Are your rubrics hitting the mark? An exploration of the use of rubrics for project-based learning in engineering

Project-based learning is often introduced in engineering contexts to provide students with a better learning experience. Projects can be more authentic and can create opportunities for students to integrate knowledge and skills from several modules. Projects can also integrate an engineering curriculum with the simultaneous development and evaluation of technical and professional competencies. Furthermore, it is often argued that project-based assessments lead to deeper, more lifelong and self-directed learning. However, the assessment of work done during these projects presents many challenges. One of these challenges involves marking mechanisms. Project-based learning assessment frequently uses rubrics – designed to provide transparency regarding criteria used to evaluate students and consistency in the marking process. Sometimes, these rubrics can even be used as feedback to students. The questions arise, what makes a good rubric, and how should rubrics be designed to complement the intentions of project-based learning? This paper discusses findings from a qualitative study that explored lecturer and student experiences of assessment in an engineering school through interviews and focus groups. The study shows that the design of rubrics needs to be carefully considered to ensure that suitable types of learning are both encouraged and rewarded. Poorly constructed rubrics can result in dysfunctional student behaviours that do not support the intended learning outcomes of the assessment. This paper provides some practical recommendations that can be considered when setting up project-based learning assessments and designing assessment methods and rubrics to support these.