Align learning outcomes to discussion topics

You can align learning outcomes to discussion topics, enabling you to map discussion topic activities to a learner's demonstration of learning outcomes in a discussion. By viewing the learning outcomes that align to discussion topics, learners can understand what they need to demonstrate in discussion topic activities.

The Standards tab might be labeled as Competencies, Expectations, Objectives, or Outcomes, depending on the term you have specified in the d2l.Languages.Terminology.LearningOutcomes configuration variable.

Note the following:

  • To use learning outcomes, your administrator must define a scale for your organization that measures achievement in a course. For example, achievement levels might include the following: Does Not Meet Expectations, Meets Expectations, and Exceeds Expectations. In addition, you must import learning outcomes into a course using Lessons.
  • Adding a rubric to a discussion topic is optional; it is not required for assessing learning outcomes in a discussion thread.

To align learning outcomes to a discussion topic

  1. On the navbar, click Discussions.
  2. From the context menu of the topic you want to associate with learning objectives, click Edit Topic.
  3. Click the Standards tab and click Add Standards.

    The Add Standards button, used to align a standard to a specific discussion topic

  4. Select the check boxes for the learning outcomes you want to directly align to the discussion topic and click Add.
  5. Note: If a rubric with aligned outcomes is attached to the discussion topic, then the standards associated with the rubric appear on this tab. Using the Add button directly aligns learning outcomes to the discussion topic. In the image related to step 3, above, there are already outcomes directly aligned to the discussion, and not related to the rubric.

    The Browse Standards screen displays the list of standards you have imported.

  6. Click Close.

The Standards tab display is updated to show the standards which are aligned to the rubric and associated with this activity using the rubric in comparison to those which are directly aligned to the discussion topic.

Note: To assess the standards you just aligned to the discussion topic you must do one of the following:

  • Link the discussion to a grade item
  • Attach a rubric to the discussion, and evaluate against the rubric

If you don’t link the discussion to a grade item or evaluate with a rubric, the option to assess the standards does not appear.