Create a Rubric in Canvas

Last updated on October 19, 2021

Rubrics provide a set of criteria to evaluate student performance. When they are used in Canvas, they provide students with direction and clarity. When integrated with SpeedGrader, rubrics also allow you to provide quick and easy feedback for your students.

Note: To attach the rubric to an assignment, refer to the “Attach a Rubric to an Assignment tutorial.”

Directions

Note: This video shows rubrics in the Outcomes section of the course. After a recent update to Canvas, rubrics can now be found in the Rubrics section of the course.

1. Go to MSU Denver’s Faculty and Staff Hub.
2. Click Canvas in the Teaching & Learning section.
3. Log in to your Canvas Account.
4. Select the Course you’d like to work in.
5. Click Rubrics on the course navigation menu to the left.
6. Click + Add Rubric.
   • Note: If you have existing rubrics, + Add Rubric will be located at the bottom of the current rubrics.
7. Type the Title of the rubric in the Title Box.
8. Click Edit (pencil icon) in the first box under Criteria to edit when the Edit Criterion window appears.
9. Type the Title of the criteria in the Description Box.
10. (optional) Type the description of the Criteria in the long description box. 
    • Note: Students will see both boxes. The long description is optional as the detailed description will also be a part of the rating descriptions explained below.
11. Click the Update Criterion Button.
12. Check the Range Box if your criteria ratings include a range of numbers.
13. Click the Blue + Icon between boxes under Ratings to create more rating levels as needed.
14. Click Edit (pencil icon) in the boxes under Ratings to change the following:
    • Rating Score: The number of points assigned to that criterion.
    • Rating Title: The descriptive qualifier for those points (Full Marks, Acceptable, etc.).
    • Rating Description: The description of how to meet this rating level on that specific criterion (i.e., Full Marks [top-rating] on a criterion for grammar would state something similar to “there are no grammatical errors in the paper”). 
15. Click the Update Rating Button.
16. Repeat Steps 12-15 for each rating level.
17. Type the Total Points for the criteria in the pts box under Pts.
    • Note: This will automatically adjust the points distribution within the Ratings boxes.
18. Click + Criterion to create more criteria as necessary.
    • Select one of the Following Options from the Drop-Down Menu:
      • New Criterion: Create an entirely new criterion.
      • Duplicate: Choose a criterion to duplicate (this will also duplicate ratings, which will make it easy to simply update descriptions for criteria that are scored similarly).
    • Follow Steps 8-15 to create/update the criterion and ratings.
19. Click the Create Rubric Button once you have finished adding criteria, ratings, and points.

Note: If you would like to write freeform comments in place of a criteria rating system, you will be able to determine that when adding the rubric to an assessment item.