learning, providing students with context-rich modeling examples of complex skills that act as an analogy for problem solving [1]. The purpose of this theoretical paper is to synthesize the components of video modeling and rubrics to support the formative assessment of complex skills. Based on theory, we argue that application of the developed Video Enhanced Rubrics (VER) fosters learners' development of mental models, quality of provided feedback by various actors and finally, the learners mastery of complex skills.

Video‐enhanced or textual rubrics: Does the Viewbrics' formative assessment methodology support the mastery of complex (21st century) skills?

“…The final oral presenting rubric consists of the following sub‐skills: chooses a subject, gives an introduction, builds presentation, uses information, uses image and sound, provides summary and conclusion, uses vernacular, uses voice, uses body language, presentation fitting for the audience, interacts with the audience. Students, teachers, and researchers were involved in iterative revisions of all three rubrics to ensure the learner‐understandable, detailed textual description of four complex skill mastery levels in an ecologically valid rubric (Ackermans et al, 2017). The final ecologically validated versions of the collaboration, oral presentation, and information literacy rubrics were embedded in the Viewbrics online tool used in this study.…”

“…Given the literature, we detected three problems when relying on textual analytic rubrics to support complex skill development in pre‐university learners (Ackermans et al, 2017). First, rubrics can provide a fragmentary textual framework because a rubric describes a complex skill using a subdivided set of constituent (sub)skills identified by experts.…”

Solving instructional design dilemmas to develop a Video Enhanced Rubric with modeling examples to support mental model development of complex skills: the Viewbrics-project use case

“…To overcome the three problems above, we recommend combining the positive qualities of rubrics with video-modeling examples to support complex skill development. Video inherently provides the contextual and dynamic information lacking in a textual rubric (Ackermans et al 2017). For example, a rubric on information literacy may start with the first two subskills of confirming the given information literacy task and global orientation on the subject, before moving on to the third subskill of further specifying the subject of the information literacy task.…”

Formative assessment and the role of teachers' content area

“…The learning goals for which the formative assessment is being used may also impact the type of approach implemented. For example, rubrics are most often used to improve complex skills such as writing and, therefore, are more common in English Language Arts (ELA) classrooms (Ackermans, Rusman, Brand‐Gruwel, & Specht, ; Panadero & Jonsson, ). However, rubrics can also be applied in other content areas (e.g., science) especially when the learning goals are focused on practices and include tasks such writing lab reports, analysis, and oral presentations (Panadero & Jonsson, ).…”