- Identify a post within the forum, 'Stimulate a good discussion forum' by someone other than yourself and copy their response.
- In this forum click 'Reply' below and paste their response into the post,
- Include a mark their post out of 10.
- Write a justification for your mark and identify the 'criteria' you used. You can refer to the matrix in the previous reading for ideas.
- Note: Your facilitator will mark your contribution using these criteria: Is the post well articulated? | Is there a logic/rationale to the justification | Is the mark fair?
Evaluate a discussion forum post
Response by participant; 'In my opinion, they should have good knowledge of the subject being discussed and also be in a position to articulate their issues well. In addition, if the students know that they will be graded for participating, they are most likely participate.'
Mark awarded; 9 out of 10 (Exceeds expectation)
Criteria used to award the mark;
- Relevance - Posting responds directly to the discussion question and includes pertinent, connected or applicable information
- Contribution to learning community - Posting offers critical analysis of a key theme or existing post(s) which deepens or extends the conversation
- Comprehension - It is evident from the posting that the participant understands the discussion question and the key ideas from the session material. In addition, the participant employs higher order thinking skills (analysis, synthesis, evaluation) when responding to the discussion question
- Written quality - Posting has a coherent structure and the flow of the writing is easily understood. Posting is grammatically correct with no spelling errors
- Tone - Posting has a positive, supportive and professional tone
Mark awarded; 9 out of 10 (Exceeds expectation)
Criteria used to award the mark;
- Relevance - Posting responds directly to the discussion question and includes pertinent, connected or applicable information
- Contribution to learning community - Posting offers critical analysis of a key theme or existing post(s) which deepens or extends the conversation
- Comprehension - It is evident from the posting that the participant understands the discussion question and the key ideas from the session material. In addition, the participant employs higher order thinking skills (analysis, synthesis, evaluation) when responding to the discussion question
- Written quality - Posting has a coherent structure and the flow of the writing is easily understood. Posting is grammatically correct with no spelling errors
- Tone - Posting has a positive, supportive and professional tone
In reply to Dr Peninah Tanui Melly
Re: Evaluate a discussion forum post
What needs to be in place for online course participants to actively participate in a good argument?
- By posting in the discussion forums higher level (application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation) rather than lower level (knowledge and comprehension) questions as given in the Bloom’s Taxonomy. This will lead to deeper discussions by the participants.
- Grading of the discussion forums with a rubric that will give a guide on what is required.
How would you do this online?
- Waiting before replying to a student so as to give others in class a chance to respond. However if need be, you can address the student in private via email.
- Have students post their initial responses to the reading to you in private through the journal tools before participating in the discussion. It gives them a chance to collect their thoughts and practice before engaging their peers for discussion.
- Divide the class into discussion groups so as to reduce the cognitive load and increase discussion, this is because each student is required to make original post and make at least 2 replies.
- Create forum with discussion prompt and allow students create their own threads or topics.
Mark awarded: 8 out of 10 Marks
Exceeds Expectations (EE)
Criteria Used for Marks Award:-
1. Relevance - The response is related to the discussion question - 2 Marks.
2. Contribution to learning community - The response significantly deepens the
conversation - 2 Marks.
3. Comprehension - The responses depicts that the learner understands the
discussion question and contributions are relevant too - 2 Marks.
4. Written quality - The response flows and grammatically correct - 1 Mark.
5. Timelines - Responses are posted to the forum at different intervals which allows
more contributions from other learners - 1 Mark.
- By posting in the discussion forums higher level (application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation) rather than lower level (knowledge and comprehension) questions as given in the Bloom’s Taxonomy. This will lead to deeper discussions by the participants.
- Grading of the discussion forums with a rubric that will give a guide on what is required.
How would you do this online?
- Waiting before replying to a student so as to give others in class a chance to respond. However if need be, you can address the student in private via email.
- Have students post their initial responses to the reading to you in private through the journal tools before participating in the discussion. It gives them a chance to collect their thoughts and practice before engaging their peers for discussion.
- Divide the class into discussion groups so as to reduce the cognitive load and increase discussion, this is because each student is required to make original post and make at least 2 replies.
