Rubric-Based Marking for Extended Response questions in Multi-Format Assessments 

You can now grade extended response questions in Multi-Format Assessments with the help of rubric-based feedback. This marking tool enables educators to create rubrics, mark submissions against them, add specific comments to selected text, and provide overall feedback on extended-response questions.

In this article, we cover:

• Adding rubrics to Extended Response questions in MFA

• Grading Extended Response MFA questions with a Rubric

Adding rubrics to Extended Response questions in MFA

1. Launch Cadmus using the (external tool) link from within the LMS
2. Select Multi-Format as the format of your assessment. 
3. Click Set requirements, grading options and settings. Under the Marking + Feedback section, select Cadmus Marker.
4. Add an extended response question. Click the three dots option at the top right of the question. Select Add Rubric.
   
   
5. You will have the options to Create from scratch or Re-use past rubrics. Select one and click Confirm.
6. When creating a rubric from scratch, click on the Rubric Format button to switch between actual points, absolute points, and weighted percentages, and change the order of scale items from ascending to descending or vice versa. You can also toggle between list and grid views when setting up the rubric.
   
   For Points Range, enter the total points under each criterion, then add the score ranges for each scale. For Absolute Points, enter the score ranges for each scale. For Weighted Percentages, enter the percentage each criterion contributes to the final total in the Weightage column, then add the score ranges for each scale. 
   
   
   
   Cadmus also supports decimal values in rubric score ranges, allowing you to set more precise marking boundaries. This is useful when you need to award marks between whole numbers, without leaving gaps between the score ranges.
   
   You can enter up to two decimal places for the minimum and maximum values of each score range. This is supported across Points Range, Absolute Points and Weighted Percentages rubrics.

7. You can reuse rubric criteria used in previous assessments by clicking on the dropdown and selecting from available criteria or searching for a particular criterion. To add a new criterion, type it in the search bar and click the Add button. Add more information about the criteria by clicking on the description. After adding a criterion, hover over it to view the name of the entire criterion.
   
   
8. Scales can be either reused or created from scratch. To add scales from previously used rubrics, click the Re-use scale button. To add new scales, click the Build your own scale button. Click on the Add New Criteria button to add more scales or click Duplicate Last to duplicate the criteria from the previous row. Add all criteria, scales, weighting, and descriptors to complete the rubric. You can then save the rubric.  
   
   

9. Once you've finished setting up the rubric, you can:

   • Click Done to save the rubric as a draft and return to the task builder.
   • Click Release Changes to finalise the rubric and apply your changes.

   After saving the rubric, you’ll return to the task builder. Click the rubric icon to make changes to the saved rubric. Click the three dots option again to edit or remove the added rubric.

10. When reusing rubrics, select a previously used rubric from the list. If all criteria and scales are acceptable, click Use rubric. If not, you can edit the rubric and save it for grading. Click Preview to view how the rubric appears to students. Click Download PDF to export an offline copy of the rubric.
    
    

Grading Extended Response MFA questions with a Rubric

1. After the submissions are made, navigate to the Marking tab and click Mark. Click Open expanded view below the extended response answer.
   
   
2. This will open the Marking view, where the student's name is displayed at the top. Use the navigation arrows or the Next Student button to switch between submissions. Click the dropdown to search for specific student submissions.
3. The Information, Marking, and Feedback tabs are in the right panel. In the Information tab, you can find key submission-level information such as the submission time, word count, special considerations (if applicable), and added tags.
4. The Marking tab displays the marking criteria according to the rubric. You can click the scale buttons to automatically calculate marks based on the weighting percentages, absolute, or actual points. Custom marks (even decimal points) can be added in the criterion mark and the awarded points boxes. If there are unmarked criteria, an indicator at the top will show how many criteria remain unmarked.
5. In the Feedback tab, you can add feedback comments. Annotated comments can be added by selecting a portion of the work. Clicking the highlight would select the linked comment and vice versa. Click ••• on the comment box to edit, link, or unlink a comment to a specific criterion from the rubric.
6. Click on the •••  at the top right of the panel to find options to view or open the rubric in an expanded window.  When you view the rubric while marking, you can click on the lock icon 🔒  next to the furthest criteria to unlock and update it. 
   
   
   
   Note that updating a rubric after marking has begun may require re-marking the students who have already been graded. Click Proceed, then make edits to the rubric as needed.
   
   
   
   
7. When the expanded view rubric is open, the right-hand side rubric panel will not be available. Click Return Rubric to Side Panel to continue grading from the right-hand side rubric panel.