Creating A Rubric

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Before we begin, know that a single rubric can be assigned to multiple activities. There is no need to create a New rubric for every assignment if they all use the same measurement.

This tutorial demonstrates an analytic rubric.

Jump to any of the following sections:


Create a Rubric From within an Activity

Discussions, Quizzes and Dropboxes allow to add or create a new rubric from within the activity. Once created, it will be added to your list of rubrics.

Depending on the activity you are in, you will find the Add Rubric or Create a Rubric in either the Properties tab (Quizzes and Dropbox)  or the Assessment tab (Discussions).

Click CREATE A RUBRIC IN NEW WINDOW to start a new rubric.
Create a rubric option from within the properties or assessment tab

Jump to Working with the Properties Tab

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Create a Rubric From Edit Course/Rubric Tool:

  1. Click EDIT COURSE on your navigation bar (far right).
    edit course hyperlink in navigation bar
  2. Click CATEGORY view (if not already selected).
    category view button
  3. Scroll down to Assessments and click RUBRICS.
    rubrics icon in edit course section
  4. Click NEW RUBRIC or the name of an already existing rubric to edit it.
    new Rubric button

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 Working with the Properties Tab

  1. Enter in a NAME for your Rubric (Required)
    Remember, if you plan on using it multiple times, keep it generic (e.g., Presentation).
    name text box
  2. Choose an appropriate Status.
    rubric Status dropdown
    Drafts can NOT be assigned to any assessments.
    Published rubrics can be assigned to assessments; however, once a rubric has an association, you cannot change the rubric’s name, description, levels, and criteria.
    Archived rubrics are not searchable and can not be used for new associations. Existing associations with archived rubrics remain functional.
  3. Enter in a description if you want (optional).
  4. Select your Rubric Type.
    analytic option
    Analytic – The most common form of rubric. An analytic rubric breaks performance into multiple criteria. You assess each criterion separately, resulting in an overall assessment score.
    Holistic – Not as detail oriented as analytic. Each “level” contains multiple criteria for consideration. For example, on a student presentation you would only assign a single score of 1-4 for the overall performance. There is no breakdown of the specific scoring for each element of a presentation. To see how a sample of a holistic rubric and how to create it, view the D2L tutorial on creating holistic rubrics.
  5. Set your Initial # of Levels (you can always add more later)
    initial levels text box
    This is the number of columns you will have for points or a score (e.g., Level 1 is worth # of points, Level 2 is worth # of points, etc.).
  6. Set your Initial # of Criteria. (You can always add more).
    Initial Criteria Text box
    This is the number of rows you will need for the specifics of what you will be evaluating. For example, a presentation may have criterion like visual looks, oral presentation, content, organization, structure, flow, etc…
  7. Set your Scoring Method
    score method dropdown
    Text Only – Your Scoring method is NOT based upon points, rather something like, Good, Not Bad, Pass, Fail, etc…
    Points – This assigns a score for the ENTIRE level/column. All criteria within that column receive the same number of points. (This is the most common)
    Custom Points – This allows you to have a variation of points within each column for each criterion.
  8. Scroll down to the ADVANCED AVAILABILITY section and expand it’s options (if needed).
    expand Availability Options hyperlink
  9. Select COMPETENCIES underneath Allow new associations in…
    For some reason, this HAS to be on or your published drafts may not appear when you go to add them.
    competencies selected
  10. Proceed to the Criteria tab (next section).

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Working with the Levels and Criteria Tab

  1. Click the LEVELS AND CRITERIA tab.
    levels and criteria Tab
  2. This is where you add the details to your rubric. Notice this one uses the POINTS scoring method where points are assigned for the entire column.
    blank rubric sample
  3. Additional Criterion and Levels can be added and Reordered as needed.
    A Criteria Group adds a whole new “section” of levels and criteria to your rubric. This is great if you need multiple categories with specific criteria for each. Levels can also be copied from group to group.
    add criteria group screen
  4. To change the name and points for a level, click the dropdown arrow to the right of the level and choose EDIT LEVEL.
    Edit level dropdown
  5. Change the Name and Points as needed (e.g., Excellent – 25 points).
    You can also add a description or the requirements for each criterion for that level here. It may be easier, however, to do such at the Criterion level (next step).
    Click SAVE when done.
  6. To edit the name and add descriptions for each level of a specific criterion, click the dropdown arrow to the right of the criterion and choose EDIT CRITERION.
    Edit Criterion dropdown list
  7. Click in each description box to add necessary requirements for the points listed to the left.
    description box in the criterion editor
    Click SAVE when done.
  8. Set the OVERALL SCORE settings by clicking the dropdown arrow to the right and choosing EDIT LEVELS.
    Overall score dropdown to edit levels
  9. Here is where you will enter the MINIMUM scores/points needed for each level of mastery.
    The Overall Score Editor
    You can also change the Names of your level scores here. It only effects the name for the score, not the entire level. For example, you might rename Level 4 to “A” with a range of 90 (if your point system is set up for that high of score). You can also rename it to something like Professional with a minimum score listed to enter that level.
  10. Click SAVE when Done.
  11. When you are done with your levels and criteria, click CLOSE.
    close completed rubric
  12. Your new rubric will now appear in your Rubric List.

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Changing the Status of a Rubric

  1. If at some point you need to change the status of your Rubric,
    Click EDIT COURSE on your navigation bar (far right).
    edit course hyperlink in navigation bar
  2. Click CATEGORY view (if not already selected).
    category view button
  3. Scroll down to Assessments and click RUBRICS.
    rubrics icon in edit course section
  4. The status of your Rubric can be found on the right side in the STATUS column.
    Draft status of rubric in list
  5. To change the status, click the dropdown arrow next to the name of the rubric and choose SET STATUS and then the status you want.
    changing status of rubric through dropdown
    Drafts can NOT be assigned to any assessments.
    Published rubrics can be assigned to assessments; however, once a rubric has an association, you cannot change the rubric’s name, description, levels, and criteria.
    Archived rubrics are not searchable and can not be used for new associations. Existing associations with archived rubrics remain functional.

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