A Case Study of Using Electronic Self-Assessment Rubrics in a Core Curriculum Writing Course

Writing is a necessary skill for graduates of colleges of agriculture. The purpose of the non-experimental, case study, guided by Banduras theory of self-efficacy (1986, 1994, 1997), was to describe the use of self-assessment electronic rubrics in a university core curriculum writing course at Texas A&M University in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Findings revealed that students ability to accurately assess their score using an electronic rubric increased during the semester. Additionally, students perceived and rubric-guided scores for all four constructsIdea and Content Development, Style, Organization and Conventionsincreased throughout the semester. Over time students perceived and rubric-guided scores were within 0.56 points of each other indicating that students became better assessors of their own writing and more confident in their writing abilities. More research needs to be done on how instructors of university core curriculum writing courses can use self-assessment to enhance the learning process and help students understand writing as a process.

A Case Study of Using Electronic Self-Assessment Rubrics in a Core Curriculum Writing Course Academic Article