Rubrics are a traditional instructional tool that detailed exact expectations of student performance. Specific criteria are plainly laid out by graded levels of performance, so that for a given assignment, a student can see exactly how their final score is calculated based on measures of quality and associated points or percentages.

Previously, this could only be included with an Assignment in Blackboard by attaching a document or typing out criteria in the associated text box for the Assignment posting.

Available now in Blackboard, Rubrics can be created to set expectations for graded efforts using Social Learning tools (ex: Graded Discussion Board Forum) as well as Assignment submissions. Each Rubric can be re-used and associated with multiple Assignments, and can be exported for use in other courses as well.

Best of all, grading Assignments associated with Rubrics is a breeze! Once an attempt is viewed, Instructors can use the Rubric as a grading sheet and select each element that is appropriate to the student performance. Grades are calculated automatically based on which elements are selected (ex: Strong = 10 pts, Average = 6.7, Poor = 3.3, No Submission = 0) and feedback can be given in the context of each grade you mark.

To get started, simply open your Blackboard Course Control Panel, access Course Tools and open the Rubrics panel.

A demonstration of this process can be found online by clicking here.

PLEASE NOTE: Previously-created documents with rubric grids (such as in Microsoft Word) cannot be imported into Blackboard Rubrics. Instead, each element of the grid would need to be copied-and-pasted, or re-typed into a new blank Rubric and re-created for use in Blackboard. It may require some extra work at the start, but the additional functionality makes this one-time inconvenience worthwhile.