Yes, this slightly affronts the common educational rubric. As you read this, try not to challenge each thought of mine with a “Well, he doesn’t know about…” or “He just doesn’t understand—if only he’d just do the rubric this way…” Try to listen to a perspective. I’ve used many types of rubrics early in my teaching, and I didn’t decide I didn’t like them; my students told me they didn’t like them by not responding to them as a positive, engaging, and helpful tool for growth and understanding the way they do to my solution-based feedback.
Some educators might like them, but for me, they don’t help students learn and grow (individually) the way a good old-fashioned, caring teacher does, sitting down with a student and clearly telling them where they are, how to improve, and how and why to move forward.
Over the years, I’ve found that my graphic design students respond best to what I call solution-based feedback and critique. I’ve found that they are uninspired by a grading rubric that tells them where they are but not where to go—based on their individual needs. No rubric, even one with sparkling examples of real designs at the various grading levels, provides the pre-assessment of skills, individualized feedback, and talent nurturing that their peers and I can give. I will add, and this may or may not be popular with some teachers, that AI can do an OK job of this, but in its current form, it takes longer to understand a student’s capabilities—and may never be able to “read” a student like a teacher can.
Another issue is that students can see the steps in a rubric as the finish line. If they stop at the B or A column, they think they’re done. This might be OK in educational theory, but as a former corporate art director, I never wanted my designers to strive for the current industry best. We needed to try to move past the competition and shine brighter.
Another qualm I have with rubrics is that they can try to fit all students into the same boxes and evaluative criteria. I’ve had students purposely not follow my rubric expectations and end up with a much better result—one that shines brighter. These students challenge my thinking and what students are capable of. Sometimes this encourages me to change my classes and expect more of all students. I’ve taught long enough to see that sometimes the new generation is better at some things than the previous generation, and I am teaching below their capabilities.
Another issue with educational rubrics is that my visual learners struggle to read paragraphs or bullet points on a rubric or in our learning management system, like Blackboard or Canvas. The dense paragraphs feel overwhelming and too abstract. They seem to get stuck trying to parse my feedback and suggestions in paragraphs and apply them to their design work.
So, I do it visually. Drawing and writing work for them.
When I critique a student’s design work, I have them print it out with a lot of white space for my comments. This also works when their peers critique their work. Once it’s printed, I evaluate the design work against the course outcomes and criteria. This usually means the principles and elements of design and the principles of marketing strategy. I sketch ideas and solutions to try, point out problems, draw lines to what works and what doesn’t, and offer encouraging comments.
I have these principles memorized and front of mind as I review their work.
- First, I look for their presence: Do they have type, art/photos/videos/sound, color palette, layout, an underlying grid, balance, unity, repetition, line, emphasis, rhythm, visual hierarchy, movement, contrast, shape, form, texture?
- Then I have to look at how they used them.
- Then I look at which ones are used more and which are used less. Or are some missing? Or are there too many of some?
- Next, I look at the pure aesthetic. Is it a good design?
- Next, I look for the connections to the message. A design can be technically perfect and look amazing, but it doesn’t deliver the right message to the right audience.
- Next, I look for the connection to the business problem we are trying to solve and the marketing strategy guiding their design decisions.
- Lastly, I tell them what’s good about their design and what needs improvement—and then explain why.
- I have to connect all this into coherent, understandable feedback that considers where they are in their learning, what kind of personality they have, how much experience they have, what wording will work best for them, that doesn’t overwhelm them, keeps them positive, doesn’t deflate them, and inspires them to move forward and do more work. That’s a big ask of a rubric.
- Students get this back, go through the comments one by one, and make the changes they feel will improve their work. I encourage them to take each suggestion seriously. Most usually do.
I feel there are too many variables to list on a rubric. It would be pages and pages long and not realistic. I can already see the argument for breaking the tasks into smaller rubrics forming. I would contend that this would likely make the class all about deciphering and administering rubrics, not the subject matter.
I’ve always measured my teaching based on the quality of my students’ learning and growth. Simply put, my teaching style and solution-based feedback engage my students and deliver surprisingly good results. And, as always, I am always trying to do better.