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A Better Way to Assess Discussions

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Figure 1. Graded Spider Web Discussion Rubric

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Reflect & Discuss

➛ How do you currently assess your class discussions? Do your methods tend to reward volume over quality?

➛ Could a group grade for class discussions better serve your students? If so, would the grade count?

➛ How might you use Wiggins's rubric to facilitate deeper academic conversations?

1 World Economic Forum. (2016). The 10 skills you need to thrive in the fourth industrial revolution . [Blog post].

2 Wiggins, A. (2017). The best class you never taught: How spider web discussion can turn students into learning leaders . Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Alexis Wiggins has worked as a high-school English teacher, instructional coach, and consultant for curriculum and assessment. Her book, The Best Class You Never Taught: How Spider Web Discussion Can Turn Students into Learning Leaders (ASCD), helps transform classrooms through collaborative inquiry. Alexis is currently the Curriculum Coordinator at The John Cooper School in The Woodlands, TX.

ASCD is a community dedicated to educators' professional growth and well-being.

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Learning Through Discussion 

Discussions can be meaningful and engaging learning experiences: dynamic, eye-opening, and generative. However, like any class activity, they require planning and preparation. Without that, discussion challenges can arise in the form of unequal participation, unclear learning outcomes, or low engagement. This resource presents key considerations in class discussions and offers strategies for how instructors can prepare and engage in effective classroom discussions.

On this page:

• The What and Why of Class Discussion

Identifying your Course Context

• Plan for Classroom Discussion
• Warm up Classroom Discussion
• Engage in Classroom Discussion
• Wrap up Classroom Discussion

Leveraging Asynchronous Discussion Spaces

• References and Further Reading

The CTL is here to help!

Seeking additional support with discussion pedagogy? Email [email protected] to schedule a 1-1 consultation. For support with any of the Columbia tools discussed below, email [email protected] or join our virtual office hours .

Interested in inviting the CTL to facilitate a session on this topic for your school, department, or program? Visit our Workshops To Go page for more information.

Cite this resource: Columbia Center for Teaching and Learning (2021). Learning Through. DIscussion. Columbia University. Retrieved [today’s date] from https://ctl.columbia.edu/resources-and-technology/resources/learning-through-discussion/

The What and Why of Class Discussion 

Class discussion can take many forms, from structured prompts and assignments to more casual or informal conversations. Regardless of class context (e.g.: a seminar, large lecture, or lab course) or the form (e.g.: in-person or asynchronous) discussion takes, it offers a number of benefits to students’ learning. As an active learning technique, class discussion requires students to be co-constructors of their learning. Research shows that students learn more when they actively participate in their learning, rather than passively listen. Furthermore, studies have also shown that “student participation, encouragement, and peer-to-peer interaction was consistently and positively related to the development of critical thinking skills” (Howard, 2015, pp. 6). Class discussion has also been linked to greater student motivation, improved communication skills, and higher grades (Howard, 2015). But just like effective lectures or assignments require planning and preparation, so too does class discussion. 

The following sections offer a framework and strategies for learning through discussion. These strategies are organized around four key phases: planning for classroom discussion, warming up for classroom discussion, engaging in classroom discussion, and wrapping up classroom discussion.

While the strategies and considerations provided throughout this resource are adaptable across course contexts, it is important to recognize instructors’ varied course formats, and how discussion might differ across them. This section identifies a few of these contexts, and reviews  how these contexts might shape instructors’ engagement with both this resource and class discussion more broadly. 

I teach a discussion-based course

Small classes and seminars use discussion-based pedagogies, though it can be challenging to get every student to contribute to discussions. It is important to create multiple opportunities for engagement and not just rely on whole group discussion. Pair and small group discussions can create trust among students and give them the confidence to speak up in the larger group. Instructors of discussion-based courses can extend in-class discussions into the asynchronous space. These inclusive moves allow students to contribute to discussions in multiple ways.

I do not teach a discussion-based course

Whether teaching a large lecture course, a lab course, or other non-discussion based course, students will still benefit from interacting with each other and learning through discussion. Small group or pair discussion can be less intimidating for students regardless of class size and help create a sense of community that impacts learning.

