FACULTY: Creating Rubrics in Blackboard Ultra: A Quick Guide

Blackboard Ultra offers multiple ways to create rubrics, helping you streamline grading and deliver clear, consistent feedback to students. This article outlines three key types of rubrics available in Ultra: holistic, analytic, and AI-generated.

1. Holistic Rubrics

What They Are:
Holistic rubrics provide an overall score based on the general quality of a submission, rather than evaluating individual criteria separately.

When to Use:
Ideal for:

• Assignments where you want to offer a general impression of performance

• Quick grading of large volumes of work

How to Create in Blackboard Ultra:

• Combine all evaluation criteria into a single criterion row

• Define performance levels and assign an overall score for each

🎥 Watch the Tutorial: Creating Holistic Rubrics in Blackboard Ultra (Update link if available—original title says "Videos")

2. Analytic Rubrics

What They Are:
Analytic rubrics break assignments into multiple criteria, each with defined performance levels. This allows for detailed, criterion-by-criterion feedback.

When to Use:
Best for:

• Complex assignments

• Scenarios where detailed feedback supports learning and improvement

How to Create in Blackboard Ultra:

• Ultra’s default rubric setup supports analytic rubrics

• Customize:

  • Criteria

  • Performance levels

  • Weighting (optional)

🎥 Watch the Tutorial: Analytic Rubric Design in Blackboard Ultra

3. AI-Generated Rubrics

What They Are:
The AI Design Assistant in Blackboard Ultra can automatically create rubric drafts based on your assignment instructions—saving you time and providing a customizable starting point.

When to Use:
Ideal for:

• Quick rubric creation

• Instructors who want a first draft to edit and personalize

How to Create in Blackboard Ultra:

• Choose “Generate” when creating a new rubric

• The AI will generate a draft based on your assignment prompt

• You can then refine and edit the rubric

🎥 Watch the Tutorial: Working with AI-Assisted Rubric Design in Blackboard Ultra

Key Rubric Tips & Considerations

• Rubrics in Blackboard Ultra can be percentage-based or point-based

• All rubric components—criteria, performance levels, and weighting—are fully editable

• Consistent rubric use improves grading transparency and student understanding

By understanding and using these rubric types, you can enhance your grading practices and support student learning more effectively.

📘 This knowledge base article was created with the assistance of Gemini AI.