- Create forum with discussion prompt and allow students create their own threads or topics.
Mark awarded: 8 out of 10 Marks
Exceeds Expectations (EE)
Criteria Used for Marks Award:-
1. Relevance - The response is related to the discussion question - 2 Marks.
2. Contribution to learning community - The response significantly deepens the
conversation - 2 Marks.
3. Comprehension - The responses depicts that the learner understands the
discussion question and contributions are relevant too - 2 Marks.
4. Written quality - The response flows and grammatically correct - 1 Mark.
5. Timelines - Responses are posted to the forum at different intervals which allows
more contributions from other learners - 1 Mark.
Response from participant: I agree with the comment that understanding the course content is paramount for learners to connect the discussion questions and equally contribute on the forum. When learners have a good understanding of the course content, they are able to think more critically about the discussion questions and to develop more informed and insightful responses. They are also able to build on each other's ideas and to engage in more meaningful dialogue.
Making the discussion forum a part of the final assessment is a good way to motivate learners to participate. When learners know that their participation will count towards their final grade, they are more likely to take the forum seriously and to contribute high-quality posts.
However, it is important to note that simply making the discussion forum a part of the final assessment is not enough to ensure that learners are actively engaged and learning from the discussion. It is also important to create a discussion forum environment that is supportive and inclusive, where learners feel comfortable sharing their ideas and opinions.
Marks: 9/10: Overall grading is EE
Justification of the marks
1. Relevance : Posting responds directly to the discuss question and includes pertinent connected information - 2marks
2. Contribution to learning community: Posting offers key themes which deepens the conversation - 2marks
3. Tone: Posting has a positive, supportive and professional tone - 2 marks
4. Written quality: The posting has coherent structure and the flow of the writing is easily understood, - 1 mark
5. Comprehension: The participant understands the discussion questions and the subject matter in question - 2 marks
Making the discussion forum a part of the final assessment is a good way to motivate learners to participate. When learners know that their participation will count towards their final grade, they are more likely to take the forum seriously and to contribute high-quality posts.
However, it is important to note that simply making the discussion forum a part of the final assessment is not enough to ensure that learners are actively engaged and learning from the discussion. It is also important to create a discussion forum environment that is supportive and inclusive, where learners feel comfortable sharing their ideas and opinions.
Marks: 9/10: Overall grading is EE
Justification of the marks
1. Relevance : Posting responds directly to the discuss question and includes pertinent connected information - 2marks
2. Contribution to learning community: Posting offers key themes which deepens the conversation - 2marks
3. Tone: Posting has a positive, supportive and professional tone - 2 marks
4. Written quality: The posting has coherent structure and the flow of the writing is easily understood, - 1 mark
5. Comprehension: The participant understands the discussion questions and the subject matter in question - 2 marks
What needs to be in place for online course participants to actively participate in a good argument?
- By posting in the discussion forums higher level (application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation) rather than lower level (knowledge and comprehension) questions as given in the Bloom’s Taxonomy. This will lead to deeper discussions by the participants.
- Grading of the discussion forums with a rubric that will give a guide on what is required.
How would you do this online?
- Waiting before replying to a student so as to give others in class a chance to respond. However if need be, you can address the student in private via email.
- Have students post their initial responses to the reading to you in private through the journal tools before participating in the discussion. It gives them a chance to collect their thoughts and practice before engaging their peers for discussion.
- Divide the class into discussion groups so as to reduce the cognitive load and increase discussion, this is because each student is required to make original post and make at least 2 replies.
- Create forum with discussion prompt and allow students create their own threads or topic
Criteria
1.Relevant- this post is very well articulated and captures every essence of online discussion. Marks 2
2. Quality of the post- the post is well researched and drives the point home. Marks 2
3. Contribution to the learning community- the post contributes to the body of knowledge and learning community can benefit from it. Marks 2
4. Grammar-the post is from of grammar and the language used is simple and to the point. Marks 2
- By posting in the discussion forums higher level (application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation) rather than lower level (knowledge and comprehension) questions as given in the Bloom’s Taxonomy. This will lead to deeper discussions by the participants.
- Grading of the discussion forums with a rubric that will give a guide on what is required.
