Navigating Blackboard

Grading a Discussion

What is a Discussion in Blackboard?

A discussion is a place for the class to discuss certain topics, post ideas, and carry a conversation asynchronously. You can create Discussions in the Discussions area of the course, or directly on the Course Content area.  You can also allow students to create their own discussion topics by updating the Discussion Settings (default is off). Learn more about discussions at this link to Anthology’s Blackboard Help site, as well as in the video below.

 

How do I enable grading for a discussion?

When you create a discussion, they are automatically set to ungraded. To be able to grade student responses in a Discussion Board, you need to enable grading. Learn more about grading discussions through Anthology’s Blackboard Help page, or you can follow the instructions in the video below to learn how to grade the discussion:

 

Alternatively, you can also view these step-by-step instructions, too!

  1. Locate the discussion you want to grade. Select the Settings icon. The Discussion Setting panel will open on the right.
    The discussion settings icon in the right corner of the discussion creation page.
  2. Under Details and Actions, select the checkbox for Grade discussion.
    The checkbox for the 'grade discussion' setting selected.
  3. After you’ve enabled grading, you can set the participation due date by selecting the calendar and clock icon.
    The calendar and clock icon under the 'Participation and Grading' heading.
  4. You can choose the grade unit, either PointsPercentage, or Letter.
    The 'Grade Using' drop-down menu to select letter, points, or percentage.
  5. Specify the maximum points possible for the graded discussion by entering the number in the box.
    Enterring the maximum number of points in the 'Maximum points' box.
  6. Optionally, you can also add a rubric by selecting Add grading rubric. 
    The setting for 'Add grading rubric' highlighted under 'Additional tools'.
  7. Select Save once you are satisfied with your choices.
    The 'save' button in the bottom right corner, beneath all of the other settings.

How do I grade a discussion in Blackboard?

  1. Select the discussion board in the navigation bar to access all discussion posts.
    The discussions tab in the top navigation menu of a course.
  2. In the discussion board, locate the discussion post you want to grade.
  3. At the top of the discussion post, select Grades & Participation.
    Grade discussion menu item highlighted.
    The menu will look like this:
    A screenshot of the Grades & Participation page, showing student grades for the discussion
  4. On the Grades & Participation page, select students’ names to open pages with their contributions. Students’ responses and replies are highlighted on their submission pages, along with other metrics to help you analyze the students’ work. You can learn more about these discussion analytics by visiting Anthology’s Blackboard Help page for viewing discussion performance and analytics.
    Screenshot of a student response to a discussion, with Discussion Analysis on the right side
  5. Once you’ve selected a student and reviewed their contributions, you can type a grade into the grade pill and provide them with feedback.
    Grade pill and feedback icon to give the student a grade and feedback.
  6. When you’re ready to reveal the grade to the student, open the menu and select Post.

 

Need support? Contact the Innovative Learning Support Centre. We are here to help!

Tags: