What are Rubrics?
Rubrics are useful pedagogical and evaluative tools that list the criteria and point distribution you will be using when evaluating student work. You can associate rubrics with most Blackboard assessments, such as assignments or discussion forums, and use them for more consistent grading.
Why use Rubrics?
- To help you communicate your expectations to students
- To assist students in devising effective work strategies
- To ensure a high level of grading consistency and transparency throughout your course
- To provide consistency across multiple sections of the same course
- To make your time spent grading more efficient
KEY FEATURES
- Built into Blackboard and integrated in the Grade Center for consistent grading
- Visible to students under “My Grades”
- Ability to import and export rubrics for use in different courses
GETTING STARTED
- Step-by-step instructions on how to create a rubric in Blackboard, associate a rubric with an assessment, and manage rubrics, see Blackboard’s Rubric Page.
- Step-by-step instructions on how to grade with rubrics, see Blackboard’s Grading with Rubrics Page.
NOTES
You can create your own rubric from scratch, but there are many educational websites that offer rubrics you can use as a template for developing your own rubrics, for example DePaul’s Teaching Guide on Rubrics, AACU’s Value Rubrics Packet or Rubistar.
You might also want to ask your Academic Director if there are standard rubrics recommended by your program, or if they have any particularly effective examples other instructors have used.
When designing your own rubric, it is a good idea to create a table in Word with categories and levels of achievement (see this example). You can then cut and paste it into the rubric tool on Blackboard.
Help
Contact us at facultysupport@sps.cuny.edu if you have any questions.
