Academic rigor is a term we hear continually in education to describe instruction, assignments, assessments, standards, learning environments, and learning expectations. But what does it really mean? How does rigor impact the success of our students?

There are many discussions and definitions of rigor, but this one resonated with us the most:

Rigor, in the academic sense, is referring to that fine line between challenging and frustrating a student. It means that students are challenged to think, perform, and grow to a level that they were not at previously. It means that students must work, like an athlete at a team practice, to build their skills, understanding, and thinking power so that they can achieve at higher and higher levels. It means that the standards of the course are calibrated so that students are compelled to grow, but are not frustrated and overwhelmed in the process (Catapano).

Considering this definition, there are numerous ways that technology as an instructional tool can contribute to rigor as we help teachers design learning opportunities for students to demonstrate and create new knowledge.

There is an abundance of digital learning tools available and it can be easy to get caught up in finding and using the latest new technology to engage your students. But be careful not to get distracted by the flash and shine—this is where we have to remember rigor and relevance to student learning and outcomes. The school librarian has an important role to play in these efforts through leading in using technology to create learning experiences that are rigorous, relevant, meaningful, and applicable.

The Rigor/Relevance Framework (ICLC 2014) provides a way to examine curriculum, instruction, and assessment along two continuums, critical thinking (rigor) and application (relevance). The framework focuses on learning and describes what the students are doing and the outcomes (see Figure 1). The first continuum is the “Knowledge Taxonomy based on the six levels of Bloom's Taxonomy, which describes the increasingly complex ways in which we think.” The lower end of the continuum “involves acquiring knowledge and being able to recall or locate that knowledge.” The higher end is about “more complex ways in which individuals use knowledge, such as taking several pieces of knowledge and combining them in both logical and creative ways” (ICLC 2014, 1).

The second continuum is the Application Model, which is described as “a continuum of action, its five levels describe putting knowledge to use.” The lower end of the continuum is “knowledge acquired for its own sake, the high end signifies action—use of that knowledge to solve complex, real-world problems and create projects, designs, and other works for use in real-world situations” (ICLC 2014, 1).

This framework can provide a way to make sure that we are considering rigor in our technology integration efforts. There are many resources out there for applying this framework—take some time and explore to see what you can find.

Let’s consider the following scenario before and after applying the Rigor/Relevance Framework. In an annual project, a social studies teacher asks students to research early European civilizations and write a three to five page paper. The teacher provides all guiding questions. Year after year, students submit the same papers. The teacher is even bored with reading them.

Now, let’s apply the Rigor/Relevance Framework taking into consideration opportunities for students to take ownership over their work, critically think, synthesize, and acquire new knowledge, and ultimately be engaged in the academic work. Students begin by gathering and organizing information using Trello (https://trello.com). Trello is a collaborative tool that allows users to gather ideas, brainstorm, create lists, and stay on task. Students can take responsibility over which tasks need to be completed, create their own due dates, and take ownership over their project. Research can then be gathered and connections made using Spider Scribe (https://www.spiderscribe.net), an online mind mapping tool. Using the information gathered, students identify and solve a problem from this era. Finally, students can use Adobe Spark (https://spark.adobe.com) to transform their newly acquired knowledge into a shareable product with animated video, social graphics, and a web story. 

To increase rigor, technology can be used to promote higher order thinking. It allows for differentiation and provides the opportunity to challenge each student to think, perform, and grow. We have to move past using technology to engage students in only basic lower level understandings, instead stretching their thinking to those higher levels on the continuum. There are many great digital resources that when effectively integrated, can challenge students to think and achieve at higher levels. School librarians have to lead efforts to ensure that this type of integration is happening in their schools.

Works Cited

Catapano, Jordan. “What is Academic Rigor, What Do We Do With It?” TeachHub.com. http://www.teachhub.com/what-academic-rigor-what-do-we-do-it (accessed September 20, 2016).

International Center for Leadership in Education. “The Rigor Relevance Framework.” 2014. http://www.leadered.com/pdf/Rigor_Relevance_Framework_2014.pdf (accessed September 20, 2016).