Posted on No Comments on The Gift of a Supportive Faculty

The Gift of a Supportive Faculty

Greetings, Faculty!

I feel profoundly grateful to work with such an exceptional, caring group of fellow faculty members at Belhaven. Though we come from diverse backgrounds, what unites us is our love of Christ, our spirit of cooperation and camaraderie, and a vision to see our students succeed.

I love witnessing how you live out our Christian faith’s compassionate and service-focused values in the way you teach and guide students. You demonstrate a visible culture of caring by taking those extra minutes to listen to a student’s concerns, praying with and for your students, and offering a solid shoulder when a student is hurting.

At Belhaven, we recognize that each student has unique potential waiting to unfold. We openly share our best practices to foster students’ intellectual and personal growth. Through this sharing, we advise and encourage each other along the way. This shared commitment to empowering students strengthens and develops our enthusiasm and passion for teaching and withstands the most stressful times.

What sets you apart as a Christian faculty is your professional expertise and genuine care for the individuals under your guidance. The principles of love, compassion, and empathy, central to Christian teachings, manifest in how you approach your roles. You see your students as individuals with unique needs, struggles, and aspirations. This care extends beyond academics, encompassing each student’s emotional, spiritual, and personal growth.

Working with professors who lead with compassion, wisdom, and patience is a daily gift. I am grateful to be part of a community seeking to develop students spiritually, vocationally, and academically. Walking this journey alongside you as we guide the next generation with Christ’s love is a joy.

I wish everyone joyous, restful, and revitalizing experiences during this Christmas season of hope and goodwill. May God be with you and your family as we await His birth and celebrate His arrival.

Posted on 1 Comment on Shaping Student Perception for Higher Retention: Insights for Online Programs 

Shaping Student Perception for Higher Retention: Insights for Online Programs 

The phrase “perception is reality” could not ring truer in online education. How students perceive their online courses and instructors significantly influences their engagement and retention in the program. The Teacher Evaluation by Students (TEBS) survey that students complete at the end of each course asks for their perceptions of the overall course and its instructor. Here are some specific strategies that target the feedback from students about their instructors and how you can help foster student success and retention. Each topic listed below correlates with one of the seven questions in the student survey. 

 Active Participation in Online Discussions:

To receive full credit for their discussion assignments, students must post their thoughts and then respond to two or three (depending on the course) posts from their classmates. Too often, students treat these discussion assignments as just a box to check off – this assignment is done – and no actual discussion is generated. By actively participating in these discussions, professors can pose thought-provoking questions or raise issues that students may not have recognized. Each student’s response to these questions counts as one of their required “responses to others,” and the process can help students feel their contributions are valued, and their voices are heard.  

 Demonstrating Subject Matter Expertise:

 At Belhaven, all professors for a course or content area are credentialed as being qualified to teach that content. It is recognized that our professors have a strong command of the subject matter. Sharing this knowledge with your students can help gain their confidence and trust. Although the course assignments are pre-set in all courses, you can share your expertise, add related resources, and provide relevant real-world examples through your announcements to your class and during any Zoom meetings you might schedule. When students see you as experts in the content, their belief in your course’s educational value is bolstered. 

 Timely Responses to Student Questions:

 In today’s climate of instant gratification, our students want/expect responses to their questions immediately upon those questions being sent to the professor and sometimes do not realize that this expectation is unrealistic. Professors should commit to responding to student questions within 24 hours or sooner and within 48 hours (about 2 days) for inquiries received on weekends. Responding promptly helps develop a sense of your being willing and able to support students as they navigate your course’s assignments.  

 Efficient Grading Practices:

 Grading assignments and providing timely feedback to your students are crucial to retaining students within your course and their program. Per the course guidelines, you should return graded papers and assignments by the Wednesday following the Saturday due date. When students receive their grades on time, they plan their studies more effectively, and this consistency in feedback helps them perceive the course as well-structured and organized. 

 Providing Personalized Support:

 Students often need more assistance than they can find through written assignments or course lectures. You can enhance students’ perception of support by offering assistance when required. This assistance can be provided via whole-class or small-group Zoom meetings, personal phone calls or virtual meetings, whole-class announcements addressing issues and concerns from one student that may impact multiple students in the class, or links to outside resources or videos, or any other way to help students better understand challenging concepts or assignments in your course. 

