Assess users in discussion threads

You can assess learners' participation in discussion topics from within threads for topics to which you've added an assessment. In the Assess Post pop-up, you can view the post you are assessing, along with any attached rubrics and fields to add in personal feedback.

If your topic is moderated, you must approve posts before you can assess them. To assess individual posts, you must edit the topic to enable the Allow assessment of individual posts check box in the Assessment tab.

  1. On the navbar, click Discussions.
  2. On the Discussions List page, click the topic you want to assess.
  3. Depending on your view settings, do one of the following:
    • In Reading view, instructors can assess an individual learner while viewing all of a learner's posts together on one screen. Click the context menu beside a thread name and select Assess Student.
    • In Grid view, instructors can select either the thread or reply for a post. Click the More Actions button and then select Assess to assess the individual learner.
  4. In the popup dialog box, do any of the following:
    • If assessment of individual posts is enabled and you are in Reading View, enter a score in the Score column beside each post you want to assess. If assessment of individual posts is enabled and you are in Grid View, add the assessment in the Post Score field.
    • If assessment of individual posts is not enabled, enter a score in the Topic Score field. This score is the assessment you are providing to the learner for participation in the topic.
    • Complete each rubric, choosing a level and entering feedback for each criterion. The Total calculates automatically based on the rubric criteria, or you can manually enter the Total and override the calculation. Note that the calculated or chosen Total is automatically populated in the Topic Score field. To return the Topic Score to the calculated score from the rubric, click Clear Override.
    • If learning outcomes are aligned to the discussion topic, using the scale defined by an administrator, assess the learner's progress against each learning outcome. For example, achievement levels might include the following: Does Not Meet Expectations, Meets Expectations, and Exceeds Expectations. For more information, see Assessing discussion threads against learning outcomes.
    • In the General Feedback field, enter feedback comments.
  5. Click Save Draft to retain the assessment results and publish at a later time. Click Publish to immediately release the assessment results to the learner in Assignments, Discussions, Grades, Content, and User Progress simultaneously.