In the Discussions tool, you can review and evaluate discussion topics and individual participants without changing your workflow.
New Discussion Evaluation Experience
The new Discussion Evaluation Experience is part of a redesign of all assessable tools. The new experience allows instructors to better review and evaluate both discussion topics and individual participants, without changing their workflow.
The New Discussion Evaluation Experience includes the following features:
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The name of the activity, navigation arrows, and learner name and profile card appear in the header panel at the top.
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The discussion topic and replies appear in the submission panel on the left. The title of the topic or the reply is a link that will open the post in a new window so you can get an idea of the context in which the post was made.
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Evaluation tools like Grades, Rubrics, Grading Rubric, and Feedback appear in the evaluation panel on the right. When you open the Inline Rubric, it expands within the panel or pops out into a new window for grading.
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You can drag the divider between the submission panel and the evaluation panel to resize them to suit your preferences and screen size. The divider stays in the same position as you navigate through your learners' submissions.
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In adaptive mobile view, the evaluation tools are hidden in a drawer at the bottom of the screen. Tap the drawer to display the tools.
Figure: Mobile view of discussion evaluation.
Link a discussion assessment to a grade item
Link a discussion topic to a grade item to grade learners based on their participation or knowledge in your course. Discussions are a great way to interact and engage with your learners and allow them to practice demonstrating their knowledge.
Make a discussion topic gradable and link it to a grade item
When you add a discussion topic’s score to a numeric grade item in your grade book, your learners’ scores automatically transfer to the grade book. This enables you to factor the topic score into their final grades for the course.
Note: You can only link numeric grade items to discussion topics.
To make a discussion topic gradable and link it to a grade item
- You can edit an existing topic or create a new discussion topic:
- Navigate to Discussions. In the Actions menu for a discussion topic, click Edit Topic.
Figure: The Actions menu for a discussion topic showing the Edit Topic option.
- Navigate to Content. In the module where you want to create your discussion topic, click Create New > Discussion.
Figure: The What would you like to create? page showing the Discussion option.
- On the topic creation or edit page, enter a numeric value in the Grade Out Of field
Figure: The Grade Out Of field.
- In the Grade Out Of section, click the drop-down menu and click Edit or Link to Existing.
Figure: The drop-down menu with the Edit or Link to Existing option highlighted.
- In the Edit or Link to Existing dialog, select one of the following:
- Select Create and link to a new grade item to create a new grade item associated with your discussion topic. Choose the Grade Scheme for your new grade item.
- Select Link to an existing grade item to link your discussion topic to an existing grade item. Select the existing grade item from the drop-down list.
- Click OK.
Figure: The Edit or Link to Existing dialog showing the options for associating a discussion topic to a grade item.
- Toggle the Visibility of your discussion topic ON or OFF.
- Click Save and Close.
Figure: The Save and Close option and Visibility toggle for a discussion topic.
Your discussion topic is now linked to a grade item.
Assess a discussion topic
You must publish the score in order for Brightspace to update the grade item in the grade book. This prevents the display of inaccurate grades before you finish assessing users. When you publish the topic score, Brightspace updates the grade item in the grade book, and makes the grade visible to learners in Discussions, Content, and User Progress. Any additional changes you make to a user’s score automatically updates in the grade book.
To assess a discussion topic
- Navigate to Discussions.
- From the Actions menu of the topic you want to assess, click Assess Topic.
Figure: The Actions menu for a discussion topic showing the Assess Topic option.
- On the Assess Topic page, do one of the following:
- To publish scores for specific learners, select the Draft check box in the Status column beside each learner whose score you want to release. Click Save.
- To publish scores for all learners, click Publish > Yes.
Video: How to grade a discussion in your grade book
Evaluate discussions using the Discussions tool
The discussion topic and replies appear in the submission panel on the left. The title of the topic or the reply is a link that opens the post in a new window so you can get an idea of the context in which the post was made.
You can drag the divider between the submission and evaluation panels to resize them to suit your preferences and screen size. The divider stays in the same position as you navigate your learners' submissions.
To evaluate a topic
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On your course homepage, navigate to Discussions.
Figure: Course homepage with the Discussion tool highlighted.
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On the Discussions List tab, select the Assess Topic option by clicking the drop-down menu next to the related topic's name.
Figure: The Assess Topic option in the drop-down menu.
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Once the new page has loaded that lists users who have posted a thread to the chosen topic, click Topic Score under a learner's name.
Figure: Selection of a learner’s discussion posts on the Assess Topic page.
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Once the thread has loaded in a new page, populate the following fields:
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In the Overall Grade field, add the learner's grade.
