Enhanced Rubrics Phase 3 Project Update

[YasiAfsharnive]

We’re excited to share an update on Phase 3 of Enhanced Rubrics, which includes key usability fixes, UX improvements, and new features based on your feedback! 

What's Coming in Phase 3

Phase 3 focuses on:

• Resolving top usability issues and long-standing bugs
• Enhancing the grading experience in SpeedGrader
• Introducing new features to support more flexible and detailed assessment workflows

📆 Timeline & Availability

All features in Phase 3 are targeted for release by the end of Q3 or early Q4. Development is well underway and will be delivered incrementally throughout the quarter, so stay tuned for updates! 

🔍 Enhanced Rubrics remains in Feature Preview and will continue to be available to anyone who opts in. This allows us to gather valuable feedback while iterating on improvements before a full release.

🌟 Key Updates Included in Phase 3

Usability Improvements & Fixes

• Rubric Setting Retention: Outcome alignments, scoring flags, and hidden points persist when copying.
• Stable Point Values During Edits: Custom points no longer revert when switching between criteria.
• Smarter Rubric Edit Warning: Edit warning only appears after criteria are changed and saved.
• Auto-Adjust Rating Ranges: Automatically rescales ratings when top point value is updated.
• Rubric Deletion Confirmation: Gives option to delete rubric entirely or just unlink it from the assignment.
• Hide All Points from Students: Hides both overall score and individual criteria points in student view.
• Persistent Rubric Layout: Rubric layout and collapse settings persist within and across sessions.
• Minor Edits After Attachment: Allows small updates to rubrics even after they've been attached or used for grading.

Design & Experience Enhancements

• Visible Decimal Values: Decimal numbers are fully visible in point entry boxes.
• Updated SpeedGrader Layout: Reduces scrolling with a more compact rubric display.
• Total Points in SpeedGrader: Final rubric score is shown at the bottom of the rubric.
• Show Actual Point Values: New option to display actual point values instead of generic levels.
• Missing Criteria Warning: Alert appears if a grader skips a criterion before submitting.

New Feature Additions

• Scheduled Feedback Release: control when students see rubric comments and scores
• Multiple Rubrics: attach more than one rubric per assessment (Coming in early 2026)
• Clickable Outcome Pills: see full outcome details with a click

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💬 Feedback Welcome

We’re continuing to gather feedback from institutions currently using Enhanced Rubrics, and from anyone else who opts in via the feature flag setting. Your input is directly shaping this work - thank you!

[dspiel]

Our faculty have been testing the Enhanced Rubrics via the BETA page and the one feedback that has come back multiple times is the ability to or have the comments changed back to a comment bubble that can be selected that would open the comment box, The display as it way it is set up now takes up to much room and is often not used.

The other one that has come back a few times is the size of the Submission Stickers button.

[loliveira]

Will you be updating how rubrics are added in discussion boards? When I add a rubric to a discussion board I still see the old rubric workflow, whereas when I am adding them to an assignment I see the new workflow, even in the same course, and adding them back to back. It is a terrible experience. 

[sharon_kitching]

Agreed @loliveira  - It's so confusing the difference between the assignment Vs discussion. And we are using the enhanced discussions. 

[sharon_kitching]

@DavidSpielman - way too large - we have hidden them as we are higher ed, and the stickers look very much like K-6 branding. 

[YasiAfsharnive]

@sharon_kitching @dspiel Great feedback - we're redesigning rubrics in SpeedGrader and some of our changes address this issue. Comment boxes will be minimized by default with the option to expand in each criteria. This will take up much less space. And @loliveira Enhanced Rubrics should be coming to discussions soon, stay tuned! 

[jyantz]

When I am working in the enhanced rubric and I am assigning values to each part of the assignment it does not add the numbers correctly. I addressed this with one of the techs at the help desk and sent a screenshot.  Please address this issue.

[YasiAfsharnive]

@jyantz We'll look into this asap, thank you! 

[jyantz]

Thanks Yasi,

I am joining this group a bit late. When I am working in the enhanced rubric I am having difficulty with the set up.  In the old rubric I was able to add comments and put a value for each of the areas that I was grading. I was having difficulty with that feature and talked with Canvas (Charles) Case # 12553800.  He was unable to help me.  The enhanced rubric has many different columns and some I do not need.  I do want to be able to have the columns add up the values of the points for the assignments that the students are completing.   The column with the words accomplished etc. I do not use.  Is there a way to delete that column in the rubrics.    

I can make the changes to my old rubrics in my courses however, I cannot create that same type of rubric in the enhanced features.  Maybe I am using the tool incorrectly and I would appreciate it if you could explain how to use this new rubric so that I can use all of the features in it.

[jyantz]

I would like to see how to use multiple rubrics in an assignment.  I have worked in the enhanced rubric and they function for one type of grading. However, having a second rubric or option would be helpful.

[YasiAfsharnive]

@jyantz That's great feedback! Do you have time for a quick 30-minute call to chat about your specific use-case for multiple rubrics? Also, in Phase 3 of Enhanced Rubrics, we're redesigning how rubrics look and feel in Speedgrader. I'd love to get your feedback after we launch the updated designs - I think they'll solve some of the problems you mentioned above. 

[jyantz]

Yes, I can speak with you. Do you want to send a link?  or call?

[ElijahDow]

We've had an issue with the view setting getting reset whenever an assessment in speedgrader is saved. For example changing from "traditional" to "horizontal," saving the assessment, and going to the next student, it reverts back to "traditional" view every time.  

Will this bug be addressed by this point:?

• Persistent Rubric Layout: Rubric layout and collapse settings persist within and across sessions.

I ask because it's not necessarily a different "session" when it happens, they're still in the same speedgrader window, they've just clicked to assess the next student in the list.

[YasiAfsharnive]

Hi @ElijahDow, 

Thanks for testing this out. We have seen this issue when using the different views in SpeedGrader. However, if you enable 'Performance and Usability Updates for SpeedGrader' (it's the latest version of SG), this should be resolved. Let me know if you continue to see this issue!