Advanced grading: Rubric & Marking Guide

Advanced grading methods enable different assessment forms to be implemented for calculating grades.

By default, the teacher chooses numerical grades in Moodle from a range of 0-100. The grade selection section is replaced with a more sophisticated assessment form given by the plugin when advanced grading methods are enabled. The logic for calculating the grade is included in the plugin. As if the instructor had used the normal grade value selector, the calculated grade is subsequently sent back to the activity module.

Table of Contents

Difference between Rubrics and Marking Guide

The main difference between a Marking Guide and a Rubric is the number of points/marks awarded for each criterion. For the Rubric, only a set number of points can be awarded depending on the preset levels of each criterion. In a Marking Guide, the grader can choose the points awarded up to the maximum points allowed for the given criterion.  

1. Rubrics

Rubrics are more complex grading forms that can help ensure consistent grading methods, especially when grading as a group. Rubrics are made up of a list of criteria and a rating scale with different levels corresponding to different point values. The total of all criterion grades is used to generate the raw rubric score. By comparing the actual score to the worst/best potential score, the final grade is determined.

Create Rubric

Once you have created an assignment, you can add a Rubric.

Step 1 - Open the Assignment and select Advanced grading from the Actions menu in the upper right corner of the page. This will take you to the Advanced grading page. Select Rubric under Change Active Grading Method.

Open

Open

Step 2 - On the Advanced grading page, click Define new grading form from scratch. The Define rubric page will open.

Step 3 - Add a Name and Description for the grading form.

Step 4 - Adding criterion , click on Add criterion.

• Select Click to edit criterion. A blank entry box will appear. Enter a description for the Criterion

Levels for grading student performance are represented by the next boxes. The level that best represents the student's performance for that criterion will be chosen by the graders. To add a description to each level,

• select Click to edit level. Click the points value to change the points granted for each level.

• To add a level, click Add level (at right). A new column will be added to the row.

• Click + Add criterion to add a new criterion (below row at left). There will be a new editable box. In the rubric table, a new row will be created, including a description entry box. Fill in the criterion description and change the level descriptions (and point values, if necessary).

• To delete a criterion or a level, click Delete (X)

• Click the Duplicate Criteria icon (Duplicate Criterion) to duplicate a criterion (below the X at left). This enables you to easily duplicate a row, which you can then modify.

Step 5 - When you have filled out all the criterion and definitions, click Save rubric and make it ready. You can also click Save as draft to save without having to complete the criterion and level definitions.

2. Marking Guide

When grading with a Marking guide, the lecturer designs a simple set of criteria and then, when assessing student work, a form is presented where they can leave a comment and a score for each criterion. The form then totals the scores to calculate a grade according to the Grade settings for the assignment.

Unlike a Rubric, a Marking guide does not let you rank each criterion according to more than one level, instead, each criterion has one comment box and one box for entering a numeric score.

Create Marking Guide

Once you have created an assignment, you can add a Marking Guide.

Step 1 - Open the Assignment and select Advanced grading from the Actions menu in the upper right corner of the page. This will take you to the Advanced grading page. Select Marking Guide under Change Active Grading Method.

Step 2 - On the Advanced grading page, click Define new grading form from scratch. The Define rubric page will open.

Step 3 - Add a Name and Description for the grading form.

Step 4 - Adding criterion.

(The mark displacement amongst the criterion here is what makes the between a marking guide and rubric)

• Select Click to edit criterion name to add a Name for the criterion.

• To reorder criteria, click the up or down arrows.

• Below Description for Students, Description for Markers, and Maximum mark, select Click to edit to edit the fields.

• To add additional criterion, click Add criterion.

• To add preset comments you can add for your criteria when grading, click + Add frequently used comments.

Step 5 - When you have filled out all the criterion and definitions, click Save marking guide and make it ready. You can also click Save as draft to save without having to complete the criterion and level definitions.

Copy (Re-use) a Rubric or Grading Guide

Instead of creating a new grading form from scratch, you may utilize a template to generate a copy of an existing Advanced grading form from any of your Moodle modules. You may then modify the copy to match the task you're grading while keeping the rubric you copied intact.

Step 1 - Click Turn editing on (top right corner) on your module page.

Step 2 - To add a new Assignment:

• Click + Add an activity or resource then select Assignment and click Add. The Adding a new Assignment page will open.

To use an Advanced grading form to grade existing assignments:

• Open the Assignment, and in the Actions menu, click Advanced grading. Skip to step 5 in this instruction

Step 3 - Configure settings for the assignment. From the Grading method drop-down menu, select Grading guide or Rubric.

Step 4 - Click Create new grading form from a template. The Grading forms search page will open displaying templates shared by others to which you have access.

Step 5 - Click Use this template (at the bottom of the preview) to choose a Grading form. A confirmation message will display. Then, to utilize the Grading form, click Continue. A COPY of the Grading form you used as a template will appear on the Advanced grading page. The form is now ready to be used with your assignment.

Step 8 - Click Edit the current form definition to make changes. We strongly advise you to rename the form (e.g. for the module and semester used). Otherwise, if you repeat forms frequently, you may wind up with many forms with the same name, each of which may be modified differently.

Step 9 - When you are done editing, click Save. You will return to the Advanced grading page for the assignment.

Grade an Assignment with a Rubric or Marking Guide

Step 1 - Click the link to the assignment, on your module page.

Step 2 - On the opened Assignment page, click View/grade all submissions.

Step 3 - In the Edit column for a particular student, click Grade. The Grading & feedback page for that student opens showing a grading form below the student's submission. 

Step 4 -

1. If using a Rubric:

For each criterion-

1. Click the level that you think best describes the student's performance. Once selected, levels are highlighted in light green.

2. To give written feedback (if the rubric includes a comment box for each criterion) enter comments in the text box at right.

3. Scores will be automatically generated based on the level clicked for each criterion.

If using a Grading guide:
For each Criterion:

1. Enter feedback comments in the text box, or, if using Frequently used comments, click in the text box, then click a Frequently used comment.

2. Enter a numerical score.

Step 6 - When you are done grading click Save changes or, to grade the next student's submission, click Save and show next.

Download the marks for the assignment using Rubrics or Marking guide

You can download marks for assignments using Rubrics or Marking guide to view them offline.

Step 1 - Click the link to the assignment, on your module page.

Step 2 - On the opened Assignment page, click Action Menu (gear icon), and select Export Marking Guide Grades or Export Rubric Grades. Depending on which advanced grading method, lecturer has chosen, the Action menu will display Export Marking Guide Grades or Export Rubric Grades.

Step 3 - The downloading of the spreadsheet will start.

Sample Marking Guide spreadsheet:

Sample Rubrics spreadsheet:

FAQ

Related Articles

• https://docs.moodle.org/31/en/Advanced_grading_methods

• https://docs.moodle.org/310/en/Rubrics#Grading_submissions_with_a_rubric

• https://docs.moodle.org/310/en/Marking_guide