 Constructive Feedback for Academic Success:

 Feedback is a powerful tool for improvement. For the biggest impact, feedback must be timely and constructive, highlighting areas of strength and focusing on strategies or guidance on areas needing improvement. When students can link your feedback to their work, they see a direct link to their academic growth. Practical, timely, and consistent feedback helps students perceive the course as valuable and worthy of their time and efforts. 

 Alignment with Grading Criteria:

 Consistency is vital when it comes to grading. If rubrics are provided for an assignment, you need to use the rubric when grading. This transparency helps students understand the reasons for any loss of points and increases their perception of fairness in grading and clarity in their assignments. 

 As stated at the start of this blog, “Perception is reality.” If students perceive their professors to be fair and equitable, if they perceive their courses to be valuable and worthy of their time and effort, and if they believe their professors care about them and want them to succeed, then that is their reality. This mindset makes students more likely to persist, succeed, and graduate. What you do in your classes really can make a difference. 

 

Posted on No Comments on Rekindling Inspiration: Nurturing Your Passion for Facilitating Online Learning

Rekindling Inspiration: Nurturing Your Passion for Facilitating Online Learning

At Belhaven, online courses are developed by content-area experts and follow a set formula or protocol.  Professors who teach in this environment often wonder how to incorporate their knowledge and personality into every course they teach. What practical strategies can you implement to help you maintain your passion for teaching?

Personalize the Learning Experience

Belhaven’s online courses are pre-developed, but you can still personalize the learning experience. Here are some ways to infuse your personality and expertise into the online classroom:

  • Add Supplementary Materials: Enhance the course with supplementary resources such as articles, videos, or case studies that align with your teaching style and expertise. If you’ve taught the course before, you know where students tend to struggle with the content or assignments. You can highlight these areas in your course announcements and upload additional links or files to help your students master the material.
  • Create Discussion Prompts: Most courses contain pre-prepared discussion prompts that students must address, but you can add to this discourse. When you hold Zoom meetings with your class, ask questions that encourage critical thinking and foster lively debates incorporating your unique perspective and insights. REMEMBER – you can grant your students full credit for the week’s written discussion posts if they participate in that week’s Zoom meeting. If you give them credit, please put a comment into SpeedGrader stating that the requirement for that assignment was met via Zoom participation.
  • Share Personal Stories: Relate course content to your experiences, creating a more engaging and relatable learning environment. Again, this can be accomplished through course announcements or Zoom meetings.

Foster Student Engagement

Everyone knows that students must be engaged with the course material before they have a chance to learn that content. Here’s how you can enhance student engagement:

  • Use Interactive Tools: During Zoom meetings, you can incorporate interactive elements like polls, quizzes, and online games to encourage participation and interaction. You can set up no-stress games and quizzes using Kahoot, Socrative, or other platforms. During your meeting, have your students log into one of these sites, answer the question, and then share your screen to show everyone the class response and trigger great discussions!
  • Offer Real-World Applications: “Why do I have to learn this?” That’s a question from students that teachers grow to hate. What is the connection between the concepts you teach and real-world applications of that content?  Making this connection for students will help make the content more relevant and engaging.
  • Encourage Peer Collaboration: Prior to the start of your course, you can organize your assignments to allow students to work together in groups. The October 4 Faculty Development Zoom meeting will explain setting up these groups.  Especially if your class enrollment is large, subdividing students into smaller groups will promote student interaction and collaborative learning.

Continuously Refine Your Teaching Approach

Teaching online in pre-designed courses doesn’t mean you have to remain stagnant. Keep refining your teaching approach:

  • Collect Student Feedback: Your students complete the TEBS report at the end of the course. This feedback instrument lets students provide input on your effectiveness as an instructor and on the effectiveness of the course in achieving the course goals. But – this feedback is only shared with you after your course ends.  Regularly soliciting feedback from your students as you teach the course can help you identify areas where your personal touch can enhance the learning experience. While your course is still running, ask your students for specific suggestions about how the course can be improved and how you can improve your instructional techniques.
  • Professional Development: Stay updated with the latest trends and technologies in online education through professional development opportunities, webinars, and workshops.
  • Reflect and Adapt: Based on feedback from your students and the formal TEBS reports, reflect on your teaching methods, identify what’s working well, and adjust as needed to align with your teaching philosophy. Student comments on the TEBS reports can be a great place to start your reflection. Because the TEBS report is anonymous, students have the ability to be very honest in their feedback, both positively and negatively.

