Using Rubrics for Assignments and Discussions
Though often thought of as a tool for accurate grading, rubrics are also a teaching tool. Rubrics:
- Help students by providing clarity about your expectations and a better understanding of what doing well looks like
- Help you achieve more consistency in your grading, often in less time
Rubric Composition
A rubric comprises three components:
Performance Criteria
The elements you will be evaluating and assigning points for.
Rating Scale
A scale laying out the levels of mastery, using clear, positive labels. Commonly, scales are made of 3-5 levels. For example:
- Developing, Good, Excellent
- Unacceptable, Acceptable, Excellent, Exemplary
- Not Yet Competent, Competent, Sophisticated
- Novice, Intermediate, High Intermediate, Advanced
Description or Indicators
The heart of the rubric, the description or indicators convey clearly what is needed to achieve a particular level.
Creating a Rubric in Canvas
In Canvas, rubrics can be attached to any assignment, including graded discussions. The same rubric can be used for multiple assignments.
Because rubrics can be complex, and the Canvas rubric interface is (a little too) simpe, we suggest drafting your rubric outside of Canvas first in Word or any other tool you are comfortable with before building the actual rubric in Canvas.
Once you have your rubric prepared, the "How do I add a rubric in a course?" Links to an external site. Canvas Guide shows you how to create a rubric in Canvas, and the "How do I add a rubric to an assignment?" Links to an external site. Guide takes you through how to attach the rubric to an assignment.
Examples
A few examples of rubrics might help stimulate your thinking.
Rubric Based on Effective Reasoning
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