Attach a Rubric to a Discussion

Last updated on April 28, 2026

You can add a rubric to a discussion to help students understand your expectations and how you intend to score their submissions. Using a rubric for discussion posts can save you time, keep you consistent, and help you provide useful feedback to your students.

Once your rubric is attached to discussion, refer to the Grade with a Rubric tutorial to use your rubric for grading.

Note: This tutorial assumes that you have an existing rubric to attach to the Discussion. If you need help creating a Rubric, refer to the “Create a Rubric in Canvas” tutorial.

Directions

This video shows an outdated version of Rubrics. View the written tutorial for updated directions.
New video coming soon.

1. Log in to your Canvas Account.
2. Select the Course you’d like to work in.
3. Click Modules on the course navigation menu to the left.
4. Scroll to the Module with the discussion you’d like to attach a rubric to.
5. Click on Discussion Title.
   • Note: Discussions need to be marked as graded for you to be able to add a rubric. To do this:
     • Click the More Options Menu (three vertical dots)
     • Select Edit from the drop-down menu.
     • Select the box next to Graded under the Options section.
       • Note: Rubrics do not auto-populate grades for checkpoints, so if you use that option, you will still need to manually input the scores yourself. Click save at the bottom of the screen.
     • Click Save.
6. Click the More Options Menu (three vertical dots) to the far right of the Discussion Title.
7. Select Add Rubric from the drop-down menu.
8. Click Find Rubric from the pop-up window that appears.
9. Select the appropriate Course from the drop down menu at the top of the panel that appears.
   • You may also search for the rubric if you know the rubric title.
10. Click on the bubble to the left of the rubric title to select the rubric.
    • Click the arrow next to the rubric title to view the rubric.
      • Click the X at the top right to exit the rubric view.
11. Click + Add at the bottom right of the panel to attach the rubric to the assignment.
    • Note: If you would like the rubric to auto-populate grades, you will need to enable it in the Rubric Settings.
      • Click the pencil icon from the pop-up window.
      • Select the box next to Use this rubric for assignment grading is selected.
      • Click the blue Save Rubric button at the bottom right of the screen.
12. Click the X at the top right of the pop-up window to exit out off the Assignment Rubric Details.