Effective rubrics are important for both students and instructors. Drawing on best practices in online teaching, we will look at multiple approaches to consider when designing rubrics for various assignments. We will also cover important tips and considerations for creating your rubric and attaching it to an assignment.
Pedagogical Benefits of Rubrics
- Transparency for learners
- Clearer communication of expectations
- How evaluation will work (both individually and generally)
- Superior draft submissions
- Concrete details about what is to be in a first draft
- Peer-reviewing to filter out rough drafts
- Improve your feedback and course design
- Quickly identify concrete problems, leading to quick summaries
- Reflect on what you are really concerned with in the activity/assignment
- Front-loading your work time
- Taking more time in the present to make your work easier in the future
- Meta-cognitive learning
- Opportunity for learners to take your professional perspective
- Opportunity for self-evaluation
Types of Rubric Structures
- Analytic
- Detailed and specific feedback
- Weighted criterion that individuals can meet
- May feel arbitrary at times to assign point values to certain aspects of a submission
- Holistic
- All submission elements graded together
- 1 to 4 point scale
- Best for essays
- What learners can demonstrate vs what they can not
- No specific feedback
- All or nothing criteria
- Single point/checklists
- Only two performance levels
- All or nothing point values
- Fastest grading
- Best for length evaluations
- Could be difficult to distill down to two categories
Creating a Rubric in Canvas and Attaching it to an Assignment
When creating a rubric, there are several important considerations to keep in mind, such as the type of assessment being used, whether the process or just the final result should count, whether it is a peer review activity, and whether the rubric is consistent with other rubrics used in the course. These considerations help influence the decision of what type of rubric to create.
In Canvas, there are two versions of rubrics: normal rubrics and enhanced rubrics. Normal rubrics favor analytic and checklist-style rubrics, which can make holistic rubrics more difficult to create. Enhanced rubrics feature an updated look and interface, making it easier to create holistic and unscored rubrics. You can also archive and preview enhanced rubrics.
If you are interested in learning more, watch the full training with Digital Learning Strategist James Butler here!
If you have any questions, please schedule a consultation with us!
Upcoming Events
Time-saving Canvas Tips
June 10th, 1:30-2:30 PM
Facilitated by Digital Learning Strategist Millie Tullis
Making the most of Canvas will free you up to focus on your teaching and students. This workshop will cover a variety of time-saving tips, tricks, settings, and analytics you can utilize to make the most of your time in Canvas.
Workshop Wednesday: AI in Active Learning
June 17th, 1:30-2:30 PM
Facilitated by Digital Learning Strategist Dara Abimbade, PhD
Join this workshop to learn about how AI can be used to increase active learning! This training will define active learning and provide several strategies for implementing AI as an active learning tool in your course
Register for both events here!
Clemson Online Summer 2026 Events Calendar
Review our Summer 2026 Events Calendar to see what Online Instruction Development opportunities await!
We have a robust lineup of topics and live training formats to support your use of Canvas and other e-learning tools. Topics cover demonstrations of using Kaltura, engaging your students, and workshops to get your Canvas site ready to teach!
All of our live training is recorded. Registrants will automatically receive a link to that day’s video after it has been processed.
Contact Millie Tullis with any questions regarding these sessions.
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