Putting excellence first: How rubric performance level order and feedback type influence students’ reading patterns and task performance

Rubrics are structured assessment tools that describe criteria and levels of performance, helping students understand expectations and improve their work. They are widely used to support learning in educational settings. However, little is known about how students process rubrics in real time, and empirical research on rubric design and feedback effects is limited. This study examines how university students engage with rubrics during two landscape analysis tasks, focusing on two variables: the order of performance levels (highest first vs. last) and the type of feedback received (no feedback [control], process-based, product-based, or rubric-based). By combining eye-tracking and think-aloud protocols, the study offers a multimodal perspective on students’ visual attention and cognitive engagement. Eighty undergraduate students from six degree programs were randomly assigned to one of four feedback conditions. A randomized controlled trial was conducted. Eye-tracking data—fixation times, number of visits, and gaze transitions—and verbal data from think-aloud protocols were collected across task phases. Integrating these process-tracing methods enabled detailed analysis of how students interacted with the rubric and how engagement related to performance. Students focused primarily on the highest performance level, especially when it appeared first. Visual attention to this level predicted task performance; verbal references did not. Rubric-based feedback increased visual alignment between rubric and task, while process-based feedback led to the strongest performance gains. Rubric design and feedback type significantly influence student engagement and performance. Eye-tracking and think-aloud data provide complementary insights, reinforcing rubrics’ instructional value when paired with targeted feedback. • Eye-tracking & think-aloud protocols to examine student interaction with rubrics. • Order of performance levels shaped students' visual and verbal engagement. • Visual and verbal focus on top performance level (PL4) predicted higher task scores. • Only rubric-based feedback increased PL4–task gaze shifts, indicating strategic use. • Findings show value of combining process-tracing methods to study rubric use.