Grade Forums

Why Do This

To encourage meaningful forum contributions, grade the forums based on:

1. Quantitative and qualitative contributions to the discussion.
2. Responsiveness to discussion and demonstration of knowledge and understanding gained from assigned readings.
3. Adherence to forum etiquette and protocols as described in your syllabus.

There are two different ways to review and grade a student’s forum contributions:

1. Whole forum grading: Assign one grade for all of the posts and replies combined. You can manually assign the grade, or use a rubric or grading guide to calculate the grade.
2. Ratings: Assign individual grades (ratings) for each post and reply.

You will choose which method to use when setting up the forum. Please see our help guide Set up Forums for more information.

Whole Forum Grading

1. While viewing your forum, click the Grade Users button (located underneath your description and above the posts).

 

2. This will pull up the first user. Their name will be displayed in the upper right. On the left you will see all posts and replies by that user and on the right is the grading panel.

 

3. On the left, above each post you will see who started the discussion. If it is the user you are grading, it means this was an initial discussion post. If it is a different user, it means the initial discussion post was started by someone else and this is a reply. Click “View parent post” to view the post the user was replying to.

 

4. For each post you will see the subject, when it was posted, and the full text of the post. Unfortunately at this time late posts are not indicated in any way, so you will want to keep your due dates in mind when grading.

 

5. On the right, in the grading panel, if you are using Simple Direct Grading you will see a box below Grade where you can enter the grade. At this time there is no feedback box in the grading panel. To provide feedback you will want to view the post in the forum and click reply. See our help guide on managing forums for how to do so. If you are using a rubric or grading guide, they will be listed here. Fill out and the system will automatically calculate the final grade.

 

6. Select whether you want this user to receive a notification that a grade has been given. If you select No, the student will not be notified, but the grade will be visible.

 

7. Move to the next user by clicking the arrows at the top. Your changes will automatically be saved. Or, click the magnifying glass icon at the top and select a specific user from the dropdown. Or type their name in the box.

 

9. If finished, click the arrow above the user’s name to close the grading panel.
   
   
   
10. Click Save to save your changes. Finally, click Close to return to the forum.

 

 

Ratings

1. While in your forum, click on the discussion you wish to grade first.

 

2. At the top of the post you will see the subject, who posted it, and when it was posted. Unfortunately at this time late posts are not indicated in any way, so you will want to keep your due dates in mind when grading.

 

3. In the lower left of the post, select the grade from the dropdown. Once selected the score will display to the left of the dropdown. The number in the parenthesis is how many times this post has been graded.

 

4. Scroll down and grade any replies. Once finished grading this thread, click the link in the lower right to go to the thread above this one, or click the link in the lower left to go to the thread below this one. If you do not see a link in the lower left or lower right, it means this thread was either at the top of the list or the bottom.

 

5. Repeat until all threads and posts have been graded.