[Rubrics] Assignment Rubric auto-save

[ellisonl15]

This idea has been developed and deployed to Canvas LMS

Several times I have been working on an assignment rubric, then switch back to the assignment to add some detail or make some other edit. I do this, of course, without thinking about the fact that rubric is a separate thing from the assignment and that I must save it before editing the assignment, destroyed all of the changes I'd made to the rubric. 

A prompt box to save the rubric before it lets you navigate away would be one solution, or having an auto-save feature so that your work is not lost for good is another. 

[Stef_retired]

@ellisonl15 

Thanks for sharing this idea. As it moves forward for broader discussion, I'll include a link to Auto Save Rubrics or Give Save Warning to confirm the understanding that these are two different requests—this one is for the process of creating a rubric, and the other is directed at how rubrics are used in grading.

[JenniferHoran]

I wanted to make a correction to my rubrics this morning and here is what happened:

I created a master rubric within my assignment and which appeared in the Canvas tools on left hand side of Canvas.  I deleted the rubric in the assignment in order to make some changes, thinking it would remain in the tools.  However, this was not the case.  Could a rubric be created independently from assignments to avoid this double deletion?

[CarolineHobbs]

Just chiming in to say that we had a faculty member lose a bunch of work on a rubric this morning because of this interface as well. A pop-up warning or autosave would be very useful!

[KristinL]

  Comments from Instructure

For more information, please read through the Canvas Deploy Notes (2022-08-03). 

[KristinL]

Comments from Instructure

For more information, please read through the Canvas Deploy Notes (2022-08-03). 

[KristinL]

Hi Everyone -

While an "unsaved changes" warning has been added when marking/grading rubrics in SpeedGrader, it did not apply to the creation of rubrics. This idea has not been completed and was accidentally included in the 2022-08-03 Deploy Notes. We apologize for any confusion and frustration this may have caused. In cooperation with the Product Team, we are making sure that our resources reflect this as well. 

At this time, comments are closed as we prepare for Idea Conversations: The Path Forward, but this thread will return to our Open status and will be reevaluated.

[RobinNielson]

Problem statement:

Rubrics vanish with no way to restore if the rubrics are left for any reason. When creating a rubric, the data can be easily lost if any other process is done during the creation of said rubric. For example, if one is creating a rubric on the assignment page, a change to the text in the related assignment will cause the rubric to vanish. Heaven forbid you hit save to the text...that really throws a wrench in the works! There is no indicator, reminder, flashing lights or sirens to tell you DON'T DO IT! THE DATA YOU HAVE CREATED WILL BE LOST! SAVE YOUR RUBRIC BEFORE DOING ANYTHING ELSE! While I know the flashing lights wouldn't happen, it would be nice to have a popup that prevents loss of rubric work. Something that would remind creators to save the rubric before exiting. The SAVE button on the assignment is ONLY for the assignment. Having them on the same page...well...when it's late, we forget they aren't connected. And once that rubric is left for ANY REASON, well, all that hard work just goes away. For good. Forever. It's very, very sad.

Proposed solution:

SUGGESTION: An auto-save feature on new rubrics and/or a warning that the rubric has not been saved before continuing. Auto-save would be FANTASTIC. And it would be nice to have a popup that prevents loss of rubric work. Something that would remind creators to save the rubric before exiting. Or, if it's an auto-save mode, something to ask creators if they are done and want to confirm the save. WHY: Because teachers multi-task. We get moving around our documents and rubrics and zip around all over. A fix in a rubric reminds us that a fix is needed in the text and, when we go up to the text and make the fix, and go back to the rubric...well, it's gone.

User role(s):

instructor