Using rubrics

To jump to the section on creating rubrics, click here. To jump to the section on attaching rubrics to assignments and quizzes, click here.

Instructors can add assignment rubrics to their courses. Use a Rubric to:

• Communicate assessment expectations to users.
• Align pre-defined learning Outcomes to your course assignments and assessments.
• Assess online submissions in SpeedGrader.

Once created, a rubric can be used for multiple assignments or assessments in a course. Rubric criteria can include a point range or an individual point value. Rubrics can also be set as non-scoring rubrics, which allows for the use of rubrics without point values.

Creating rubrics

While in your Canvas course, click Rubrics in the sidebar:

Click Add Rubric on the top-right and enter a title for your rubric. The rubric includes one default criterion entry. To edit the criterion description, click the Edit icon:

Note: Criteria cannot be reordered after they are added to a rubric. If you want to display criteria in a specific order, make sure you create them in that order.

Enter a short description for the criterion in the Description field [1]. To add a longer description to the criterion, enter a longer description [2]. The longer description provides students more information about the criterion.  Click the Update Criterion button [3].

Rubric ratings default to 5 points, awarding 5 points for full rubric marks and 0 points for no rubric marks.

If you want to adjust the total point value of the criterion, enter the number of points in the Points field [1]. The first rating (full marks) updates to the new total point value and any incremental ratings adjust appropriately [2].

By default, rubric ratings are created as individual point values. If you want to create a point range instead, click the Range checkbox [1]. Ranges allow you to assign a rating for a range of point options instead of just one point value.

When enabled, the first rating (full marks) shows the total point value in a range format [2]. Each rating displays a maximum and minimum point value. For each rating, the maximum value is assigned as the point value.

Except for the range value display, criterion ranges function the same way as individual point ratings. For instance, a range that includes a maximum of five points and a minimum of three points is assigned the full point value of five points.

To add a new rating for the criterion, click the Add icon:

In the Edit Rating window, complete the rating criterion description.

By default, the new rating points field displays the point value between the two existing ranges [1]. To change the point value for the rating score, enter the new point value in the Rating Score field. Points can be whole (1, 5, 10) or decimal (0.3, 0.5, 2.75) numbers. (When ranges are enabled, the Rating Score field displays the point value between the two existing ranges. Range rating point values should be whole numbers.)

In the Rating Title field [2], enter a title for the rating.

In the Rating Description field [3], enter a description for the rating.

Click the Update Rating button [4].

When all your criteria and point values are complete, click Create Rubric at the bottom of the page:

Adding rubrics to assignments & quizzes

To attach a rubric to an assignment, navigate to the assignment and click Add Rubric beneath it:

To add a rubric to a quiz, navigate to the quiz and click the three dots on the top-right, then click Show Rubric:

If the quiz doesn't already have a rubric attached, click Add Rubric, then select from the rubrics you set up previously.