This document provides information on how to create and use rubrics in Blackboard. It discusses how rubrics can be created in Blackboard and then associated with assignments to provide a grading structure. The document outlines the steps to create a rubric in Blackboard, including adding criteria, levels of achievement, and scoring. It then explains how created rubrics can be associated with assignments and used to grade student work from the Grade Center. The benefits of using rubrics to improve student performance and reduce grading time are also mentioned.

1. Riana Almolsch
Katherine Buhrer
Paulette Eloy-Bell
Angel Patillo

2. • A rubric is a scoring tool that explicitly represents the
performance expectations for an assignment or piece of work.
• Typically features a stated objective, uses some sort of range to
rate performance, and contains specific performance criteria
which indicate the degree to which the standard has been met.
• Rubrics typically create a range of performance from 1-4 with 1
being the lowest score and 4 being the highest score.
• Often created by a teacher to guide student performance on a
project, essay, paper, etc.
• It also provides opportunities for peer evaluation, self review, &
reflection.

3. • You are writing the same comments for multiple students.
• You are spending a lot of time making comments, especially
corrective comments.
• You get questions from your students about assignment
requirements, even after you’ve.
• Handed back the marked assignments.
• You have students asking for more detailed justifications of the
marks they received.
• You have teaching assistants marking assignments.
• You require students to submit a first draft of an assignment and
you want to give

5. #1: Reflect on what you want your students to do, why you created
the assignment, what happened the last time you assigned it, and
what expectations you have
#2: List the details of the assignment, identify the learning
objectives you hope to fulfill, and determine the highest
expectations you have for your students’ achievement
#3: Establish your criteria based upon the highest levels of
achievement you can expect
#4: Apply a description of each level of achievement you see
possible to a rubric grid based upon criteria, performance, and a
clear scoring system

6. Create/Import and Grade

7. • Select your Blackboard
course
• Under “Control Panel,”
click “Course Tools,”
click “Rubrics,” then
click “Create Rubric”
• Name your rubric and
give a brief description
• Select your “Rubric
Type”
• Add columns and rows as
necessary according to
criteria and level of
achievement
• Use drop-down arrows
next to fields names to
edit the field title or the
delete the column/row
• Click “Levels of
Achievement” and
“Criteria” to choose your
order of organization
• Assign values in scoring
fields
• Complete content fields
with a description of each
level of achievement
(Note: you can prepare a Microsoft table
or spreadsheet to copy/paste to
Blackboard)
• Once you click “Submit,”
you will see your new
rubric listed under the
“Rubrics” link
• To edit a rubric, use the
drop-down arrow next to
the rubric title and click
“Edit”

8. • Go to a content area in
Blackboard, and under
the field “Create an
Assessment” click
“Create an Assignment”
• Name and describe the
assignment, attaching
any necessary files
• Under the “Grading”
section of this
page, bring your cursor
to the “Associated
Rubrics”
• You will have the option
to “Select Rubric,”
“Create New Rubric,” or
“Create From Existing”
• To use a rubric you have
already created, click
“Select Rubric”
• Choose rubric you wish
to use and click
“Submit”
• Click “OK” to assign the
rubric’s “Maximum
Points” as the “Points
Possible”
• Once a rubric is
associated with an
assignment, you can
change, view, and show
rubrics to students
• Students can click “View
Rubric” in the link for
the assignment before
they begin

9. • Go to the “Grade Center” under the “Control Panel” and click
either “Needs Grading” or “Full Grade Center”
• If you click “Needs Grading,” click “Grade All”
• If you click “Full Grade Center,” bring your cursor over boxes
with green exclamation points, and use the drop-down arrow
to select “View Grade Details” and click “Grade Attempt”
• Under the “Assignment Details” click “View Rubric” beside the
empty “Attempt” grade field
• When the rubric appears, you may select the levels of
achievement for each criterion by clicking the corresponding
box on the grid
• You will be given an option to leave “Feedback” in a textbox
• Once you have selected a score for each criterion, the rubric
will calculate a “Raw Score,” but you have the option to enter
a number higher or lower in the actual grade field
• Click “Save” to save the grade, and click “Save and Next” to
submit the grade for that student and begin grading the next
assignment

10. Improve student performance by making
expectations clear:
• Help define “quality”
• Help students identify problems within their own and
other student’s work
• Provide concrete informative feedback to students

11. Reduced time spent evaluating students:
• Provides clearly defined assessment criteria based on a
benchmark for success
• Keeps grading objective, levels of achievement are the
same for everyone
• Allows the instructor to focus on key areas of
importance, grading time is reduced

12. Rubrics assess the finished product:
• Some students may focus on the end product, not
the learning process
• Students with learning disabilities may need to have
a different rubric which includes effort, progress
and alternative tasks
• In fields such as music or art, it may be difficult to
use rubrics that assess creativity and inspiration

13. • Find rubrics online that are similar to your needs and try to
adapt them to your purposes
• Keep the number of dimensions manageable:
• Limit the rubric to one page
• Limit the number of dimensions to the 5-8 most
important criteria for assessment (Limit the nit-
picking!)
• Make language clear and similar between columns
• Try to limit the use of negative words such as none, never and
seldom in the lower levels of achievement
• Assign points to categories and make the assignment worth that
number of points rather than translating the rubric values into a
score

14. • Make the rubric available to students in advance so
they clearly understand expectations.
• Use terms to evaluate that are descriptive and
specific

15. 1. Stevens, D. D. & Levi, Antonia J. (2005). Introduction to rubrics: An assessment tool to save
grading time, convey effective feedback, and promote student learning. Sterling, VA: Stylus.
Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StxOKUgThhQ and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhmxz8V3V8k
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http://learnweb.harvard.edu/alps/thinking/docs/rubricar.htm
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http://www.helium.com/items/1158203-creating-and-using-rubrics
6. FITB. (2013). Rubrics. Retrieved from: http://www.eutopia.org/blog/designing-usingrubrics-
andrew-miller
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Rteachingvocabulary/g/Rubric.htm
8. Carnergie Mellon. (2013). Grading and performance in rubrics. Retrieved from:
http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/teach/rubrics.html
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http://sblc.registereastconn.org/greatrubrics.pdf
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