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Blackboard Ultra: Faculty Resource: Create Rubrics

 

Blackboard Ultra: Faculty Resource

Create Rubrics

 

About Rubrics

You can create multiple rubrics in your course.  Rubrics consist of rows and columns.  The rows correspond to the criteria.  The columns correspond to the level of achievement that describes each criterion.  You can create two types of rubrics: percentage and percentage range.

New rubrics have four rows and four columns.  You can add up to ten columns and rows and delete all but one row and one column.  You can associate rubrics with assignments, tests, and discussions.

At this time, you can only associate rubrics with assessments with no questions.

Image of example of Rubric


Rubric Types

You can create four types of rubrics in an Ultra course:

  • Percentage-based
  • Percentage-range 
  • Points-based
  • Points-range

Percentage-based Rubric

For percentage-based rubrics, the total criteria percentage must equal 100%.  You may only use whole numbers.   For the levels of achievement, one column must have a value of 100%.  You may only use whole numbers.

Image of Percentage based rubric

Percentage-range Rubrics

For percentage-range rubrics, each level of achievement has a range of values.  When you grade, you select the appropriate percentage level for a particular level of achievement.  The system calculates the points earned by multiplying the weight x achievement percentage x item points.  

Image of percentage based rubric

Points-based Rubrics

For points-based rubrics, the maximum possible points should be less than or equal to 99,999.  You may only use whole numbers.  You may add rows set to 0 if your total points are less than or equal to 99,999.

Image of points based rubric

Points-range rubrics

For points-range rubrics, the maximum possible points should be less than or equal to 99,999.  You may only use whole numbers.  You may add rows set to 0 if your total points are less than or equal to 99,999. 

The point range for each criterion must go from a lower range to a higher range. 

Image of Points range rubric


Create Rubrics

You can create rubrics from an assignment, test, discussion, or grade book.  At this time, you can only associate rubrics with assessments with no questions.  You can associate an existing rubric unless you've already graded the item.

From an assignment, test, or discussion

  1. Select the Settings icon on the assignment, test, or discussion page to open the Settings panel.
  2. In the Additional Tools section, select Add grading rubric > Create New Rubric.
  3. On the New Rubric page, type a title with a limit of 255 characters.
  4. Select a Rubric Type: Percentage or Percentage Range, Points, or Points Range.

Picture of creating a rubric from the assignment content

By default, four criteria rows and four achievement level columns appear.  You can add, delete, and rename the rows and columns.  Point to a cell to access the edit and delete icons.  Select the plus sign wherever you want to add a row or column and type a title.  If you do not want the new row or column, you can delete it.

When you add an achievement level, a percentage is automatically added.  For example, if you add an achievement level between two levels listed at 100% and 75%, your new level is assigned 88%.  You can adjust the percentages as needed.  Click anywhere to save your changes.

You can add an optional description for new and existing achievement levels.  Achievement titles have a 40-character limit.  Criteria and description cells have a 1,000-character limit.  You cannot add HTML code to titles and cells.  You can paste text from another document, but the formatting does not carry over.

When you press the Enter key, a new paragraph is not started in a cell.  The Enter key confirms you are finished.  Your work is saved, and you leave edit mode.

Image of creating a rubric

You can align goals with rows in the rubric if you want to measure achievement against goals set by your institution.  Select Align with goals to get started.  Students cannot see the goals you align with the criteria in a rubric.

From the Grade Book

You can create, edit, copy, delete, and review existing rubrics from your grade book.  Rubrics are listed in alphabetical order.

  1. In your grade book, select the Settings icon.
  2. In the Gradebook Settings panel, existing rubrics are listed in the Course Rubrics section.  Use the steps in the preceding section to create a rubric.

Image of creating rubrics from the Grade page panel


Associate Rubrics to Assessments

You can associate an existing rubric to an assignment or test unless you have already graded the assessment.  You may associate only one rubric to each assessment.  More on associating a rubric to a discussion

At this time, you can only associate rubrics with assessments with no questions.

  1. Select the Settings icon on the assignment or test page to open the Settings panel.
  2. In the Additional Tools section, select Add grading rubric to view existing rubrics.  Rubrics appear in alphabetical order.
    • If you have not used a rubric in grading, you can select the rubric title to make changes to the title, rows, columns, and percentages.  You can also add or delete rows and columns.
    • Select the Add icon to associate the rubric to the assessment.  Reminder: You may associate only one rubric to each assessment or discussion.

Image of associating rubrics to assessments

The grade pill displays a rubric icon when you associate a rubric and view a student's assignment or test submission.

Picture of what the student sees when you use a rubric to grade assignment

 

Remove Associations

You can remove a rubric from your graded assessment, and the grades will remain.  The grades are no longer associated with the rubric but now appear as grades you added manually.

Return to the Settings panel and point to the associated rubric's title to access the Remove icon.

Picture of option to remove a rubric associated with an assessment


Student View of Rubrics

Students can view a rubric before they open an assignment, test, and discussion and after they start the attempt.  Students select This item is graded with a rubric to view the rubric.

Picture of students' option to view rubrics before and after opening the assignment or assessment

Students can view the rubric alongside the instructions.  They can expand each rubric criterion to view the achievement levels and organize their efforts to meet the requirements of the graded work.

Picture of the students' view of seeing the assignment alongside the rubric


Manage Rubrics

Based on where you access a rubric, you have different options.  You can access a rubric from an item's Settings panel and the Gradebook Settings panel.

Edit Rubrics

If you have not used a rubric in grading, you can select the rubric title to change the title, rows, columns, and percentages.  You can also add or delete rows and columns.

After using a rubric for grading, you cannot edit it, but you can make a copy that you can edit and rename.

Copy Rubrics

From the Gradebook Settings panel, open a rubric's menu and select Duplicate to create a copy of an existing rubric.  The copied rubric opens with the date and "copy" added to the title.  You can make edits as needed.  Select Save to save the duplicate rubric.

All the descriptions are cleared if you copy an existing percentage-based rubric and change it to a percentage-range rubric.

Picture of option to copy rubric to make edits and save the duplicated edited rubric

If you have already used a rubric to grade an item, you can also copy the rubric and edit the duplicate version.  From an item's Settings panel, open the rubric.  Select Create a Copy at the bottom of the screen.  The new rubric is associated with the item when you create a copy of a rubric you used to grade a test or assignment.  Any grades calculated with the original rubric are preserved, but these grades are converted to overrides.  You can regrade these submissions with the new rubric.

Picture of editing a duplicate copy of a rubric

 

Delete Rubric

You can permanently delete a rubric from your course even if you used it in grading, and the grades will remain.  The grades are no longer associated with the rubric but now appear as grades you added manually.

To permanently delete a rubric, open the Gradebook Settings panel in the grade book.

Align goals with a rubric

Inside a new or existing rubric, select the Align with goals link that appears under a criterion row to add, edit, or remove associated goals.  The Goals & Standards page appears.  Students can't view the goals you align with a rubric.  More on how to align goals with course content

Export and archive courses with rubrics

In the Ultra Course View, rubrics are saved in export and archive packages.

When you convert an Original course to Ultra, percentage range and percentage rubrics are converted without descriptions.  All other rubric types are converted to percentage rubrics, such as points and point ranges.  All Original rubric settings are now set to the Ultra rubric defaults, such as display to students.


 

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