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In the Overall Feedback field, add your comments or feedback.
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Do one of the following:
Figure: The New Evaluation Experience page.
To evaluate a learner:
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On your course homepage, navigate to Discussions.
Figure: Course homepage with the Discussion tool highlighted.
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On the Discussions List tab, select the topic you want to assess.
Figure: Selection of topics on the Discussions List tab.
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From the View Topic page, select the Assess Student option by clicking the drop-down menu next to the corresponding thread's name.
Figure: The Assess Student option in the drop-down menu.
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Once the thread has loaded in a new page, populate the following fields:
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In the Overall Grade field, add the learner's grade.
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In the Overall Feedback field, add your comments and feedback.
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Do one of the following:
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Click Publish for the student to be notified of their activity grade.
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Click Save as Draft to publish the grade and feedback later.
Figure: Assessing a topic in Discussions.
Note: You can also evaluate both topics and learners using the following way: From the View Topic page, click the needed thread and select the Assess Topic or Assess Student option next to this thread name.
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Your grade will be published on the Assess Topic page.
Figure: The Topic Score on the Assess Topic page.
Retract and re-publish assessments of discussions
You can retract published assessments from learner view if you need to re-assess discussion posts. This option is available for individual users, or you can use the bulk retract and publishing features for larger numbers of users or the entire class.
- Navigate to Discussions.
- From the context menu of the topic you want to assess, click Assess Topic.
- Select the check-box next to a learner's name and click Publish Feedback, or Retract Feedback.
Note: Use the Status column to view information on when feedback was published, if a topic has not been evaluated, or if feedback is currently saved as a draft.
Assign scores to users from the Assess Topic page
To assign scores to users from the Assess Topic page
You can assess users from inside a discussion topic while reading posts, or from the Assess Topic page. When assessing users from the Assess Topic page, you can see topic scores for all users and view all of a user’s posts together on one screen.
Assessable topics display an Includes assessment icon beside the topic name on the Discussions List page. If you select the A moderator must approve individual posts before they display in the topic setting, you must approve posts in the topic 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 Assessments tab.
- On the navbar, click Discussions.
- From the context menu of the topic you want to assess, click Assess Topic. If the Score column is empty on the Assess Topic page, click Manage Columns, select the Score Value check box, and click Save.
- Do one of the following:
- In the Users tab, click Topic Score for the name of the user you want to assess.
- In the Assessments tab, click the name of the user you want to assess.
- In the Topic Score Details window, do any of the following:
- If Allow assessment of individual posts is enabled, enter a value in the Score column beside each post you want to assess.
- If Allow assessment of individual posts is not enabled, assign a value in the Topic Score to reflect the learner's participation in the whole topic.
- Complete each rubric with a level and feedback for each criterion.
- In the General Feedback field, enter any comments that you have.
- 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.
Watch how to grade a Discussion topic
Evaluate discussion topics
Use discussions to assess your learners' knowledge and let them apply their learning from course content.
- Navigate to Discussions.
- On the Discussions List page, from the Actions menu of the topic you want to evaluate, click Assess Topic.
Figure: The Actions menu showing the Assess Topic option.
- Click the Topic Score link beneath the name of the user you want to assess. This will bring up all of their posts for the topic, which you can then assign either individual scores or an overall topic score for.
You have graded your learners' discussion posts.
Assess individual discussion topic posts
- Navigate to Discussions.
- In the Actions menu of your discussion topic, click Edit Topic.
Figure: The Actions menu showing the Edit Topic option.
- On the Edit Topic page, expand the Evaluation & Feedback accordion.
- Select Allow evaluation of individual posts. Select your Calculation Method.
Figure: The Evaluation & Feedback accordion expanded.
- Click Save and Close.
Figure: The Save and Close option on the Edit Topic page.
You have enabled the evaluation of individual posts for your discussion topic.
Evaluate discussions using the new content experience
In the Discussions tool, you can review and evaluate discussion topics and individual participants without changing your workflow.
Evaluate discussion topics and individual learner posts directly from the Content tool to avoid jumping back and forth between different tools in Brightspace.
To evaluate a topic:
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On your Content page, navigate to the desired lesson that your discussion lives within and click Go to Discussions.
Figure: The Content page with the Discussion tool highlighted.
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On the Discussions List tab, select the Assess Topic option by clicking the drop-down menu next to the related topic's name.
Figure: The Assess Topic option in the drop-down menu.
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Once the new page has loaded that lists users who have posted a thread to the chosen topic, click Topic Score under a learner's name.
Figure: Selection of a learner’s discussion posts on the Assess Topic page.
