Checklists

A checklist is a tool that outlines specific tasks or elements that students must complete or include in their work to meet the assignment's requirements. Unlike a rubric, which focuses on evaluating the quality of work, a checklist ensures that students address all necessary components or steps in their project. It is a simple, binary tool where items are typically marked as complete or incomplete, making it particularly useful for assignments that require students to follow a set process or include specific items. Using a checklist is best practice because it helps students stay organized and ensures they don't overlook key aspects of the assignment. It provides clear guidance for both instructors and students, making grading more straightforward and helping students focus on meeting essential requirements. Checklists are especially useful for assignments that involve multiple steps, such as research papers, lab reports, or group projects.

Rubrics

A rubric is a grading tool that clearly defines the criteria and expectations for an assignment, helping both instructors and students understand how performance will be evaluated. It breaks down the assignment into specific components, such as content, organization, grammar, and analysis, and outlines what is required to achieve each level of performance for each component. Using a rubric is considered best practice because it provides transparency and consistency in grading, reduces ambiguity, and helps ensure fairness by applying the same standards to all students. It also offers students clear guidance on what is expected of them and how they can improve their work, making it a valuable tool for both formative and summative assessments. By using rubrics, instructors can provide more detailed and constructive feedback, which ultimately supports student learning and development.

Types of Rubrics & Their Purposes

Analytic Rubric (Most common in Canvas)
- Breaks down assessment into multiple criteria with separate scores.
- Provides detailed feedback on different aspects of performance.
Holistic Rubric
- Assigns a single overall score based on general performance levels.
- Faster but less detailed; useful for broad assessments.

Rubric vs. Checklist

Feature	Rubric	Checklist
Purpose	Measures quality across multiple criteria	Confirms whether elements are included
Scoring	Uses a range of scores for each criterion	Typically binary (yes/no)
Detail Level	Provides descriptive feedback	Ensures completion of specific tasks
Best For	Grading assignments with complex criteria	Ensuring students follow instructions

Why Use Each?

Rubrics help assess quality and provide detailed feedback.
Checklists ensure students include required elements in an assignment.
You might use both: a checklist for submission requirements and a rubric for grading quality.