Connect with Your Online Learning Community

Online teaching can sometimes feel isolated, but you’re not alone. Connect with other online professors for support and inspiration:

  • Collaborate with Colleagues: Reach out to colleagues who teach similar courses or in the same discipline to share ideas, resources, and best practices. If a course has multiple sections with multiple professors, consider working together to offer combined-class Zoom meetings for your students. Collaborate on how to assess student assignments, share announcements, and work together to help make courses equivalent.
  • Join Online Educator Networks: Participate in online forums, social media groups, or professional organizations dedicated to online teaching.
  • Attend Virtual Conferences: Explore virtual conferences and webinars focused on online education to network with peers and gain fresh insights.

These are just a few ways to infuse your expertise, creativity, and passion into your online courses. Incorporating these four strategies into your teaching can reignite your passion for teaching and provide your students with a m

Disclaimer: ChatGPT was used to help develop the outline for this blog.

Posted on No Comments on Nurturing Effective Communication in Online Facilitation

Nurturing Effective Communication in Online Facilitation

While Belhaven’s online courses are pre-prepared, there are many ways our faculty can engage in effective communication to enhance the learning experiences of our students. It is this human element that you bring to your class and course that can have a profound impact on your students.  What strategies can you adopt to increase your communication skills and foster an environment of excellence within your virtual classroom?

Introduction and Availability:

Post a personalized introduction to the course, highlighting your availability to assist students. What is the best way for students to contact you?   Provide multiple ways for students to connect – can they best contact you via email, texts, comments in Canvas, or phone?  Let students know you are there to guide and support them as they move through your class.

Timely and Supportive Responses:

Respond promptly to student inquiries, providing clear, concise answers that address their concerns and keep them on track. Professors are to respond to student email requests within 24 hours of receiving that request and within 48 hours on weekends. It is highly recommended that you offer 1-3 live Zoom meetings during your course to help address student confusion and concerns as the issues arise.  Students can attend these sessions, and it is OK for you to offer a participation incentive by crediting participating students as having completed that week’s discussion assignment (they receive full points and don’t need to post anything!).

Guidance on Discussion Etiquette:

Offer guidance on respectful and constructive online discussion behavior, ensuring a positive and inclusive virtual classroom environment. Students can have differing viewpoints, but they must contribute respectful and constructive dialogue. Help guide the discussions towards a respectful exchange of thoughts.

Announcements and Reminders:

The minimum requirement for course announcements is to post one announcement per week. You are not limited to only one per week!  Post explanatory announcements if you have taught your course before and know where students typically struggle with the content.  You can share articles and supplemental materials through the announcement portal.  In your announcements, discuss the results of the previous week’s assignments.  Where did students show an overall strength or great insight?  Identify areas of weakness or misunderstanding that occurred throughout the class.  Offer words of encouragement when students appear to be struggling.

Virtual Office Hours:

Virtual office hours play a pivotal role in student success in the virtual classroom. Depending on your preference, you can establish set hours where you will be available to answer student questions or establish open hours where your students know you are available to help them.  My preference was to not have “official” office hours but to let students know to email me if they desired a phone conversation or Zoom meeting.  I know other professors prefer to establish a routine time when students can contact them.  The form your office hours take is up to you and your personal style, but virtual office hours are a “Must Do” for virtual instruction.

Feedback that Fosters Growth:

Provide feedback on assignments and discussions that highlight students’ strengths and suggest areas for improvement, fostering continuous learning. When working in SpeedGrader, please be aware of some limitations to students receiving your feedback.  Many, if not most, of your students rely on their phones and the Canvas app to keep up with their studies.  This practice makes much of your feedback ineffective because it is not read.  For example, many professors spend hours highlighting and posting comments within a student’s submitted paper.  These very helpful comments address content, construction of the paper, grammar and mechanics, formatting, etc.  But – these comments are not readily visible to students when they view their grades on the app, so they don’t read the comments.  The same is true when you post feedback within the assignment rubric.  Those comments are also not immediately visible to students.  BUT – if you post your feedback in the “Comments” box, that feedback is displayed along with the grade for the assignment, making it easy for students to view the feedback and hopefully understand why their grade is what it is.

Summarizing Discussions:

Summarize key points from online discussions to help students see their peers’ collective insights and contributions. But – do this as a course announcement, not a discussion post. Many students have told me that they just “check the box” for discussions and rarely go back to read what was said by their classmates.  By posting a summary of the class discussion as a course announcement, you can bring closure to the topic and highlight areas of insight or correct any misconceptions that arose within the discussion post.