I teach a course that may have some Hybrid/HyFlex meetings.

In-person classes might sometimes offer hybrid or HyFlex opportunities for students to accommodate extenuating circumstances. In a hybrid/HyFlex course session, students participating in-person and remotely should have equal opportunities to contribute to discussions. To make this a reality, advanced preparation involves thinking through the logistics using discussion activities, roles and responsibilities (if working with TA(s)), classroom technologies (e.g., ceiling microphones available in the classroom; asking in-person students to bring a mobile device and headset if possible to engage with their remote peers), and determining the configurations if using discussion groups or paired work (both in a socially distanced classroom, and if asking both in-person and remote students to discuss together in breakout groups).

Planning for Classroom Discussion

Regardless of your course context, there are some general considerations for planning a class discussion; these considerations include: the goals and expectations, the modality of discussion, and the questions you might use to prompt discussion. The following section offers some questions for reflection, alongside ideas and strategies to address these considerations.

Goals & Expectations

What is the goal of the discussion? How will it support student learning? What are your expectations of student participation and contributions to the discussion? How will you communicate the goals and expectations to students?

Articulate the goals of discussion : Consider both the content you want your students to learn and the skills you want them to apply and develop. These goals will inform the learner-centered strategies and digital tools you use during discussion.

Communicate the purpose (not just the topic) of discussion: Sharing learning goals will help students understand why discussion is being used and how it will contribute to their learning. 

Specify what you expect of student contributions to the discussion and how they will be assessed: Be explicit about what students should include in their contributions to make them substantive, and model possible ways of responding. Guide students in how they can contribute substantively to their peers’ live responses or online posts. You might consider asking students to use the 3CQ model: 

• Compliment—I like that ___ because…; 
• Comment—I agree/disagree with (specific point/idea) because…; 
• Connection—I also thought that…; 
• Question—I wonder why…  

Establish discussion guidelines: Communicate expectations for class discussion.  Be sure to include desired behaviors/etiquette and how technologies and tools for discussion will be used. Students in all classes can benefit from discussion guidelines as they help to clearly identify and establish expectations for student success. For more support with getting started, see the Barnard Center for Engaged Pedagogy’s resource on Crafting Community Agreements . Additionally, while there are some shared general discussion guidelines, there are also some specific considerations for asynchronous discussions: 

Sample Discussion Guidelines:

• Refer to classmates by name.
• Allow everyone the chance to speak (“Take Space, Make Space”).
• Constructively critique ideas, not individuals.
• Listen actively without interrupting. 
• Contribute questions, ideas, or resources.

Sample Asynchronous Discussion Guidelines:

• Respond to discussion posts within # of hours or days.
• Review one’s own writing for clarity before posting, being mindful of how it may be interpreted by others.
• Prioritize building upon or challenging the strongest ideas presented in a post instead of only focusing on the weakest aspects. 
• Acknowledge something someone else said. 
• Build on their comment by connecting with course content, adding an example or observation.
• Conclude with critical thinking or socratic questions. 

Invite students to revise, contribute to, or co-create the guidelines. One way to do this is to facilitate a discussion about discussions, asking students to identify what the characteristics of an effective discussion are. This will encourage their ownership of the guidelines. Post the guidelines in CourseWorks and refer to them as needed.

In what modality/modalities will the discussion take place (in-person/live, asynchronous, or a blend of both)?

The modality of your class discussion may determine the tools and technologies that you ask students to engage with. Thus, it is important to determine early on how you would like students to engage in discussion and what tools you will use to support their engagement. Consider leveraging your asynchronous course spaces (e.g., CourseWorks), which can help students both prepare for an in-class discussion, as well expand upon and continue in-class discussions. For support with setting up asynchronous discussions, see the Leveraging Asynchronous Discussion Spaces section below.

What prompts will be used for discussion? Who will come up with those prompts (e.g.: instructor, TA, or students)?

The questions you ask and how you ask them are important for leading an effective discussion. Discussion questions do not have to be instructor-generated; asking students to generate discussion prompts is a great way to engage them in their learning. 

