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How to Create a Rubric to Assess Student Videos

Jul 25, 2022

Using video in the classroom helps to keep students engaged and add make your lessons more memorable. Students can even make their own videos to share what they've learned in a way that is exciting and fun . But what do you do when it comes to grading students’ video projects?

One of the easiest ways to show students what’s expected of them is to create a rubric breaking down the different elements of a video project. You may have already created rubrics for other class projects — ones that involved posters, labs, or group work. Rubrics for video projects are similar. The medium may be different, but the learning and thinking students do are still there for you to assess.

Ways to assess a video:

You can use video projects at many different levels. Some of the elements in your rubric are going to be the same, whether you’re assigning a video to a high school physics class or using Animoto for a fourth grade vocabulary project.

Here are some things to include when developing a video project rubric:

Content: Clearly state what information and how much of it students should include. For example, in a biography project, students might be expected to include five interesting facts about their person in order to get the highest number of points on the rubric.

Images: Make sure your rubric states how many images you expect in an excellent, good, average, and poor project. You might want to add that those images should be relevant to the topic (e.g. no skateboards in a butterfly video) and appropriate. If you want to emphasize research skills, you could also require they use public domain images or cite their image sources.

Sources While this may not be necessary for very young students, middle and high school student videos can and should include a text slide with their bibliography or an accompanying paper bibliography.

Length: Just as you would set a page limit for an essay, you should set limits on video length, especially if you want to share the videos with the class. That length depends on your project — a simple “About Me” video project can be a minute long, while a more involved science or English assignment could be two to three minutes.

The style and flair of the video itself should really take second place to the student’s process — how a student researched the project, chose images, and organized their information. When your rubric reflects that, you’re truly assessing what a student learned.

Video project ideas

Creating Animoto accounts for you and your students is completely free! Once you have your free account set up, there are endless ways to strengthen your lessons using video. Here are some of our favorites.

Digital scavenger hunt

Take your lessons outside of the classroom with a digital scavanger hunt ! Have your students find specific plants and animals, architectural landmarks, historical features, and even shapes in their real-world environments and photograph them as they go. Then, they can add them to an exciting video that can be shared with the class using our Educational Presentation template.

Video autobiography or biography

Have your students research important figures throughout history or even share their own life stories with a video ! The Self-Introduction template makes it easy to share the most important moments of one's life in a fun and engaging way.

Vocabulary videos

Put new vocabulary into action with a video! You can teach students new vocabulary words and then have students find real-world examples of them in real life. Or, let students share all the new words they've learned over summer break using the Vocabulary Lesson template.

Book trailers

Book trailers are a great way to get the story across in just a few short minutes. Whether starting from scratch on a brand new book or creating a summary of a favorite book, the Book Trailer template makes it simple.

Video presentations

Video presentations are a great way to showcase your learnings without the anxiety of a traditional presentation. They can be used in virtual classrooms or shared "IRL" to supplement student presentations. The Educational Presentation template is versatile, engaging, and easy to customize and share.

Sports recap

Extracurricular activities are part of a well-rounded education. Celebrate wins or even analyze your game with the Sports Recap template! It's a great way to increase school spirit and show students that you care.

Book reports

Hit your reading goals for the semester and make sure the lessons hit home with a book report! Rather than an extensive essay, the Book Report template hits on all the high-notes and most important elements of a particular book.

How are you grading your students’ Animoto videos? Let us know in our Facebook group, the Animoto Social Video Marketing Community .

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Videoconferencing Rubric

How to Evaluate Learning Videos with a Rubric

by Christopher Karel

Evaluating learning videos is easy with a rubric. Reflecting upon effectiveness is also easier if you use the same tool to measure all of your videos. Therefore, I offer you a method to evaluate learning videos using a rubric that will help you improve the KSB (Knowledge, Skills, and Behaviors) of your learners.

FYI: I’m on a mission to help people make and use video for learning purposes. If you are making a learning video for yourself or for a client, then you are managing numerous moving parts. By always beginning with the end in mind (guided by a rubric), you will be on your way to creating video content that will boost the KSB of your learners. If you are managing a team and need to evaluate your video content, then using a rubric will help your entire team align their feedback around a common goal.

Let’s get to it!

The main purpose of rubrics is to assess performance. -ASCD

Using a rubric will help you set a consistent standard for your learning video content. By evaluating content the same way for every project, you will be efficient and objective – every time. Below, I offer an annotated path to evaluate learning videos with a rubric. Each section of the rubric is captured in a screenshot followed by a brief explanation and several questions you can ask yourself to aid in completing the said section. Download the rubric and use it with your existing content or on your new videos. Then, let me know how it goes. Feel free to modify the rubric to suit your needs and attribute the original rubric to Learning Carton.

The purpose is the first thing you want to identify in each video you evaluate. Ask yourself these questions and then circle the appropriate word.

• Knowledge : Is the video designed to create awareness on a topic? Examples: teach product knowledge, explain a process, share information about a topic
• Skills : Is the video designed to demonstrate a skill or show someone how to act (behavior modeling)?
• Behavior : Is the video designed to change the learner’s behavior by requiring the viewer to make informed decisions?

The purpose of the video should be clear and concise. Can you easily state the purpose in a single sentence?

Type of Video

Next, you should circle the type of video. What type of learning video is it? Check out The 6 Types of Video for Learning if you need a further explanation of the types. If you feel the video is not one of these six types, then it may not be a learning video at all.

As you start to deep dive into evaluating the learning video look for these seven categories. Read this section carefully before you watch the video and have the rubric on paper or a nearby screen as you watch. Your goal is to openly and honestly rank the video by answering these questions:

• Are facts and information up to date? Is it organized and clearly delivered?
• Does the video present value by offering information designed for the learning audience?
• Are the learning objectives clearly stated or easily accessible?
• Is the content free from bias?
• Is there a call to action that implores the learner to do something to extend their learning?
• Is there a story structure to the content? Beginning-middle-end.
• Is it clear how the video is meant to be shared with the audience?

Now it’s time to evaluate the video’s visual merits. This is the last thing you should evaluate; thus, this is the reason it is at the end of the rubric. Training and learning video is not made with Hollywood budgets. It’s not necessary! You can learn how to do something from a video someone made in their house using their cellphone! Learning video should adhere to professional skills in production, but it is not as important as the content and purpose. That being said, rank your video’s technical score with these questions:

• How is the overall look of the video? Is it pleasing to the eye?
• Is it easy to understand the audio? Is the volume consistent? Is the audio free from imperfections?
• Are the visuals composed nicely so that the program is engaging to look at for a long period of time?
• Does lighting enhance or distract from the subject in the video?
• Are there too many effects? Are graphics used to support the message?
• Is the video the same size throughout or do you see black bars and boxes on the sides or top?
• Is the video quality sharp?

Total Score

The total score is not a pass/fail or letter grade. Please don’t view your score as high praise or crippling criticism. Instead, I urge you to reflect upon the score so that you can alter the content in the video to make it more effective for your audience. Remember, your ultimate goal in making a learning video is to improve the knowledge, skills, and behaviors of your learning audience. This learning video rubric will help you evaluate learning videos so that you keep the KSB promise!

Now that you have the rubric and this annotated guide, it’s time to reflect upon your already made content or plan your next project. Try out the rubric. If you find that the purpose, type, content, and technical categories need a slight tweak, then make the change to the rubric so it suits your needs. This rubric is meant to support your learning as you strive to make better learning videos for your audience.

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How do you use rubrics to inform your learning practices? Share your voice with me.

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