Celebrating Milestones:

Acknowledge and celebrate student achievements, such as completing challenging assignments or engaging in thoughtful discussions.  While being careful not to publicly embarrass a student, let the class know when something was well done.  With the student’s permission, post an exemplary response, or present an insightful student’s idea or solution to a problem.  Milestones can also be non-academic.  When students share their personal achievements with you, with their permission, share these with the class.  Did someone recently complete a half-marathon?  Let others know!  New baby? Celebrate! Publicly recognizing student achievements elevates morale and helps develop a community mindset within your class.

To conclude, facilitating student engagement and maintaining clear and supportive communication can enhance the online learning experience and create a strong sense of community within your virtual classroom.

Posted on No Comments on Illuminating Growth: The Transformative Power of Reflection

Illuminating Growth: The Transformative Power of Reflection

Introduction: Our lives are busy and filled with “must do” and “oh no, I forgot to do” moments. An old saying comes to mind, “The hurried-er I go, the behind-er I get.” How can you slow down, disconnect, and re-center yourself?  By reflecting, when you examine your thoughts, actions, experiences, and outcomes. Reflecting is a conscious choice you make to help you understand the events of your daily life.

Benefits of Reflection:

Enhanced Self-Awareness: Reflect on your teaching style and interactions with your students. What are your areas of strength, and where do you show a need for more growth?  What can you do to address those areas you identify as needing improvement? How can you share your strengths with others so they can grow?

Continuous Improvement: By reflecting on past experiences, you can identify what worked well and what could be refined, leading to constant growth in your teaching methods. By adapting your lessons based on the insights you gained through reflection, you increase your effectiveness as an instructor and create a more engaging and inclusive learning environment.

Informed Decision-Making: Reflection informs your decisions by helping you make choices rooted in a deeper understanding of your values, goals, and the needs of your students. As you review your students’ weekly assignment submissions, reflect on what is and is not being understood by your students.  Is the misconception widespread or limited to a small group of students? Would a course announcement be sufficient to address these observed areas, or would a Zoom meeting be a better option?

Deepened Connection: As a direct result of your enhanced self-awareness, where you reflect on ways to grow in your teaching and the decisions you make, you can build stronger connections with your students and meet your students where the need is greatest.

Strategies for Effective Reflection:

End-of-Day Reflection: Dedicate a few minutes daily to reflect on your interactions, successes, and challenges.

Journaling: Maintain a reflective journal where you jot down thoughts, observations, and insights from your teaching experiences. What went exceptionally well in your teaching today?  How can you build on that experience?  What was a challenge you faced today?  How did you respond to it, and how would you respond if something similar occurs in the future?

Peer Collaboration: Engage with colleagues to share experiences, exchange perspectives, and gain new insights. Are other professors teaching a different section of your course?  What other professors teach in your program?  Collaborate with others to help build a supportive learning community and increase personal and professional growth.

Student Feedback: Regularly seek feedback from students about your teaching methods, and reflect on ways to implement their suggestions. Belhaven has the end-of-course student feedback report, TEBS, where students anonymously provide instructor and course feedback, but you can solicit their feedback throughout your course.  Ask open-ended questions in your responses to student discussions, ask for feedback during your Zoom meetings, and post announcements asking for student input.

Scheduled Reflection Time: Allocate dedicated time in your schedule for deep reflection, allowing you to engage in the process without distractions. Some find using reflective protocols helpful in guiding the reflective process.  One protocol is to answer three questions (What? So What? Now What?).  Another protocol revolves around the Four Rs (Recall, Relate, Reflect, Revise).  Using a protocol allows you to structure your reflection time to more effectively analyze your practice and make an action plan for growth.

Conclusion: Reflection provides you with an opportunity for personal growth.  By analyzing your areas of effectiveness and need, you can identify ways to adjust your instructional practices to better address the requirements of your course and the ever-changing needs of your students.

References:

Cochran, C. (May 19, 2023). Transformative Practices: Harnessing the Power of Reflections for Teacher Growth and Student Outcomes. SchoolEd. https://www.schooledhousemedia.com/transformative-practices-harnessing-the-power-of-reflection-for-teacher-growth-and-student-outcomes/

Gavett, G. (2023). The Power of Reflection at Work. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2014/05/the-power-of-reflection-at-work

Posted on No Comments on Mindfulness for Educators

Mindfulness for Educators

Introduction: What exactly is “mindfulness”? Mindfulness means you are focused on what is happening in the present. You are “in the now” in your life through your thoughts, feelings, and surroundings. Practicing mindfulness frees your mind from its whirlwind of thoughts and worries. By focusing on the “now”, you learn to develop your sense of inner calm and clarity of thought.

