About the Rubrics Tool

Rubrics are scoring scales that can be structured to clearly communicate how performance for specific criteria on a given task will contribute to an earned grade.

In Blackboard, we can build evaluation criteria into the Rubrics tool and associate that rubric with learning activities, including assignments, discussions, journals, wikis, short answer test items, etc.

How to access the rubrics tool

In the Course Management section at the bottom of your course menu, select Course Tools and scroll down to select Rubrics.

How to edit an existing rubric

In the Rubrics tool, click on the downward arrow next to the rubric you want to edit and select Edit. Once you have completed any necessary updates, select Submit to save your changes.

How to customize the rubric tool

Creating the structure

Use Add Row to add another criterion and Add Column to add another level of achievement. These new additions will go to the bottom and far right of your rubric, respectively. To move these, see the two Modifying sections below.

Use the Rubric Type dropdown menu to change the type to match your grading policy; choices include No points, Points, Point range, Percent, and Percent range.

NOTE: Range rubric types will assign the mean value for the range by default. You can use the dropdown menu to assign a greater or lesser value within the range, as needed.

Modifying your criteria

Use the Criteria button to change your row order. Select the criterion you’d like to move and use the up/down arrows to place it where it belongs, or reverse the order of the existing criteria by using the cycle arrow icon. Submit to save your changes.

Edit the name of any criterion by using the dropdown button , selecting Edit, entering the new name, and clicking Save. You can also modify criterion weights in percent-based rubrics by typing directly into the text field or by selecting Balance Weights toward the bottom left.

Modifying your levels of achievement

Use the Levels of Achievement button to change your column order. Select the radio button for the level you’d like to move and use the right/left arrows to place it where it belongs, or reverse the order of the existing levels by using the cycle arrow icon. Submit to save your changes.

Edit the name of any level by using the dropdown button , selecting Edit, entering the new name, and clicking Save. Adjust any value by typing directly into the text field.

Use the descriptor text boxes to enter an observable description of the quality of work you expect to see at each level of achievement for every criterion.

Saving your rubric

Select Submit to save your changes.

How to associate a rubric for grading

You can associate a rubric with different course activities, including assignments, subjective test items, and tools, such as discussions, journals, blogs, and wikis.

In the Grading section of your assignment or tool options page, select Add Rubric and then Select Rubric. Use the checkboxes on the left to select your rubric and select Submit. On the far right, click on the dropdown menu button next to No and select Yes (With Rubric Scores) instead. Select Submit to save your changes.

To quickly view all learning activities associated with a particular rubric, go to Course Tools and select Rubrics. Select the downward arrow to open your rubric’s menu options and click on View Associated Content. Click on any item name link to open editing options for grading.

How to grade using a rubric

In the Grade Center, navigate to the first student’s Grade Assignment page for your assignment. In the grading pane on the right, click on the tiny downward arrow in the light blue section to expand the options.

In the Grade by rubric section, notice you have two rubric display options: view as a list (via the link on the left) and view as a pop-up (via the icon on the right).

Using the rubric list display

If you choose this view option, your rubric will expand in the Grade by rubric section as a simple list. You can customize what you see by selecting the Show Descriptions and/or Show Feedback checkboxes.

To assign a grade, select the appropriate radio buttons to show the student’s current levels of achievement for each criterion. Select Save Rubric to save the assigned grade as a draft in the Grade Center. Select Submit to publish the grade in the Grade Center.

Using the rubric pop-up display

If you choose this view option, your rubric will open as a pop-up browser window.

To assign a grade, click on the appropriate cells to show the student’s current levels of achievement for each criterion. Select Save to save the assigned grade as a draft in the Grade Center. Select Submit to publish the grade in the Grade Center.

What do students see?

Viewing rubrics before assignments are due

As long as rubrics are set to show to students (see How to associate a rubric for grading section above), they will be visible in multiple locations, most notably as View Rubric links under assignment names in the My Grades tool. Additionally, rubrics are also available:

• For assignments: on the assignment submission page as a View Rubric button under the point value
• For subjective test items: on the test page as a View Rubric button next to the item value
• For discussions: on the forum page by first selecting the Grading Information button, then selecting the rubric icon in the righthand grading panel
• For wikis: on the wiki page by first selecting the My Contribution button, then selecting the rubric icon in the righthand grading panel
• For blogs and journals: on the blog/journal page as a rubric icon in the righthand grading panel

Viewing rubrics after assignments are graded

Once you publish student grades using the rubric tool, students will be able to revisit any of the rubric locations mentioned above to access their annotated rubric.

Rubric Evaluation Report

In the Full Grade Center, use the downward arrow to open the menu options for your learning activity. Select Rubric Evaluation Report and then Submit. Your report will open as a PDF in a pop-up browser window.

The first page of this report provides a brief overview and the class average. The second page compares the possible and actual performance averages for each criterion. The third page details the distribution of scores across each performance level for every criterion.

Video Tutorial

Grade Using a Rubric