Using a Rubric to Assess Student Learning at the Senior-Level (Sociology)

An effective system of assessing student achievement includes measures at the senior level, near graduation, providing information about what students are able to achieve at the end of the program. For many programs, senior-level direct measures connect with a capstone course, as these culminating experiences can provide valuable holistic information about students’ learning before they graduate. 

ATL Mini Grant Project: In the academic year 2015-16, the Department of Sociology received assessment mini grant funding in support of their project, “Pilot Senior Portfolio Rubric Assessment.” This project involved piloting a rubric to assess learning outcome achievement using senior portfolios from an internship capstone course and hiring a student worker to conduct an analysis to test rubric reliability.

According to Sarah Blake, instructor and project leader, “This project helped the department implement student learning outcomes assessment at the senior level and allowed us to examine the reliability of our rubric.”

For additional information about assessment mini grants, including examples of other previously funded projects, see ATL’s Assessment Mini-Grant webpage.