C5 - Rubrics

A well-constructed rubric is a powerful communication tool  that will provide a clear, measurable preparation process for students and a time-efficient, consistent grading process for you. That means less time grading, fewer questions or complaints about why they got a particular grade, and  improved student performance in meeting your assignment standards and learning objectives.

Sounds pretty good, right?

Assignment rubrics are located below the assignment instructions. Discussion rubrics may be accessed by clicking the options menu (three little dots) in the upper-right corner of the discussion. Once you've created a rubric, you can easily attach it to another assignment/discussion (even in a different shell) using the "Find a rubric" option in the editing screen of the rubric.

If you prefer not to use the Canvas rubric tool, please ensure each assignment and assessment includes clearly described grading criteria that set expectations and provide guidance on successful completion of the assessment.

There are three parts to the rubric grid in Canvas:

1. Criteria: These are the big-picture categories for grading. In a Discussion, for example, your criteria might be “Initial Post” and “Replies to Classmates.”
2. Ratings: These are the explicit descriptions of the levels of performance that might be achieved within the specific criteria category.
3. Points: This is your rating scale.

Below are a couple of generic example rubrics and here's a short Byte-sized Canvas episode on rubrics Links to an external site..  We encourage student-friendly titles and description for your ratings. The term "developing" is less likely to dishearten a student than being graded as "poor," "unsatisfactory," or "failing."

Example: Discussion Rubric

Example: Essay Rubric

Where to Look

Look in all assessments.

What to Look For

While we encourage the use of Canvas rubrics, they are not required in order to align with this element. If assignments/quizzes include clear descriptive grading criteria, that is acceptable. 

If rubrics are used, they also need to include multiple clear descriptive criteria.