SFCC - Assessment Criteria for Online Discussions

Assessment criteria should reward well-researched thoughtful participation, which adds genuine value to conversations. The following table lists a set of qualitative criteria for accessing online discussions:

Criteria	Excellent Posts	Average Posts	Poor Posts
Research	Uses three or more reliable sources to support a position taken in posts, and provides citations	Uses one or two reliable sources to support a position taken in posts, and provides citations	No reliable sources used to support a position taken in posts, and no citations
Integration	Often refers to assigned reading and demonstrates comprehensive understanding by expanding upon them in posts	Refers to assigned readings in posts	No reference to assigned readings in posts
Critical Thinking	Draws generalizations from information, explains, connects, categorizes, or deduces patterns recognized in information, or judges the merit of ideas	Summarizes, describes, interprets, and contrasts information or applies general principles to specific situations	Demonstrates recall of facts, definitions, and observations
Frequency	Six or more value-added responses per assignment, with even allocation of posts across the discussion threads, showing full engagement with the discussion	Three value-added responses per assignment, with variable allocation of posts across the discussion threads, showing average engagement with the discussion	Less than three responses per assignment, with little or no value-add to the discussions, and uneven allocation of posts in discussion threads
Responsiveness	Responds promptly to postings, with relevant and useful information that furthers the discussion thread	Posts assignments and responses by deadlines, with relevant and useful information	Misses deadlines for posts, and only makes contributions after prompting by instructor

When using grades as a means to require student participation in online discussions, the timeframe between posting an assignment and responses is an important consideration. If the dates between assignment posts and responses are too long, rich lengthy discussion threads may not develop. Early posters will be disappointed by the lack of responses. If the period is too short, posters won't have sufficient time to prepare well-researched thoughtful replies. Depending upon the complexity of an assignment, experience has shown that typically a three to four day lapse between initial instructor assignment and student response and two days for students to respond to each other are sufficient to encourage thread development, while maintaining quality posts. (Tip: If you award separate points for the initial response to an assignment and the posts to other students, then be sure to award sufficient points for posts to other students to make it worth the student's while to create quality replies.)

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