Benefits of Practicing Mindfulness:

  • Reduced Stress: Mindfulness practices, such as deep breathing and meditation, have been shown to lower cortisol levels and alleviate stress, enabling educators to face challenges with a clearer mind.
  • Enhanced Mental Focus: Mindfulness trains your attention, improving your ability to concentrate on the current task and increasing your effectiveness as a teacher.
  • Improved Emotional Regulation: Mindfulness helps you develop a healthier relationship with your emotions, enabling you to respond to situations calmly instead of impulsively.
  • Increased Empathy: By practicing mindfulness, you can cultivate empathy and compassion for you and your students, leading to more supportive and positive interactions.
  • Work-Life Balance: Mindfulness encourages you to be present in your personal life, helping you create boundaries between work and leisure and ultimately contributing to a better work-life balance.

Practical Tips for Mindfulness: The key to becoming more mindful is to start where you are comfortable, i.e., start small. Here are easy ways to start becoming more mindful.

  • Sit quietly and focus on your mind. Let your mind wander freely; refocus on the present moment whenever your mind wanders into negative, obsessive, or stress-inducing thoughts.
  • Pay attention to your physical body. Mentally scan yourself from head to toe. Where do you feel stress the most? Your jaw, shoulders, next, back? Focus on a tense area and physically tense yourself, hold for a count of 10, then relax. Focus on the new, more relaxed sensation in that area. For example, if you hold tension in your jaw, clench your jaws, hold, then consciously relax the area. How is the tension different?
  • Mindful Walks: Take a break, take a short walk, and pay attention to your surroundings. Practice mindful breathing as you Listen to the sounds of your breathing in and out. Focus on just breathing as you notice nature all around you.
  • Develop an “Attitude of Gratitude”: Reflect on the positive aspects of your day, both big and small, to foster a sense of gratitude.

Conclusion: Mindfulness can help you respond more appropriately and effectively to stressful situations. By addressing your own emotional strengths and needs, you can better respond to the needs of others.

References:

“The (Nontraditional) College Student’s Guide to Mindfulness.” Purdue Global, 2019, www.purdueglobal.edu/blog/student-life/college-students-guide-mindfulness/.

I used AI to help organize the content of this blog.

 

Posted on No Comments on Building a Vibrant Online Community by Dr. Cindy Wilkins

Building a Vibrant Online Community by Dr. Cindy Wilkins

I hope you’re all doing great! Today, I’m excited to chat about how to make our online community a truly Christ-centered and supportive space for our students. Here are some ways we can nurture our connections and grow together!

Let’s Embrace Love and Respect

One thing that’s super important in our faith is love. So, as we interact with our students, let’s ensure we show genuine care and respect. When they feel valued and heard, they’ll feel more comfortable opening up, leading to meaningful connections. When I have something critical to say to a student, I’ve started entering my response into ChatGPT and asking it to revise so the message is “firm but compassionate”.  The ChatGPT response is usually much longer than my submitted response, but the wording is excellent!  I tweak some of the phrases to make the message more personal (for example:  “our institution” becomes “Belhaven”) and make other changes as appropriate, but I use most of what ChatGPT presents as my message.  One big bonus to taking this extra step:  I find the ChatGPT response filters out any emotion I might have put into my response (I know none of you ever get exasperated with your students and struggle with how NOT to let that show in your response) but relays the same message in a kinder, gentler way.

Support Each Other Through Prayer

Life can be tricky sometimes, and that’s why it’s essential to create a space for prayer in our virtual classroom. We can let our students share their prayer requests; as a community, we can pray for each other. It’s a beautiful way to show support and care for one another. In the “Course Resources” section of your course, there are “Prayer Request” and “Questions for the Professor” discussion options.  Student submissions to these areas are not automatically triggered by your “To Do” notifications, so you must check them regularly to avoid overlooking a student needing help.  But, if you habitually check regularly and respond to student concerns, word spreads rapidly among students in your class, and they start posting more frequently.  As a bonus, you develop a cohort of loving, caring individuals who pray for each other and support each other through the rough patches.

