Rubrics can be a powerful tool for students as well as instructors. When students are made aware of the rubrics prior to instruction and assessment, they know the level of performance expected and are more motivated to reach those standards. Rubrics also help to streamline the grading process while ensuring consistent and equitable evaluation of student work.
1: Use the rubric throughout the assessment process
Share the rubric with students before they complete the assignment. This will help them understand the performance standards. Encourage your students to use the rubric for self-assessment of their own learning and performance prior to submitting the assignment.
To learn more, read The Basics of Rubrics from the Schreyer Institute.
2: Choose the best rubric style for your goals for the assessment
There are several types of rubrics, and the type you choose depends upon your goal for the assessment.
- Holistic rubrics: Provide overall impressions of a student’s performance on a low-stakes assignment or task.
- Analytic rubrics: Describe multiple levels of performance across multiple, complex criteria typically on a high-stakes assignment.
- General (or generic) rubrics: Provide consistent criteria for repeated use across several performances of related tasks.
- Task-specific rubrics: Evaluate mastery of one specific task.
- Single-point rubrics: Provide only the highest-level of performance for each criterion with space for detailed, targeted feedback.
- Checklists: Contain a list of elements that are required before submitting an assignment.
To learn more, see:
- Types of Rubrics
- Grading Checklist
- Single-point Rubrics (video, 5m 47s)
3: Create a rubric
- Review the learning objectives of the assignment
- Determine performance criteria and corresponding standards
- Develop a scoring scale
Please refer to Penn State’s Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence article How to Develop a Rubric for more information.
4: Create rubrics in Canvas
Rubrics in Canvas enable students to better prepare to complete assignments and receive targeted feedback on their work. Instructors can provide clear instructions and expectations and grade student submissions more efficiently. Rubrics can also be reused throughout multiple courses in Canvas. Review Create Rubrics in the Canvas Learning Path to see how to create and attach a rubric to an assignment in Canvas.
5: Use SpeedGrader in Canvas to score student submissions
Streamline your grading processes using SpeedGrader, where you can attach a rubric and use it to score each criterion and provide specific feedback to your students. Grades automatically transfer to the Grade Book. Please see Use SpeedGrader to Grade & Provide Feedback in the Canvas Learning Path for more information. Refer to the “Use a rubric in SpeedGrader to grade student work” section.