In search of good notes- Developing a rubric for grading L2 lecture notes

This study investigates using a notetaking rubric to grade notetaking in second language (L2) listening. The aim of this study was to examine if the teacher-researchers (TRs) graded each other’s listening notes and rate information units (IUs) similarly when using a notetaking rubric. An IU is defined as the smallest unit of knowledge that can be judged as a separate assertion. Using this foundation, the TRs developed a 4-point notetaking rubric (i.e., IU0, IU1) to identify different multi-tiered IUs in notetaking. A 3-point notes rating was also given to each notetaking. Data were collected using a notetaking rubric, ratings sheet, and an online survey. The findings showed that TRs (n=5) were inconsistent when grading each set, totalling eight different notetakings. Specifically, TRs were also unable to identify the same IUs when grading the same notes. These findings indicate that further evaluation of the TR-developed rubric is needed to add validity and reliability to the potential tool for notetaking grading.