Assess Discussions

Assess Topics

Step 1

On the Discussions page, select the Actions Menu icon next to the name of the Discussion Topic you want to assess and select Assess Topic.

Step 2

Select Topic Score beneath the student's name to view all messages composed and replies written by that specific student.

Step 3

On the next screen, you will see all of the posts, both threads and replies, that a student has made within this Discussion Topic.

Step 4

Enter a score in the Overall Grade field in the panel on the right side of the screen.

Step 5

If you have attached a Rubric to this Topic, it will appear under the Rubrics heading on the right panel of the screen. Select the Rubric to expand it, and select the appropriate Levels for each Criterion to assign a grade. The Overall Grade will populate automatically once the Rubric is complete.

Step 6

Leave comments for the student if desired in the Overall Feedback field (only this student will be able to see this feedback.)

Step 7

Select Publish to make the feedback available immediately, or select Save Draft if you'd like to wait to publish all feedback later.

Publish Scores in Bulk

If you have connected a Discussion Topic to an item in Grades, you may publish all scores for a Topic at once. 

Step 1

Select the Actions Menu icon next to the name of the Discussion Topic you'd like to assess and select Assess Topic.

Step 2a

To publish all scores, select Publish All Feedback at the top left of the page.

Step 2b

To select certain scores to publish, check the boxes next to each student, then select Publish Feedback.

Step 3

A pop-up confirmation window will appear. Select Yes to confirm you want to publish scores.

Step 4

Note that the Status column will now say Published and a timestamp will be provided for each published score.

Retract Scores in Bulk

Step 1

Select Retract All Feedback at the top of the page.

Step 2

A pop-up confirmation window will appear. Select Yes to confirm you want to retract scores.

Step 3

Note that the Status column will now say Draft and a timestamp will be provided showing when the grades were last saved.

Attach a Rubric to a Discussion Topic

Step 1

On the Discussions List page, select the Actions Menu icon to the right of the Discussion Topic where you want to attach a Rubric and select Edit Topic.

Step 2

Select the Evaluation & Feedback section to expand it.

Step 3

Select Add Rubric.

Step 4

Choose either Create New or Add Existing.

Step 4a

If you choose Add Existing, select the desired rubric from the menu that appears, or search for it in the Search field, then choose Add Selected.

Step 4b

If you need assistance in creating a rubric, see the Rubrics Help Pages for detailed instructions.

Step 5

Save and Close the Edit Topic page.

Assess a Topic with a Rubric

Step 1

On the Discussions List page, select the Actions Menu icon to the right to the title of the Discussion Topic you want to assess and select Assess Topic.

Step 2

Select the Topic Score link under the name of the student you want to evaluate.

Step 3

A pop-up window appears with the Rubric at the top of the window. Scroll down to view the student's posts.  After reading the posts, scroll back up and select the check box for Publish score on save if you want to save the score to Grades as soon as you save the assessment. 

Step 4

Select inside the Rubric box to select the appropriate Levels for each Criterion.

Step 5

Select Add Feedback (+ Feedback) to write comments for that specific Criterion.

Step 6

Add any general comments in the Overall Feedback box directly below the Rubric.

Step 7

Select Save and Close at the bottom of the page

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