Rubrics as Catalysts for Collaboration: A Modest Proposal

Rubrics have received increased attention in recent years in assessment and accountability efforts in higher education as tools that provide faculty with rigorous frameworks for translating authentic examples of student work into high-quality, useable data. These same tools may represent powerful vehicles for prompting and facilitating collaboration between faculty and assessment professionals, and for crossing disciplinary, institutional, and national borders. This article makes the case for such collaboration using the AAC&U VALUE rubrics, a collection of 15 rubrics developed by faculty and higher education professionals from across the United States. Examples from institutional and state-wide collaborations with the VALUE rubrics will be discussed, as well as their potential for future national and international collaborations.