Can you share rubrics across courses?

Kathleen.C.887

What is the easiest way to share department rubrics within Brightspace? Since rubrics are easily edited, I do have a concern about keeping them in tact when sharing.

Thanks!

brad.r.503

Sharing department rubrics in Brightspace can be accomplished effectively while also maintaining their integrity. One of the most efficient ways to share rubrics is by using the "Export" and "Import" functionalities in Brightspace, which allow for the distribution of rubrics without the risk of unwanted edits. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to do this:

1. Exporting the Rubric:
   • Navigate to the course where the rubric is currently located.
   • Go to the Rubrics tool within the course.
   • Find the rubric you want to share, and choose the option to "Export".
   • This will download the rubric in a specific format that can be used within Brightspace (usually .csv or .zip).
2. Sharing the Exported Rubric File:
   • Once the rubric is exported, you can share the file with your department through email, a shared network drive, or a secure file sharing service.
   • It's essential to communicate that this rubric is a template and should not be edited directly in its shared form. Instead, instruct recipients to import the rubric into their own Brightspace course and make any course-specific modifications there.
3. Importing the Rubric into a New Course:
   • Instructors within your department can then import the rubric into their own courses.
   • They would go to the Rubrics tool in their course and select the option to "Import".
   • They would then upload the file that was shared with them and import it into their course.
4. Locking the Rubric (if needed):
   • If Brightspace at your institution supports rubric locking, you can lock the rubric to prevent changes. This might not be necessary if you trust the staff not to edit the master template and only edit their own imported versions.
5. Educating About Best Practices:
   • It might be helpful to provide guidance on best practices for using shared department rubrics. For instance, encourage instructors to make a duplicate of the imported rubric and rename it for their course-specific adaptations, keeping the original template untouched for future use.

By following these steps, you ensure that the integrity of the department rubrics is maintained, and each instructor has the flexibility to adapt the rubric for their specific course needs.

Kathleen.C.887

TY!!!