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Once the thread has loaded in a new page, populate the following fields:
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In the Overall Grade field, add the learner's grade.
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In the Overall Feedback field, add your comments or feedback.
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Do one of the following:
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Click Publish for the student to be notified of their activity grade.
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Click Save as Draft to publish the grade and feedback later.
Figure: The New Evaluation Experience page.
The discussion topic and replies appear in the submission panel on the left. The title of the topic or the reply is a link that opens the post in a new window so you can get an idea of the context in which the post was made.
You can drag the divider between the submission and evaluation panels to resize them to suit your preferences and screen size. The divider stays in the same position as you navigate your learners' submissions.
To evaluate a learner:
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On your Content page, navigate to the desired lesson that your discussion lives within and click Go to Discussions.
Figure: The Content page with the Discussion tool highlighted.
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On the Discussions List tab, select the topic you want to assess.
Figure: Selection of topics on the Discussions List tab.
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From the View Topic page, select the Assess Student option by clicking the drop-down menu next to the corresponding thread's name.
Figure: The Assess Student option in the drop-down menu.
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Once the thread has loaded in a new page, populate the following fields:
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In the Overall Grade field, add the learner's grade.
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In the Overall Feedback field, add your comments and feedback.
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Do one of the following:
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Click Publish for the student to be notified of their activity grade.
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Click Save as Draft to publish the grade and feedback later.
The discussion topic and replies appear in the submission panel on the left. The title of the topic or the reply is a link that opens the post in a new window so you can get an idea of the context in which the post was made.
You can drag the divider between the submission and evaluation panels to resize them to suit your preferences and screen size. The divider stays in the same position as you navigate your learners' submissions.
Note: You can also evaluate both topics and learners using the following way: From the View Topic page, click the needed thread and select the Assess Topic or Assess Student option next to this thread name.
As a result, your grade will be published on the Assess Topic page.
Figure: The Topic Score on the Assess Topic page.
Evaluate discussions using the classic content experience
In the Discussions tool, you can review and evaluate discussion topics and individual participants without changing your workflow.
Evaluate discussion topics and individual learner posts directly from the Content tool to avoid jumping back and forth between different tools in Brightspace.
To evaluate a topic:
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On your Content page, navigate to the desired module that your discussion lives within and click on the title of the topic that you want to evaluate.
Figure: The Content page with the Discussion tool highlighted.
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On the Discussions List tab, select the Assess Topic option by clicking the drop-down menu next to the related topic's name.
Figure: The Assess Topic option in the drop-down menu.
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Once the new page has loaded that lists users who have posted a thread to the chosen topic, click Topic Score under a learner's name.
Figure: Selection of a learner’s discussion posts on the Assess Topic page.
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Once the thread has loaded in a new page, populate the following fields:
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In the Overall Grade field, add the learner's grade.
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In the Overall Feedback field, add your comments or feedback.
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Do one of the following:
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Click Publish for the student to be notified of their activity grade.
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Click Save as Draft to publish the grade and feedback later.
Figure: The New Evaluation Experience page.
The discussion topic and replies appear in the submission panel on the left. The title of the topic or the reply is a link that opens the post in a new window so you can get an idea of the context in which the post was made.
You can drag the divider between the submission and evaluation panels to resize them to suit your preferences and screen size. The divider stays in the same position as you navigate your learners' submissions.
To evaluate a learner:
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On your Content page, navigate to the desired module that your discussion lives within and click on the title of the topic that you want to evaluate.
Figure: The Content page with the Discussion tool highlighted.
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On the Discussions List tab, select the topic you want to assess.
Figure: Selection of topics on the Discussions List tab.
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From the View Topic page, select the Assess Student option by clicking the drop-down menu next to the corresponding thread's name.
Figure: The Assess Student option in the drop-down menu.
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Once the thread has loaded in a new page, populate the following fields:
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In the Overall Grade field, add the learner's grade.
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In the Overall Feedback field, add your comments and feedback.
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Do one of the following:
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Click Publish for the student to be notified of their activity grade.
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Click Save as Draft to publish the grade and feedback later.
Figure: The New Evaluation Experience page
The discussion topic and replies appear in the submission panel on the left. The title of the topic or the reply is a link that opens the post in a new window so you can get an idea of the context in which the post was made.
You can drag the divider between the submission and evaluation panels to resize them to suit your preferences and screen size. The divider stays in the same position as you navigate your learners' submissions.
Note: You can also evaluate both topics and learners using the following way: From the View Topic page, click the needed thread and select the Assess Topic or Assess Student option next to this thread name.
As a result, your grade will be published on the Assess Topic page.
Figure: The Topic Score on the Assess Topic page.