How would you do this online?
- Waiting before replying to a student so as to give others in class a chance to respond. However if need be, you can address the student in private via email.
- Have students post their initial responses to the reading to you in private through the journal tools before participating in the discussion. It gives them a chance to collect their thoughts and practice before engaging their peers for discussion.
- Divide the class into discussion groups so as to reduce the cognitive load and increase discussion, this is because each student is required to make original post and make at least 2 replies.
- Create forum with discussion prompt and allow students create their own threads or topic
Criteria
1.Relevant- this post is very well articulated and captures every essence of online discussion. Marks 2
2. Quality of the post- the post is well researched and drives the point home. Marks 2
3. Contribution to the learning community- the post contributes to the body of knowledge and learning community can benefit from it. Marks 2
4. Grammar-the post is from of grammar and the language used is simple and to the point. Marks 2
5. Tone-The tone is friendly. Marks 1
Marks 9/10 Exceeds Expectation
I agree with the comment that understanding the course content is paramount for learners to connect the discussion questions and equally contribute on the forum. When learners have a good understanding of the course content, they are able to think more critically about the discussion questions and to develop more informed and insightful responses. They are also able to build on each other's ideas and to engage in more meaningful dialogue.
Making the discussion forum a part of the final assessment is a good way to motivate learners to participate. When learners know that their participation will count towards their final grade, they are more likely to take the forum seriously and to contribute high-quality posts.
However, it is important to note that simply making the discussion forum a part of the final assessment is not enough to ensure that learners are actively engaged and learning from the discussion. It is also important to create a discussion forum environment that is supportive and inclusive, where learners feel comfortable sharing their ideas and opinions.
Marks awarded 8out of 10
Criteria
1. Contribution to learning: yes, it contributes to the learning since it suggests that having a knowledge base give them a basis for insightful thinking and enables them to contribute to the session. (2 mks)
2. Relevance: yes, this contribution is relevant to the discussion (2 mks)
3. Tone: the tone is positive and supports the essence of discussions after being introduced to the contents (1 mks)
4. Quality of contributions: yes, he supports previous discussions and offfers his view of their view while equally suggesting his positive view on the subject under discussion (1 mk)
5. Comprehension: He understands the subject matter and writes it elaborately as a reviewer based on the required understanding (2 mks)
Making the discussion forum a part of the final assessment is a good way to motivate learners to participate. When learners know that their participation will count towards their final grade, they are more likely to take the forum seriously and to contribute high-quality posts.
However, it is important to note that simply making the discussion forum a part of the final assessment is not enough to ensure that learners are actively engaged and learning from the discussion. It is also important to create a discussion forum environment that is supportive and inclusive, where learners feel comfortable sharing their ideas and opinions.
Marks awarded 8out of 10
Criteria
1. Contribution to learning: yes, it contributes to the learning since it suggests that having a knowledge base give them a basis for insightful thinking and enables them to contribute to the session. (2 mks)
2. Relevance: yes, this contribution is relevant to the discussion (2 mks)
3. Tone: the tone is positive and supports the essence of discussions after being introduced to the contents (1 mks)
4. Quality of contributions: yes, he supports previous discussions and offfers his view of their view while equally suggesting his positive view on the subject under discussion (1 mk)
5. Comprehension: He understands the subject matter and writes it elaborately as a reviewer based on the required understanding (2 mks)
To stimulate good discussion forum, it is paramount for the learners to have prior knowledge to the basics of the topic. This can be done by sharing life experiences that would probably be linked to the topic of discussion so that the learners can relate
To stimulate a good discussion forum, the learners need to have prior understanding of the discussion topic. This can be done through relating to real life experiences of each of the learners where by a task is given before hand to research on with specific illustrations from the learners experiences
Grading Mark 9 out of 10
Criteria
How well has the learner interpret the question
How relevant are the responses
How well does the learner relate the topic to personal and societal experiences
Correct responses
involvement of the other colleagues
Grading Mark 9 out of 10
Criteria
How well has the learner interpret the question
How relevant are the responses
How well does the learner relate the topic to personal and societal experiences
Correct responses
involvement of the other colleagues