Allow global rubric editing

(12)

Right now, if the same rubric is attached to more than one assignment, and you edit the rubric in one assignment, it only changes the criteria for THAT assignment's rubrics, and creates a COPY of the previous version of the rubric, which is attached to the other assignments.  

We should be given the option when changing a rubric, whether we want these changes to apply only to this assignment (and thus duplicate the original rubric), or to make the same changes to all assignments that use this rubric.

 

We should also be able to update a rubric from the "Manage Rubrics" page, and have the updates apply to all assignments to which it's attached. This would save a lot of time, and ensure consistency across a course.

11 Comments
ataylor30
Community Contributor

I'll throw in my upvote and encouragement for this to be an option. We have several instructors who try to regularly improve their rubrics from semester to semester, and the current process requires them to make changes and then re-add the new rubric everywhere it's linked, making it very time-consuming to make changes or even fix a typo.

Steven_S
Community Champion

I can understand the potential need to keep the rubrics of previously graded assignments unaltered.  For example if we change anything about the points, the grades could change in classes that have ended.  However applying that logic to typo correction is a bit extreme. 

 

Perhaps a checkbox could be added as an option to "replace previous rubric" as a replacement for the current pop-up message that the rubric cannot be editted.  With the checkbox checked, instead of creating a copy, the older rubric would be archived with any new instances of it from course copies (or ungraded instances of it in existing assignments) redirected to the newer version of the rubric.  With the check box unchecked the current behavior would be unchanged, preserving a quick way to make a series of slightly different rubrics (for example for grading drafts vs final papers)

whitsona
Community Novice

Yes, I frequently waste time when updating rubrics for clarity, typos, or slightly modified assignment guidelines, especially when prepping for a new semester. If I have 15 discussions with the same rubric, I'd like to be able to change them all at once.

jcd11060
Community Member

I am finding it really inconvenient not to be able to edit a rubric used in more than 1 place. I found a spelling error, and now have to go through every week of the course to re-add the rubric. Why not have an option instructors could check when they do want to change all of the rubrics used in more than 1 place?

Chris_Hofer
Community Coach
Community Coach

I'm adding my +1 to this Feature Idea.  When I build courses, I try to be efficient in use of rubrics...especially if a single rubric will be used over and over again for multiple assignments.  Recently, we've been asked to make some changes to rubrics in courses, and for courses where I've re-used a rubric in multiple assignments, the process has been:

  1. Un-attach the rubric from all but one graded assignments or graded discussions.  (This is so the rubric in question is not completely deleted from the "Rubrics" screen in the course.)
  2. Make the necessary changes to the rubric via the "Rubrics" screen.
  3. Re-attach the rubric to each graded assignment or graded discussion.

As an example, I recently had to do this for about 20 graded discussion topics in a course.  A lot of mouse clicks.  😢  There needs to be an easy way for us to update a rubric that's already attached to multiple assignments.

maricanlas
Community Member

It would be useful if we could edit rubrics that are used in more than one assignment. Currently, you either have to 1) remove the rubric from all assignments except one, edit the rubric, and then reattach it to all the assignments, or 2) go into each assignment, make the same edits each time, and save each one as a new copy of the rubric. Either method is very time consuming. It's very frustrating when all you want to do is fix a typo or something.

TrentMcMahon
Community Member

I agree! A warning box should be a sufficient reminder (such as: warning -- this rubric is used in multiple assignments. Keep this in mind as you make your edits.).

It is unhelpful to have the ability to associate one rubric to multiple assignments if it is not easy to make edits to the rubric, as well.

justinjoslin
Community Explorer

I'm adding my upvote for this. This really does need to be addressed! Managing rubrics is sooooo complicated in Canvas. It is far too complicated to simply fix a typo in a rubric. Right now I'm finding it impossible to change the descriptions for some of the point ranges in my rubric. If I make a change, then click Update Rubric, it reverts to the previous version! This is insane! I even made a copy of the rubric in a new course with a new name where it unused to grade an assignment. And it still won't allow me to make the changes.

bengalspice
Community Explorer
Problem statement:

When there is a minor edit that needs to be made to a rubric, like a spelling error or grammar error, you are forced to save it as a new rubric. This is a pain if the rubric is being used across a bunch of assignments. Every assignment has to be reassociated with the new rubric every time a slight change is made in text.

Proposed solution:

Allowing edits of rubrics, even though associated to multiple assignments, that does not trigger saving the rubric as a new rubric.

User role(s):

admin,instructor,designer

bengalspice
Community Explorer

Upvote!

This not only is a pain point within a course, but if you are updating a rubric that is standard for an entire course program, you have to replace the rubric in every assignment in every course in a term. That's a huge time suck if you are correcting a typo. 

ProductPanda
Instructure
Instructure
Status changed to: Archived
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