Rubrics have not been widely used in the transport sector, but they are a useful evaluation tool to define performance expectations.
While targets focus on a specific indicator/outcome, rubrics synthesise a number of indicators and other evidence together to decide effectiveness.
Rubrics use a scale, such as Poor, Good, and Excellent, to rank levels of performance. Each of these scale-points is defined by a set of criteria, which together describe performance at that level. These criteria can accommodate different forms of information including qualitative and quantitative data.
The outcome levels in a rubric are typically set and defined prior to the delivery of a project. Because of the time involved in developing rubrics, and the range of evidence sources that are typically used, rubrics can also be a time and resource intensive tool. Despite this, rubrics are particularly useful when it is necessary to develop a comprehensive assessment of outcomes where these cannot easily be measured through simple quantitative indicators.
Example rubric for behaviour change
The following table is an example of a rubric that might be used to assess behaviour change outcomes.
| Outcome level | Score | Level description |
|---|---|---|
| Absent | 0 | No sign of behaviour changes. |
| Limited | 1 | Some behaviour change is occurring, but it is irregular and not very widely practised. |
| Emerging | 2 | Behaviour change is happening, but not in all areas or instances where it should. It is not practised by all groups. Behaviour may contain errors, inefficiencies and inconsistencies. |
| Embedded | 3 | Behaviour change has occurred regularly, consistently and well among all target groups. |