Creating Rubrics - I wish that Canvas would fix this issue.

[SusanNiemeyer]

So here I am trying to create a rubric for an assignment, and twice I have forgotten the extra, added step of "updating the rubric" at the bottom of the screen. Twice, I have lost all of my work. Twice, I have been left frustrated.

Why can't the rubrics be automatically saved when an individual box has been filled in and updated? Why is it necessary to remember to also click "update rubric" at the bottom? This is a redundancy that I'm sure causes a great deal of wasted time and extra work for many instructors.

O.K. Let's hope that the third try is a charm. Right now, I'm over it. 

[Chris_Hofer]

Hi @SusanNiemeyer ...

For clarification, are you saying that when you are creating a rubric, you've lost the entire rubric completely and have had to re-create it from scratch?

[SusanNiemeyer]

The first time, I had created the entire rubric, but not "updated" the final product.  I lost all of my work.

The second time, I updated my rubric halfway through. Then I switched over to edit the assignment. When I returned to the rubric, everything I had entered after the initial "update" was lost.

@Chris_Hofer   As you know, I'm pretty experienced and savvy as an instructor using Canvas. It's annoying that there is so much room for error. All I really needed was an "auto save."

[Chris_Hofer]

@SusanNiemeyer ...

Ugh...I can see how frustrating that could be...and yes, an auto-save feature would be handy.

Out of curiosity (and this might not be a real solution to your question), have you ever tried using @James' "Canvancement" (Canvas Enhancement) to import a rubric from a spreadsheet?  I used it all the time in my past position as a Canvas administrator, and it was awesome!  Saved me tons of time!

• Re: Canvancements - Canvas Enhancements
• Importing Rubrics from a Spreadsheet

I'd be happy to help if you were interested in trying this out or if you have questions about how I used it when I built rubrics for courses I worked on.

I did find this past Feature Idea which has been developed, but I *think* it only applies to brand new manually created rubrics that might not have been yet saved...not to existing rubrics that you are just updating???  Not really sure.  Assignment Rubric auto-save - Instructure Community (canvaslms.com)

As you may have seen, Feature Ideas are temporarily locked down until early February so the Community Team can do some re-org and clean-up of the Feature Idea process.  This includes creating new Feature Ideas, rating them with stars, and commenting on existing Feature Ideas.  Here's more info: Idea Conversations: The Path Forward - Instructure Community (canvaslms.com).

Hope this helps some.

^ Chris

[SusanNiemeyer]

@Chris_Hofer   I read that Idea Conversation. The person who created it was frustrated with the very same problem, which is that it's very easy to lose one's work when creating or updating a rubric from within an assignment. One has to be very careful to "update rubric" twice.  However, that Idea Conversation was "resolved" with a completely different fix: adding a warning message to instructors grading with rubrics in the Speedgrader.

The initial issue was never addressed. It was never resolved. That is really frustrating to me. The Canvas development team has never clearly taught any courses using their own LMS.  

@Ron_Bowman  Exact same issue with creating Quizzes. I've lost so much work. And you and I are master instructors using Canvas. If we make this "error" time and again, so must everyone else. I really don't care that all the steps have been outlined in a "guide." We just need an auto-save function.

[Chris_Hofer]

HI @SusanNiemeyer ...

Just wanted to let you know that I have contacted one of the Community Managers to see if the "developed" status label on that Feature Idea I had linked to can be taken off.  I agree with you that the Feature Idea I had linked to hasn't been developed.  However, there was a link that Stefanie had linked to for another Feature Idea, and that one did relate to rubrics and the SpeedGrader...which has been developed.  Hopefully I'll get some feedback in the next day or two so I can give you an update.  Thanks!

Auto Save Rubrics or Give Save Warning - Instructure Community (canvaslms.com)

[KristinL]

Hi -- We were able to update the thread, and the idea is now Open. I spoke directly with the Product Manager who oversees Rubrics, and they saw the value of the added functionality of the "unsaved changes" applied to building rubrics as well. I know we can't comment on the threads right now, but the Product Manager has received the feedback shared here as well. Thank you for asking the big questions and for helping us correct the Deploy Notes.

[Ron_Bowman]

@SusanNiemeyer -

I feel your pain on that one.  I haven't done it yet with rubrics, but I do it all the time with quiz questions.  Also anything that has the save/update button at the bottom of a page so that it does not show all the time (i.e. in course navigation settings).

Ron