This document discusses using rubrics in the Desire2Learn learning management system. It provides information on the presenter's background and experience in instructional technology. It then outlines how rubrics can be created, best practices for using them, and the advantages they provide for clearly communicating expectations and providing consistent feedback. The document explains the differences between holistic and analytic (multidimensional) rubrics and various scoring options. It demonstrates how rubrics can be applied to discussions and dropboxes to evaluate student work and discusses how students and instructors interact with rubrics during and after the grading process.

1. Creating & Grading
Custom Rubrics

2. About the Presenter
Director of Instructional Technology
• 2 years as LMS Administrator
• Responsible for training & support of 200+ full &
part time faculty
• Oversee support & orientation for 1600+
traditional undergrad, grad, and adult degree-
completion students
Online Instructor
• 3 years of graduate & undergraduate
teaching experience in technology,
education, and literature
• Teach 5-7 courses per year
• MA in Teaching, Greenville College
• BS in Business Administration, DeVry

3. Using Rubrics in Desire2Learn
• Can be used just for grading alone or
• Can be used as part of a Competency structure
– to determine if Learning Objectives are achieved
• Enable you to evaluate:
– assignments, activities or
– grade items
– based on a predefined set of criteria

4. Advantages of Rubrics
• Expectations clear to students ahead of time
 Natural way to define what quality means
• Quick and easy way for instructors
to provide feedback
• Consistency of evaluation
 by same grader or by multiple graders
• Lets students know exactly how to improve
the quality of their work

5. Best Practices Using Rubrics
Students should be able to see the rubric
BEFORE and AFTER submitting their work.
• Before grading, Dropbox and Discussion currently show
rubric.
• After grading, rubrics will show in the following:
 Dropbox
 Grade Item
 User Progress
 Quiz

6. Create Rubrics at course level or higher
• If shared down to a course, can’t edit
• Can copy and then modify the copy
• Access existing rubrics from navbar, Edit Course, or from
any assessment tool

7. Rubric Status
• Rubric Status affects whether you can see and attach
it to assessments
• Be sure to change the Rubric Status to Published once
it is complete.

8. Two Types of Rubrics in D2L
Analytic and Holistic
• Holistic
• Single criteria
• Multiple elements
means feedback is
less clear
• Analytic
• Multiple criteria
• Easier for students to
know how to improve

9. Holistic vs. Analytic (Multidimensional)

10. Scoring Options in Analytic Rubrics
• Text only – does not associate any numerical
value to your scoring levels.
• Points – each criterion is worth equal point
values (can’t be customized)
• Custom Points – each criterion may be worth a
different amount of points

11. Text only
Levels & Overall
Score are purely
descriptive

12. Points
Criteria are all
equally
“weighted” by
Points at the
top level
Overall Score
levels can be
adjusted

13. Custom
Points
Criteria have
different
“weights” by
Points
Overall Score
levels can be
adjusted still

14. Hands-On Activities
• View List of Shared Rubrics
• Copy and Edit an Existing Custom Points
Rubric
• Publish a Rubric
• Attach a Rubric to a Discussion Topic and a
Dropbox
• Practice Grading

15. Using Rubrics for Discussion Grading
• Discussion activities can be evaluated using a rubric.
• You can evaluate:
– user participation in group conversations,
– reflections on course content, or
– peer editing, critiques or mentoring.
• Improvements for Students in newest version
– Students will see Rubric at top of Discussion Topic
– Students will see Graded Rubric in User Progress & Grades

16. Student Discussion Grade View
Rubric is visible in the
topic BEFORE posting
Rubric is visible in
Grades AFTER assessed
as “Assessment Details”

17. Instructor Discussion Grading View
• Improvements for Instructors in newest version
– Instructor can see all of each student’s postings on the same screen as
the rubric while grading
• Must still manually transfer the score since it doesn’t transfer
automatically from the rubric.

18. Dropbox Rubric Actions After Grading
• Rubric Score will transfer to Dropbox Score area
• If value of assignment is greater than value of the
rubric, score will be automatically adjusted
proportionally
– If student had 80% on rubric, they will have equivalent
80% points on dropbox score.
• In this way, instructors can re-use the same rubric on
many assignments even if the value of the dropbox
assignments differ.
• Keep rubric value low so scores always adjust UP, not down

19. Thanks for coming!
Suggestions or other ideas?
Tips you use in your own classes?
Feedback on the ideas presented?
Rhonda Gregory
Director of Instructional Technology
rhonda.gregory@greenville.edu