Effects of an Assessment Exercise Using a Rubric and Exemplars of Performance

Abstract

An assessment exercise is an instructional method, in which students assess exemplars with a rubric and then a teacher explains how to assess the exemplars. The assessment exercise has been introduced because it is difficult for students to improve their performance even if the teacher discloses rubrics to the students. However, the research of the learning effects of assessment exercises on students’ performance is limited, and particularly it is not clear what kind of exemplars enhance the learning effects. Therefore, this study empirically examined the learning effects of the assessment exercises in classes based on the appropriateness of students' self-assessment and the quality of their performance. Two conditions were compared: one with exemplars corresponding to all levels of the rubric, and the other with exemplars corresponding to some limited levels. The results showed that the all-levels condition tended to have a significantly larger effect on the appropriateness of self-assessment and the quality of the students’ performance.