Draft open-ended questions that advance student learning and inspire a range of answers (avoiding closed-ended, vague, or leading questions). Vary question complexity over the course of a discussion. If there’s one right answer, ask students about their process to get to the right answer. 

The following table features sample questions that increase in cognitive complexity and is based on the six categories of the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy.

Warming up for Classroom Discussion 

Get students comfortable talking with their peers, you, and the TA(s) (as applicable) from the start of the course. Create opportunities for students to have pair or small group conversations to get to know one another and connect as a community. Regardless of your class size or context (i.e.: seminars, large-lecture classes, labs), for discussions to become a norm in your course, you will need to build community early on in the course.

Get students talking early and often to foster community

How will you make peer-to-peer engagement an integral part of your class? How can you get students talking to each other?

To encourage student participation and peer-to-peer interaction, create early and frequent opportunities for students to share and talk with each other. These opportunities can help make students more comfortable with participating in discussion, as well as help build rapport and foster trust amongst class members. Icebreakers and small group discussion opportunities provide great ways to get students talking, especially in large-enrollment classes where students may feel less connection with their peers (see sample icebreakers below ).  For additional support with building community in your course, see the CTL’s Community Building in Online and Hybrid (HyFlex) Courses resource. (Although this resource emphasizes online and hybrid/HyFlex modalities, the strategies provided are applicable across all course modalities.)

Establish class norms around discussion and participation

How can you communicate class norms around discussion and participation on day one? 

The first class meeting is an opportunity to warm students up to class discussion and participation from the outset. Rather than letting norms of passivity establish over the first couple of weeks, you can use the first class meeting to signal to students they will be expected to participate or interact with their peers regularly. You might ask students to do a welcoming icebreaker on the first day, or you might invite questions and syllabus discussion. No matter the activity, establishing a norm around discussion and participation at the outset will help warm students up to participating and contributing to later discussions; these norms can also be further supported by your discussion guidelines . Icebreakers:  Icebreakers are a great way to establish a positive course climate and encourage student-student, as well as instructor-student, interactions. Some ideas for icebreaker activities related to discussion include:

• (Meta)Discussion about Discussions: In small groups during class, or using a CourseWorks discussion board , students introduce themselves to each other, and share their thoughts on what are the qualities of good and bad discussions.
• Course Content: Ask students to share their thoughts about a big question that the course addresses or ask students what comes to mind when they think of an important course concept. You could even ask students to scan the syllabus and share about a particular topic or reading they are most excited about.

Engaging in Classroom Discussion

With all of your preparation and planning complete, there are some important considerations you will need to make with both your students and yourself in mind. This section offers some strategies for engaging in classroom discussion.

Involve students in discussion 

How will you engage all of your students in the discussion? How will you make discussion and your expectations about student participation explicit and integral to the class?

Involving your students in class discussion will allow for more student voices and perspectives to be contributed to the conversation. You might consider leveraging the time before and after class or office hours to have informal conversations and build rapport with students. Additionally, having students rotate roles and responsibilities can keep them focused and engaged.

Student roles: Engage all students by asking them to volunteer for and rotate through roles such as facilitator, summarizer, challenger, etc. In large-enrollment courses, these roles can be assigned in small group or pair discussions. For an asynchronous discussion, roles might include: discussion starter / original poster, connector to research, connector to theory. Additional roles might include: timekeeper, notetaker, discussion starter, wrapper, and student  monitor:

• Discussion starter / original poster: Involve students in initiating the discussion. Designate 2–3 students per discussion to spark the conversation with a question, quotation, an example, or link to previous course content.
• Discussion wrapper: Engage students in facilitating the discussion. Help students grasp take-aways. Designate 2-3 students per discussion to wrap up the discussion by identifying themes, extracting key ideas, or listing questions to explore further. 
• Student monitor: Ask a student (on a rotating basis) or TA(s) if applicable, to monitor the Zoom chat (in hybrid/HyFlex courses) or the CourseWorks Discussion Boards (when leveraging asynchronous discussion spaces). The monitors can then flag important points for the class or read off the questions that are being posed. 

