Rubrics in Canvas
Rubrics for assessments are a best practice for any course modality. They help set clear expectations for students and can facilitate faster grading.
Visit Instructional Development’s website for their Grading and Rubrics guide for a fuller explanation, examples, and ideas.
As they note: Rubrics should be customized for each assignment to ensure that instructors are measuring the learning objectives associated with the assignment. They typically contain three essential components:
- A list of criteria that will be graded
- Descriptions of how students demonstrate those criteria on the assignment.
- An evaluative scale that shows how many points each criterion is worth or what level of proficiency the student has attained.
Rubrics in Google Assignments and Gradescope
In addition to Canvas, you can use rubrics in Google Assignments and Gradescope. This rubric comparison chart will help you make informed decisions on which assignments work best for your course.
| Feature | Canvas | Google Assignment | Gradescope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assignment type that can graded | Assignments and discussions | Assignments submitted as Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, PDFs | Quizzes, essays, programming assignments, & exam questions |
| Rubric visibility for students | Before submission and after grading | Before submission and after grading | Partial. Only after receiving their grade |
| Rubric creation | Before student submissions | Before and after student submissions | Before and after student submissions |
| Rubric flexibility | No. The rubric can’t be edited while grading. Changes to a rubric do not apply retroactively to graded submissions | No. You can’t edit or delete a rubric after you start grading with it | Yes. The rubric can be edited on the fly and changes apply retroactively to other graded submissions |
| Qualitative feedback within the rubric |
|
No |
No |
| Format rubric items | No | No |
Yes. Accepts Markdown and LaTeX |
| Type of scoring | Positive points and ranges | Positive | |
| Extra Credit |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
| Grading workflow | Per student | Per question | |
| Reuse a rubric |
Yes |
||
| Share a rubric |
Yes |
No |