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1
(View of Canvas Discussion Tool with an ice breaker prompt and response)
Instructions
1. Inside your course site, click on Discussions tab on the left navigation panel.
2. Click the + Discussion button in red on the top right of page.
3. Insert a topic title followed by the discussion prompt in the larger box. Decide which
sections or all sections it will be posted to. Select desired options. In this case, we will
create a Graded discussion.
4. Assign points, percentage, complete/incomplete, GPA scale, or letter grade.
5. Optional: Assign the Discussion to a group you have created or Require Peer Reviews.
6.
Assign to everyone or a specific section. Insert the Due Dates and Available Dates. Use
the +Add at the bottom to create different due dates for sections or individuals. Click Save.
7. Optional: Add Rubric using the 3 vertical dots (see Recipe for Building a Rubric in Canvas)
Discussion Board with a Purpose
Encourage Critical Thinking
• Demonstrate Key Concepts and Critical
Thinking Skills
• Community Building/Student Leadership
• Reflection
• Debate
• Polling or Consensus building
• Role Play
• Peer review and feedback
• Develop or share group projects
• Invite Experts
• Problem solve and find solutions
• Classroom questions or content related
questions (Reduce student emails, TA can
facilitate)
• Resource sharing or current event sharing
• Exploratory: probe facts & basic knowledge
• Challenge: interrogate assumptions,
conclusions or interpretations
• Relational: ask for comparisons of themes,
ideas or issues
• Diagnostic: probe motives or causes
• Action: call for a conclusion or action
• Cause & Effect: ask for causal relationships
between ideas, actions or events
• Extension: expand the discussion
• Hypothetical: pose a change in the facts or
issues
• Priority: seek to identify the most important
issues
• Summary: elicit synthesis
Source: “Mastering Online Discussion Board Facilitation” 2010. TeacherStream LLC. Edutopia.org
Considerations
•
Design activities that are
interesting & motivating.
•
Allow students to suggest
discussion topics
•
Create discussions for
small group use (no more
than ~8 students)
•
Establish a minimum
posting requirement to
original post and peers.
•
Establish expectation that
students are the central
focus of discussion and
to take ownership of their
learning experience.
•
Create guidelines for how
credit will be awarded.
Success criteria such as
posting regularly,
responding to
classmates’ posts,
staying on topic, etc.
Tips
•
Provide clear guidelines
for posting material (how
often to comment, length
of comment, what info to
include, to cite readings
or sources.)
•
Demonstrate the
behavior you want to see
•
Specify the level of
formality
•
Encourage posting early
on
•
Email students who are
not participating and offer
assistance.
•
Have students establish
clear netiquette
guidelines and
acceptable behavior
policies at the very
beginning. Monitor
discussions regularly.
•
Don’t dominate
conversation as the
facilitator.
Challenge
Create a discussion
activity that provides a
structured learning
environment, meets
course objectives,
engages students, and
keeps the conversation
going.
Setting Up a Discussion in Canvas
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2
(View of student posts from inside Speedgrader Tool)
Instructions
1. Go into the discussion activity you want to grade in Canvas.
2. Once inside the discussion, click on the three vertical dots on the top right of the page
and select Speedgrader in the dropdown menu.
3. Inside Speedgrader, view an individual student’s posts all together or select view the
full discussion to see the posts in context. Use the left and right arrows in the top right
to view different students work.
4. On the right side of the screen, post qualitative comments, insert a score, or Select
rubric (if you provided one in the system) to offer more specific feedback using criteria.
(See rubric criteria ideas below). Select Save if using a rubric. Select submit for final
comments.
5.
If using Automatic Grading Policy, students will receive the feedback and a notification as
soon as a score is inserted. If using Manual Grading Policy, go to the crossed-out eye
icon at the top left of the black bar and select Post Grades when you are ready for
students to receive. This will trigger a notification to students.
Rubric criteria ideas: Assessing discussion quality
Use Cases for Assessment
• Critical thinking (Knowledge, Comprehension,
Application, Analysis, Synthesis, or Evaluation)
•
Connection to material/relevance
• Thought-provoking or Persuasive
• Originality
• Accuracy
•
Developed an argument (citing credible sources)
• Level of engagement/High quality participation
• Preparedness
• Attitude
• Conciseness
• Self-Assessment (not
included in Canvas)
• Peer Assessment (using
Peer Review tool)
• Checklists (self or peer)
• Reflective Journals
• Graphic Organizers
• Concept Maps
• One Minute Papers
• Pre and Post assessment
Source: “Mastering Online Discussion Board Facilitation” 2010. TeacherStream LLC. Edutopia.org
Considerations
•
Assessment must be
matched to learning
outcomes of course.
•
Assessment must be
aligned with
instruction. How is it
relevant to class?
•
Provide success
criteria and clear
guidelines regarding
how student work will
be assessed.
•
Grading can be done
by teachers or peers
using peer review.
Tips
•
Include a rubric from
the beginning on
Canvas. Show
students where find it.
•
Assess both quality
and quantity of
responses.
•
View history of
individual students
posts or see them
within conversation.
Challenge
Find a way to assess
discussions that
works for you. This
example uses the
Canvas
Speedgrader tool to
provide qualitative
and quantitative
feedback for
Discussion tool
activities. These
scores go into your
Canvas Gradebook.
Assessing Discussions in Canvas