Be All About Servant Leadership

Do you know what makes a real difference? Being a servant leader! Leading by example and showing our students how serving others is at the heart of our faith is an effective way to spread the message of love. When they see us putting others first, they’ll be inspired to do the same, creating a caring and supportive atmosphere.  Offering grace whenever possible is also a visible testimony to servant leadership.  While we must maintain the academic integrity of our courses, programs, and university, we must also support our students when they need exceptions.  I know that many times I’ve had to swallow my feelings of “but this is a graduate program, and we shouldn’t need to . . .” when dealing with student issues or demands, sometimes exceptions are warranted. If you have a sticky issue with a student and don’t know what options you may have, please get in touch with me so we can discuss different ways to address the situation.  Sometimes bending the rules is the right approach, but please work with me before you try to bend them too far!

Celebrate Together and Give Thanks

Whenever something extraordinary happens, let’s remember to give thanks and celebrate! We can acknowledge that our achievements result from God’s blessings. By sharing our joy and gratitude, we’ll strengthen the sense of community among us We can use this blog to celebrate together and give thanks.  You can use the announcement section of your course to celebrate and give thanks for your students’ achievements and successes.

Disclaimer:  I used ChatGPT to help identify potential topics for my blogs, including this one, but the thoughts and ideas expressed are mine.  Upcoming potential topics, as identified by ChatGPT, include the following:  enhancing online learning, improving course design, supporting diverse learnings, fostering academic integrity, leveraging student feedback, and sharing success stories.

If there are specific topics you would like me to address, please let me know in the comments section below. I look forward to seeing our online community flourish with our Christ-centered approaches. Together, we can create an environment where students learn, grow spiritually, and feel supported by their professors.

In Christ,

Cindy

Posted on No Comments on Using a rubric to grade student submissions in SpeedGrader

Using a rubric to grade student submissions in SpeedGrader

Using a Rubric to grade in Speedgrader

Greetings!

This may be a refresher or something new, either way I’m sure you will pick up a tip if you review the information below from the Canvas website on using a rubric in speedgrader to grade student assignments.  Note that rubrics are included FOR MOST ASSIGNMENTS. If you run across and assignment that doesn’t have a rubric, please email curriculum@belhaven.edu.

https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Instructor-Guide/How-do-I-use-a-rubric-to-grade-submissions-in-SpeedGrader/ta-p/1015Links to an external site.

How do I use a rubric to grade submissions in SpeedGrader?

If you have added a rubric to an assignment, you can assess the rubric in SpeedGrader.

Use Rubric for Grading

If you want to use the rubric to calculate a grade, be sure you have selected the Use this rubric for assignment grading checkbox when adding a rubric to an assignmentLinks to an external site.. Make sure this checkbox is selected before you begin grading submissions.

If you do not select the rubric specifically for grading, you can still use the rubric to evaluate an assignment but the score will not update automatically.

Outcomes Extra Credit

If your rubric includes outcomes, you may be able to assign extra points for the outcome criterion if this feature is enabled for your course. Learn how to manage feature options in the course features lessonLinks to an external site..

Notes:

Open SpeedGrader

Open SpeedGrader

Open SpeedGrader from any assignment, graded discussion, or quiz.

Open Student Submission

Open Student Submission

Use the student listLinks to an external site. to locate a student submission.

View Rubric

View Rubric

Click the View Rubric button.

Resize Rubric

Resize Rubric

To view the entire rubric window, you may need to scroll both vertically and horizontally. To resize the rubric window, click and drag the sizing column horizontally.

Complete Rubric

Complete Rubric

For each criterion, click the rating that applies to the student’s submission [1]. The selected rating displays the rating value in the Points field [2]. If a criterion includes a range, clicking a rating selects the entire range and defaults to the highest value in the range [3].

To select a different value within a range, type the value into the Points (pts) field [4]. You can manually enter points above the criterion maximum point value. Each criterion value adds to the student’s total points [5].

To deselect a rating and revert the point value assigned, click the rating assigned [6].

Outcomes may also be able to support additional points. If additional points on outcomes are not retained after the rubric is saved, this feature has not been enabled for your course.

You can also add a comment for each rubric criterion by clicking the Comment icon [7].

Save Rubric

Save Rubric

Click the Save button.

View Score

View Score

If you set your rubric for grading, the rubric points will be automatically populated in the grade field. Otherwise, you can enter the grade from the rubric manually.