Rubrics

Rubrics are another strategy to regain some time in two ways. First, they clarify your expectations on an assignment and clearly articulate what good student work looks like. That cuts down on questions and re-explanations. Second, grading and commenting is simplified. With the rubrics tool in Canvas, you'll click on the success level that the student reached for each criteria, then add a few comments specific to that student's work. 

Designing rubrics

Let's start by designing a rubric on paper or revising what you already have. First, start by envisioning the perfect student work from an assignment or discussion that would receive 100%. What qualities does the perfect student work have? How do these criteria align with your Student Learning Outcomes? Then, write this on the left side of the paper. These are your qualities or criteria. Make sure the criteria align with your course outcomes.

Now, let's take a look at how rubrics are designed on Canvas and let's use your draft to continue designing. Rubrics are laid out in table format. On the left is the criteria you want your students to demonstrate in the assignment. The columns in the middle show how well the students demonstrate the criteria with a rating. The column on the right shows the total score of that criteria. Below are examples of different uses of rubrics.

Here's an example of a checklist. Students get the full marks or no marks for each criteria.   

Rubric with several criteria and two levels of competence

Here is an example of a rating rubric. Students get descriptive feedback from full points to no points for each criteria. 

Sample rubric for English with criteria on the left and a rating scale with descriptions on the right.

When you're building a rubric in Canvas, it's recommended to lay it out on paper first, so you can make sure it's in the order you want. Canvas rubrics, unfortunately, don't allow dragging rows in a rubric to move criteria, although there is a workaround. If you choose this adventure, here is how sorting rubrics made easy Links to an external site.. If you need additional help with this, email et@highline.edu.

How do I write effective criteria?

When writing criteria, here are some aspects to think about:

  1. What should we be looking for? What makes the work 'good'? What are the criteria for good work on the task that the rubric is to assess? Name these qualities and describe them. These become the target students will aim for.
  2. What are the characteristics of the learning outcome the task is supposed to indicate? Criteria describe the qualities as evidence of student learning.
  3. Is it definable and observable? Definable meaning: Are your criteria clear, agreed-upon, and understood by you and your students? Observable meaning: Do the criteria describe a quality in the performance that can be perceived (seen, heard, read)?
  4. What characteristics of student work would give evidence for student learning of the knowledge or skills specified in this standard (or instructional goal)?

How do I write effective ratings or performance descriptions?

What does student work look like at each level of quality, from high to low, on this criterion? It is a good practice to be able to describe what is different from one level to the next and to illustrate those descriptions with examples of students' work, describing student performance at all levels of a continuum of performance. It is recommended that you coordinate this with your grading schemes. For example, Advanced, Proficient, Basic, Below Basic, or 4, 3, 2, 1, or A, B, C, or D.  

Pro Tips:

  • Share your rubrics with your students with the assignment. This helps students focus on what their learning target is supposed to be. Over time this helps students build a concept of what it means to perform a skill well.
  • Design your rubrics for repeated use, over time, on several tasks. This allows students to see how they've progressed with their learning throughout the quarter.
  • Have students use the rubric for peer reviews. Students now have the experience of being an instructor, or grader, and being able to give feedback to others using the same language as the instructor. This also gives the students a sense of familiarity with or review of the instructor's expectations. 
  • Have your students design the criteria for the rubric. You'll be surprised how they will come up with the same criteria as you (or even better or more challenging.) This gives student ownership of the rubric and the student performance may be greater.

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