PRONOUNS: She/Her/Hers
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Daytona Beach, Florida
I help faculty and staff use high-impact practices (including ePortfolios) to support student learning and reflection.
This showcase ePortfolio is used in a Business Communication course to help students articulate their professional identities to external audiences, reflect on their learning in the course, and reflect on how their professional identity connects to experiences beyond the course. Instead of a traditional rubric, this example uses specifications grading, or a process of evaluating student performance based on specification criteria (also called "specs") aligned to learning outcomes and competencies.
Download the assignment sheet and specifications grading tool as an editable Word document or an annotated PDF document.
2023 IUPUI ePortfolio Rubric Showcase, Cicchino.docx2023 IUPUI ePortfolio Rubric Showcase, Cicchino.pdfSpecifications grading was first piloted by Dr. Caitlin Martin and Dr. Jessica Snitko in our first-year writing and speech courses and supported by a course design grant from the Center for Teaching and Learning. They were interested in exploring ungrading but worried contract grading (a popular method of ungrading in their disciplinary field) wouldn't be a good fit for our students. Through their exploration of the literature, they arrived at specs grading and have had success using it with ERAU students.
Faculty hoping to adopt specification grading should consider the scope for their specs: do they want specifications to be assigned at the assignment or the course level? Then, they should develop specifications by referring to the learning outcomes of the class and their identification of important content and skills. Finally, they should workshop the list with students to improve the transparency of language and decide if specs are specific enough.
Students see the specifications list several time: it's included on the initial assignment sheet, used to self-assess their progress, implemented in peer review, and completed again as a final self-assessment when the portfolio is submitted for final evaluation.
At my institution, students are invested in the aviation/aerospace industry and often majoring in aviation or engineering. Specifications are commonly used in labs and aviation procedures. Bringing them into assessment feels relevant to the professional context.
Students tell me specifications make it easier for them to know what I'm looking for in assignments, allowing them to feel more confident when developing and revising their work.
It can be difficult to get students to "think outside the specs." For that reason, I recommend pairing this evaluation method with activities on brainstorming, innovation, and creativity.
Explain what Specifications Grading is to Students. Then Explain it Again.
Students are unlikely to be familiar with this kind of grading and may initially feel some anxiety that grading is going to work differently in your course. That's okay, and you can ease students by explaining what specifications grading is on your syllabus, on assignments, and in activities that re-purpose the specs list (like self-assessment and peer review). Below is language that I use to describe specifications grading to my students:
What is “Specifications Grading?” Specifications are used often in industry as instructions or guidelines for a project. Similarly, when your teacher gives you a project, they often have certain expectations of requirements; these are specifications. When you submit your work, a specifications grading approach treats the specs below as a checklist so I can see if you’ve met the necessary criteria. I hope this approach to grading will make sure everyone is on the same page and that you can clearly see the standards and expectations I had in mind when the project was created.
Trust the Process. It May Take a Few Implementations to Get the Specs List Right for You and Your Students.
These lists can take time to perfect. I know the first time I tried this method, my specifications were not specific enough. It's okay to treat your specifications list as an in-process document that you refine from semester to semester.
If the Specs are in Place, Focus on Formative Feedback and Use Specs to Alleviate End-of-Semester Evaluation Labor.
Your feedback is essential to students' learning, but too often we labor to evaluate and give feedback on an assignment when students complete it, which doesn't leave much incentive for students to read and use our feedback. By using specs grading, I've shifted my feedback focus to formative feedback, meaning I give students feedback as they are revising and building their portfolio. My summative (or final) feedback includes the specs list and a couple of points of praise and corrective feedback. This lessens my end-of-course labor and allows me to enjoy the portfolio evaluation process.
University Writing. (n.d.). Electronic portfolio resources. Auburn University. https://auburn.edu/academic/provost/university-writing/resources/?tag=Electronic%20Portfolio
McKnelly, K. J., Morris, M. A., & Mang, S. A. (2021). Redesigning a “Writing for Chemists” course using specifications grading. Journal of Chemical Education, 98(4), 1201–1207. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00859
Nilson, L. B., & Nilson, L. B. (2014). Specifications grading: Restoring rigor, motivating students, and saving faculty time. Taylor & Francis Group.