Student-generated questions: Prepare students for discussion and involve them in asking and answering peer questions about the topic. Invite students to post questions to a CourseWorks Discussion before class, or share their questions during the discussion. If students are expected to respond to their peer’s questions, they need to be told and guided how to do so. Highlight and use insightful student questions to prime or further the discussion.

Student-led presentations: In smaller seminar-style classes or labs, invite students to give informal presentations. You might ask them to share examples that relate to the topic or concept being discussed, or respond to a targeted prompt.

Determine your role in discussion 

How will you facilitate discussion? What will your presence be in asynchronous discussion spaces? What can students expect of your role in the discussion? 

Make your role (or that of your co-instructor(s) and/or TA(s)) in the discussion explicit so that students know what to expect of your presence, reinforcement of the discussion guidelines, and receipt of feedback. 

Actively guide the discussion to make it easy for students to do most of the talking and/or posting. This includes being present, modeling contributions, asking questions, using students’ names, giving timely feedback, affirming student contributions, and making inclusive moves such as including as many voices and perspectives and addressing issues that may arise during a conversation. 

• For in-class discussions , additional strategies include actively listening, giving students time to think before responding, repeating questions, and warm calling. (Unlike cold calling, warm calling is when students do pre-work and are told in advance that they will be asked to share their or their group’s response. This technique can minimize student anxiety, as well as produce higher quality responses.)
• For asynchronous discussions , additional strategies include having parallel discussions in small groups on CourseWorks, and inviting students to post videos, audio clips, or images such as drawings, maps, charts, etc.

Manage the discussion and intervene when necessary : Manage dynamics, recognizing that your classroom is influenced by societal norms and expectations that may be inherently inequitable. Moderate the ongoing discussion to make sure all students have the opportunity to contribute. Ask students to explain or provide evidence to support their contributions, connect their contributions to specific course concepts and readings, redirect or keep the conversation on track, and revisit discussion guidelines as needed.

For large-enrollment courses, you might ask TAs or course assistants to join small groups or monitor discussion board posting. While it’s important for students to do most of the talking and posting, TAs can support students in the discussion, and their presence can help keep the discussion on track. If you have TAs who lead discussion sections, you might consider sharing some of these discussion management strategies and considerations with them, and discuss how the discussion sections can and will expand upon discussions from the larger class.    

Give students time to think before, during, and after the discussion

Thinking time will allow students to prepare more meaningful contributions to the discussion and creates opportunities for more students, not just the ones that are the quickest to respond, to contribute to the conversation. Comfort with silence is important following a posed question. Some thinking time activities include:   

• “ Silent meeting ” (Armstrong, 2020): Devote class time to students silently engaging with course materials and commenting in a shared document. You can follow this “silent meeting” with small group discussions. In a large enrollment class, this strategy can allow students to engage more deeply and collaboratively with material and their peers. 
• Think-Pair-Share : Give students time to think before participating. In response to an open-ended question, ask students to first think on their own for a few minutes, then pair up to discuss their ideas with their partner. Finally, ask a few pairs to share their main takeaways with the whole class. 
• Discussion pause : Give students time to think and reflect on the discussion so far. Pause the discussion for a few minutes for students to independently restate the question, issue, or problem, and summarize the points made. Encourage students to write down new insights, unanswered questions, etc. 
• Extend the discussion: Encourage students to continue the class discussion by leveraging asynchronous course spaces (e.g.: CourseWorks discussion board). You may ask students to summarize the discussion, extend the discussion by contributing new ideas, or pose follow-up questions that will be discussed asynchronously or used to begin the next in-class discussion. 
• Polls to launch the discussion : Pose a poll closed-ended question and give students time to think and respond individually. See responses in real time and ask students to discuss the results. This can be a great warm up activity for a pair, small group, or whole class discussion, especially in large classes in which it may be more challenging to engage all students. 

Wrapping up Classroom Discussion 

Ensure that the discussion meets the learning objectives of the course or class session, and that students are leaving the discussion with the knowledge and skills that you want them to acquire. Give students an opportunity to reflect on and share what they have learned. This will help them make connections between other class material and previous class discussions. It is also an opportunity for you to gauge how the discussion went and consider what you might need to clarify or shift for future discussions. 

