Discussion Guidelines and Rubric

Discussions are interactive features of an online course. They are places to share
conclusions, analyze concepts, and clarify ideas. A discussion gives students the
opportunity to affirm one anothers work and synthesize ideas.
The rubric on the following page identifies the qualities of an excellent, a satisfactory,
and a poor response. When you respond to your classmate(s), you are expected to go
beyond I agree or I disagree. Include facts to support your answer. You may also
question a response and ask for additional clarification, support, or insight on the topic.
A persuasive response varies in length depending on the question; a paragraph is
appropriate in most cases. If you are writing only one sentence to contribute to the
discussion, you probably have not developed a well-thought-out response. Keep in
mind that while citing evidence is essential, you should write concisely and avoid
redundancies.
In order to promote a safe and thoughtful forum for discussion, comments should
adhere to the following guidelines:
Respect DiversityConnections Educations families and individuals bring with
them diverse backgrounds, faiths, and values. You must strive to respect all of
them.
Keep It Clean and SafeParticipants must refrain from using any language or
posting any material that could be construed as threatening, profane, or
inappropriate.
It is proper netiquette to avoid using all caps, since it is a form of yelling. Since it is
sometimes difficult to distinguish the tone and intent of an author in electronic
communication, think before writing your response. Ask for clarification if you are
unsure of the meaning of a comment. External links should not be incorporated into
any posting.
Please review the grading guidelines on the next page.

Copyright 2013 by Pearson Education, Inc. or one or more of its direct or indirect affiliates. All rights reserved.

Top Scores (910)

The top scoring students do the following:
Give comments that respond to the assigned topic carefully.
Show that they understand the topic by giving good examples to support what
they have to say.
Return often to the discussion to respond thoughtfully to what others say.
Change their minds when they come upon something that makes them think
differently.
Act politely and respect others.

Middle Scores (78)

Acceptable scores go to students who do the following:

Post in time for others to respond.

Speak to the topic, although not as carefully or as on-topic as others.
Do not show as much knowledge of the topic as the top scorers.
Only post occasionally, showing little interest in what others say.
Hold onto positions even when shown to be wrong.
Act politely and respect others.

Low Scores (6 and below)

Students score poorly when they do the following:
Post very late, if at all.
Give responses that are off-topic or lead the reader to suspect that they did not
understand the topic.
Do not show knowledge of the topic in posts.
Do not respond to others.
Clearly show that they logged in quickly and fired off a number of meaningless
entries just to get it done.
Act rudely or insult others.

Copyright 2013 by Pearson Education, Inc. or one or more of its direct or indirect affiliates. All rights reserved.