Enhanced Rubrics allow educators to spend less time on the administrative tasks of rubric creation and management, and more time on teaching – thanks to an improved creation process with drag and drop functionality and better visibility into where rubrics are being used.
Key Changes to Enhanced Rubrics
- The new Rubric Criteria Builder streamlines rubric creation and editing.
- Instructors can use drag-and-drop functionality to reorganize criteria and customize rating order.
- Rubrics can be saved as drafts, allowing work to be completed in stages.
- Rubrics may also be archived to temporarily restrict use while preserving content.
- Advanced Rubrics introduce updated SpeedGrader layouts, including vertical, horizontal, and traditional views.
- The redesigned interface improves grading workflows across desktop and mobile devices.
- Enhancements support improved accessibility and usability on smaller screens.
- Although Enhanced rubrics have been fully enabled across Brown's Canvas instance, instructors and administrators can test the enhanced rubric experience within specific courses or departments before broader adoption.
How to Manage or Create Rubrics
- Open Rubrics link in the Course Navigation Column in Canvas
On the Rubrics page, you can view all existing rubrics in your course.
To search for a rubric, enter the rubric name in the Search field [1].
To import a rubric, click the Import Rubric button [2.]
To create a new rubric, click the Create New Rubric button [3].
To view saved rubrics, click the Saved tab [4].
To view archived rubrics, click the Archived tab [5].
You can sort rubrics in ascending and descending order by Rubric Name [6], Total Points [7], Criterion [8], and Location Used [9].
You can manage a rubric by clicking the Options icon [10].
To open an existing rubric, click the rubric's name [11].
- Click + Create a New Rubric to build a new rubric.
- Click Import Rubric to reuse a rubric from another course.
- Enter a name in the Rubric Name field.
This name identifies the rubric so it can be easily associated with an assignment, graded discussion, or quiz.
- To select the rubric type, click the Type drop-down menu [1]. Then, select Scale or Written Feedback [2].
Note: If you select Written Feedback, you cannot edit the default points or enable a point range.
- You can choose to display the actual point value for each rating instead of, or alongside, the default numeric labels. In the Rating Display drop-down menu [1], select either the Level or Points option [2].
- In the Rating Order drop-down menu [1], you can set the order to High to Low or Low to High [2].
- In the Scoring drop-down menu [1], you can set the rubric as Scored or Unscored [2].
The rubric includes one default criterion entry. To draft a new criterion, click the Draft New Criterion button [1].
You can also create the criterion from an outcome [2].
Enter a name for the criterion in the Criterion Name field [1].
You can add a longer description in the Criterion Description field [2]. The longer description provides students with more information about the criterion.
You can also update the Rating Name [3] or add a Rating Description [4].
If you selected the Scale rubric type, you can enable a point range [5] or change the default points[6].
Click the Save Criterion button[7].
To add another criterion, click the Draft New Criterion button [1].
To create a rubric from an outcome, click the Create From Outcome button [2].
Note: Outcomes cannot be edited directly in a rubric.
Rubric ratings default to 4 points, awarding 4 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] or use the up or down arrows to change the total point value [2].
By default, rubric ratings use individual point values. To use point ranges instead, select the Enable Range checkbox [1]. Ranges let you assign a rating across multiple point values instead of a single value.
When enabled, the first rating (full marks) displays the total point value as a range [2]. Each rating shows both a maximum and minimum point value. The maximum value in each range is used as the rating’s point value.
Aside from displaying a range, criteria using point ranges function the same as those with individual point values. For example, a rating with a range of 3 to 5 points assigns the full value of 5 points.
- To add a new rating for the criterion, hover your mouse between the current ratings and click the Add Rating icon.
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 Points field [2]. Points can be whole (1, 5, 10) or decimal (0.3, 0.5, 2.75) numbers.
Enter a name for the rating in the Rating Name field [3].
Enter a description for the rating in the Rating Description field [4].
To preview the rubric, click the Preview Rubric link [1].
To save the rubric as a draft for later editing and publishing, click the Save as Draft button [2].
To save and publish the rubric, click the Create Rubric button [3].
