FACULTY: Creating Rubrics in Blackboard Ultra: A Quick Guide

Blackboard Ultra offers several ways to create rubrics, allowing you to streamline your grading process and provide clear feedback to students. This article provides a brief overview of three key rubric types: holistic, analytic, and AI-generated.

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.

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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")

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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

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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

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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.

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