DOING MORE WITH LESS.

In higher education, rubrics are one of the many dumb ideas the colleges of deaducation seek to impose on professors.  (Have the deaducationists committed a venial sin by misappropriating a liturgical term?)  Fortunately, a student columnist nails an accurate thesis to the Northern Star's door.

Detailed rubrics take away from student creativity.

Indeed.

Perhaps, one element of becoming "the premier student-centered, research-focused public university in the Midwest" is to stop killing student creativity.

College is a time for students to learn while expressing themselves as individuals, but many professors are putting a stop to that, one exhaustive rubric at a time.

It’s difficult for students to complete a writing assignment without any guidance. A rubric is a way for a student to know what the professor expects of him or her, but they can become a burden for the same reason.

Many students approach a writing assignment and just look to fulfill each requirement before they turn it in; the fixation on those details prohibits the student from developing a personal style, making writing more of a chore. Providing simple guidelines allows students to relax on the requirements and focus on the purpose of the assignment.

Courtney Gallaher, assistant professor in geography and women’s studies, avoids providing rubrics in order to promote critical thinking.

Colleagues: consider giving up rubrics. For Lent to start, then for good.