[Rubrics] Percentage-based Rubrics

I'd like to see the rubrics within Canvas support percentages rather than fixed points. Like many instructors, I'm constantly tinkering my point distribution to ensure both a challenging environment and equity in the classroom. Having the ability to change the final point value in a single area and then have the rubric be applied based on percentages rather than points would make this MUCH easier.

Added to Theme

Provide more flexible grading options Theme Status: Identified

31 Comments
kdickso
Community Participant

This is a good idea, but sometimes I really do prefer points (especially when working with teaching assistants this can be helpful).

I'd amend the idea to giving the OPTION to do EITHER points OR percentages.

KD

jeastabrooks
Community Novice
Status changed to: Open
 
TorontoToph
Community Member

I need this. I have an assignment worth 9 points but with many criteria so dividing the rubric up to add up to 9 is a real hassle. In the end I'm making the rubric add to 100 points, then creating an "assignment group" with one assignment in it to apply a weighting factor to this assignment. What a pain when the rubric could just be designed to auto-scale to the number of points. 

IanStevenson
Community Member

Percentages have two advantages for me:

1. Rubrics can be re-used where the weighting of a task changes.

2. When marking it is much easier to think in terms of percentage rather than having to do the mental arithmetic to convert points to percent and associated letter grade.

Needless to say, Blackboard has both options.

Thanks, Ian

Renee_Denham
Community Member

would make rubrics way more reusable and lower maintenance (eg if the total points of the assignment changed you then wouldn't have to update the rubric)

Seema949
Community Participant

We are migrating to Canvas from Blackboard, and were very disappointed to find that there's no way to set up a percentage-based rubric.  As others have noted, percentages allow the same rubric to be used for multiple assignments, even if the point values differ - or if the point value changes.  Beyond that, percentages are much more student-friendly.  Students are familiar with percentage-based grades, and relate to them easily.  With such clear advantages, I'm surprised that this discussion has been going on for years without resolution...  Can we expect to see this simple feature added to Canvas anytime soon?

mmarty
Community Explorer

Echoing @Seema949, our institution just moved from Blackboard to Canvas. I've had a few faculty members I work with who used percentages on rubrics, that way the rubric could be reused across multiple assignments, and have expressed frustration that an individual rubric now needs to be built for each type of assignment (which requires them to possibly modify rubrics in the future if point values change; if these were able to be used with percentages, the percentages would be able to stay consistent and wouldn't require future modification).

KristinL
Community Team
Community Team
Status changed to: New
 
KristinL
Community Team
Community Team
Status changed to: New
 
KristinL
Community Team
Community Team
Status changed to: Added to Theme