Debrief the Discussion

How will you know the discussion has met the learning objectives of the course or class session? How will you ensure students make connections between broader course concepts and the discussion?

Set aside time to debrief the discussion. This might be groups sharing out their discussion take-aways, designated students summarizing the key points made and questions raised, or asking students to reflect and share what they learned. Rather than summarizing the discussion yourself, partner with your students; see the section on Student Roles above for strategies. 

• Closing Reflection: Ask students to reflect on and process their learning by identifying key takeaways. Carve out 2-5 minutes at the end of class for students to reflect on the discussion, either in writing or orally. You might consider collecting written reflections from students at the end of class, or after class through a Google Form or CourseWorks post. Consider asking students to not only reflect on what they learned from the discussion, but to also summarize key ideas or insights and/or pose new questions.

Collect Feedback, Reflect, Iterate  

How will you determine the effectiveness of class discussion? How can you invite students into creating the learning space? 

Feedback: Student feedback is a great way to gauge the effectiveness and success of class discussion. It’s important to include opportunities for feedback regularly and frequently throughout the semester; for feedback collection prompts and strategies, see the CTL’s resource on Early and Mid-Semester Student Feedback . You might collect this through PollEverywhere, a Google Form, or CourseWorks Survey. Classes of all sizes and modalities can benefit from collecting this type of feedback from students.

Reflect: Before you engage with your students’ feedback, it’s important to take time and reflect for yourself: How do you think the discussion went? Did your students achieve the learning goals that you had hoped? If not, what might you do differently? You can then couple your own reflection with your students’ feedback to determine what is working well, as well as what might need to change for discussions to be more effective.

Iterate: Not all class discussions will go according to plan, but feedback and reflection can help you identify those key areas for improvement. Share aggregate feedback data with your students, as well as what you hope will go differently in future discussions.   

Asynchronous discussion spaces are an effective way for students to prepare for in-class discussion, as well as expand upon what they have already discussed in class. Asynchronous discussion boards also offer a great space for students to reflect upon the discussion, and provide informal feedback. 

Columbia Tools to Support Asynchronous Discussion 

There are a number of Columbia tools that can support asynchronous discussion spaces. Some options that instructors might consider include: 

• CourseWorks Discussion boards : CourseWorks discussion boards offer instructors a number of customizable options including: threaded or focused discussions , post “like” functionality , graded discussion posts , group discussions , and more. For further support with your CourseWorks discussion board, see the CTL’s CourseWorks Support Page or contact the CTL at [email protected] to set up a consultation. 
• Ed Discussion (via CourseWorks): Starting in Fall 2021, instructors will have access to Ed Discussion within their CourseWorks site. For support on getting started with Ed Discussion, see their Quick Start Guide , or contact the CTL at [email protected] . For strategies and examples on how to enhance your course’s asynchronous discussion opportunities using Ed Discussion’s advanced features, refer to Enhance your Course Discussion Boards for Learning: Three Strategies Using Ed Discussion .    

References and Further Reading 

Anderson, L. W., & Krathwohl, D. R. (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: A revision of Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives. New York: Longman.

Armstrong, B. (2020). To Spark Discussion in a Zoom Class, Try a ‘Silent Meeting .’ The Chronicle of Higher Education. November 18, 2020.

Barkley, E.F. (2010). Student Engagement Techniques: A Handbook for College Faculty . Jossey-Bass.

Barkley, E.F.; Major, C.H.; and Cross, K.P. (2014). Collaborative Learning Techniques: A Handbook for College Faculty . Second Edition. Jossey-Bass. 

Barnard Center for Engaged Pedagogy. (2021). Crafting community agreements .

Brookfield, S. D., & Preskill, S. (2016). The Discussion Book: 50 Great Ways to Get People Talking . Wiley.

Cashin, W.E. (2011). Effective Classroom Discussions . IDEA Paper #49. Retrieved from www.ideaedu.org 

Center for Research on Teaching and Learning. Guidelines For Classroom Interactions. Retrieved from http://www.crlt.umich.edu/examples-discussion-guidelines

Davis, B.G. (2009). Tools for Teaching , 2 nd Edition. 

