Turnitin's rubric feature

You can add a rubric to your Turnitin assignment dropbox using Optional settings. The rubric feature enables you to list the marking criteria against set standards. A number of benefits can be achieved from the integration of rubrics:

Helps students to focus their efforts to meet the requirements of an assignment
Ensures consistent and impartial marking
Provides generic feedback
Automatic calculation of the assignment mark (optional setting)

An example of a typical rubric.

An example of a rubric indicating that columns are levels of achievement, rows correspond to criteria of an assignment and description and point values in each cell define the evaluation and score of an assignment.

Instructions

In your Turnitin assignment dropbox, click on Optional settings, click on the checkbox to ‘Attach rubric’, this allows you to select an existing rubric or click on Launch Rubric Manager to create a new rubric.

In the Rubric manager, click on the menu bars and select Create new rubric

This opens a blank rubric template. At the bottom of the screen there is a choice of three rubric types; Standard Percentage rubric, Custom rubric or Qualitative (0) rubric.

Standard (Percentage scoring) rubric: You are required to enter the weighting for each criteria and the top scale for each standard set. Once this information is entered, it will calculate the grade for the assignment you are marking.
Custom rubric: This allows you to enter any numerical value directly into each rubric cell when marking.
Qualitative rubric: This rubric is equivalent to highlighting what standards students achieved for each criteria on a paper copy of the marking criteria sheet. Lecturers simply load the rubric and click on what standard each student achieved for each criteria, showing them how well they did.

When you have made your choice of rubric click in each cell down the left hand column to add your criteria (and if required percentage of total mark). Add your levels, scales and description by clicking in the cells on the right.

Below, we take a closer look at each type of rubric and how it displays in Turnitin.

Qualitative rubrics

A qualitative rubric provides standard feedback but has no numeric scoring. Choose 0 to create this rubric.

Qualitative rubrics have Scales (indicated in the column headers) and Performance Criteria (listed and described in each row).

Custom rubrics

A Custom rubric allows you to enter any value directly into each rubric cell when marking. Choose the pen icon to begin to create this rubric.

In a custom rubric a score is allocated to each criterion – standard “cell”.

A total score is automatically calculated. The total score is also calculated as a percentage.

Standard rubrics

A standard rubric in Turnitin uses percentages for marking each criteria and each level of performance/ scale. Choose the % icon to begin to create this rubric.

It is recommended for use when marking an assignment according to specific weightings. Each criterion (listed as a row) is allocated a % and each scale (described at the top of each column) indicates the level of performance.

For the standard rubric, you need to specify the top mark for each scale, e.g. 100%, 85%……30%, 0.

The grade is determined by the percentage midpoint in the range for each grade.

Viewing Turnitin rubrics

In Blackboard Learn Ultra, a Turnitin assignment opens in feedback studio. Check out Marking a Turnitin assignment for more details on using feedback studio to annotate and give feedback to your students.

allows you to access the rubric (marking criteria grid) if one is attached to the assignment. Use the sliders to assess the work and provide feedback to students.

The inline view of an assignment submission with a Custom rubric:

Expand a Turnitin rubric

To expand the rubric, click the icon beside the rubric settings icon and view it in the full screen.

If you have used a Standard (Percentage scoring) rubric, you will be able to click on a cell and the mark will be automatically calculated. Likewise, in a Custom rubric the Total score will be calculated when you select a cell for each criterion.

The mark will be displayed in feedback studio in the inline rubric (A). Click Apply to Grade (B) and the mark will display as the grade (C) for that assignment.

Useful Links

Turnitin in Ultra

Blackboard Ultra staff support