ABSTRACT
This chapter describes how rubrics can be developed and used in the online classroom. Through a case study, it shows how one faculty member, Serap, designed new rubrics for three typical online learning activities. In addition, the chapter focuses on the “nuts and bolts” of rubric management online, offering several ways to get rubrics in students’ hands and to give them feedback on the rubric. Teaching online requires considerable adaptations. Social presence grows when faculty and students interact frequently online in a variety of contexts. A social presence is the feeling and knowledge that other students are together in the same class and the faculty member is also present. Rubrics assist in structuring faculty and student interactions. The chapter concludes with some thoughts on how rubrics contribute to a “sense of presence” in online instruction, one of the essential criteria for a successful online class.