Hancock, C., & Rowland, B. (2017). Online and out of synch: Using discussion roles in online asynchronous discussions. Cogent Education, 4(1).

Howard, J.R. (2015). Discussion in the College Classroom: Getting Your Students Engaged and Participating in Person and Online . Wiley. 

Howard, J.R. (2019) How to Hold a Better Class Discussion: Advice Guide. Chronicle of Higher Education. https://www.chronicle.com/interactives/20190523-ClassDiscussion

The K. Patricia Cross Academy. Making Good Use of Online Discussion Boards. Retrieved from https://kpcrossacademy.org/making-good-use-of-online-discussion-boards/  

Read more about Columbia undergraduate students’ experiences with discussion

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17.3: How can classroom discussions be used for assessment?

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• Jennfer Kidd, Jamie Kaufman, Peter Baker, Patrick O'Shea, Dwight Allen, & Old Dominion U students
• Old Dominion University

By Morgan Conley

Learning Objectives

• Readers will be able to define Classroom Discussion and recognize which type of Assessment it falls under.
• Readers will be able to summarize the benefits and limitations to using Classroom Discussions for Assessment purposes.

Using Classroom Discussion For Assessment

By incorporating classroom discussion in regular lesson plans, teachers can assess their students based on personal communication and knowledge of the subject matter. This is a form of formative assessment that takes place during the learning process to help the teacher and student understand the discussed information. Class discussion should be used together with other forms of assessment such as written response, selected response, and performance assessment in order to fully assess students. By presenting a question to a class of students, a teacher can open the classroom for discussion and mediate while the students come up with their own conclusions. “The best discussions occur in classrooms in which the teacher models discussion by being a discussant rather than the originator of all ideas” (Dixon, 2000). Not only raw knowledge can be expressed within these discussions; opinions, thoughts, and questions can be spoken freely with regard to the subject being discussed. Students even respond to others, answer each other’s questions, and present new questions or thoughts based on others responses. Students can share their own experiences pertaining to the discussed topic, which can help others learn because they are given clearer and more practical examples.

“Nine tenths of education is encouragement.” -Anatole France

Example & Explanation

An example of this would be a high school art teacher mediating a weekly artwork critique of his or her students’ artwork. The teacher can assess not only the artwork, but also each students thoughts about the artwork based on information presented in class. After the students post each of their works at the front of the class, the teacher goes through each piece and opens a class discussion by asking the students what they like and dislike about the artworks. Other matters and questions can be addressed also. For instance, what elements of art were used? What is the most effective part of this piece of work? What could be changed to make the piece stronger? By engaging each student into the discussion the students are applying the information they have been taught in order to support their own opinions and thoughts. Students may also respond to each others comments by adding to or questioning what was said in response.

Sample Criteria Used To Assess Classroom Discussion

• Does the student stay on topic?
• Does the student show understanding by using subject matter vocabulary appropriately?
• Does the student use concepts and vocabulary learned in the classroom to add weight to his/her opinions and ideas?
• Does the student contribute his/her ideas and/or build upon the ideas of others?
• Is the student respectful to others with respect to differences in opinion?
• Does the student provide constructive criticism to others regarding their thoughts, comments, or work?

“All scholarship, like all science, is an ongoing, open-ended discussion in which all conclusions are tentative forever, the principal value and charm of the game being the discovery of the totally unexpected.”-Hugh W. Nibley

Benefits Of Using Class Discussion

There are numerous benefits to effective class discussion being used for assessment. Number one being it is simply more interesting, fun, and interactive than simply listening to a teacher lecture or by taking a written test in order to assess knowledge of a subject matter. Classroom discussions encourage the practice of social skills and informal oral communication. This is a much-needed skill later in life. Class discussions encourage learning through active participation, comprehension and listening. Even those students who are less inclined to speak up, benefit from class discussions. For these student, the teacher can ask them questions about their own thoughts or to reword what someone else has already said. Class discussions force students to think, solve problems, listen to others, and even analyze other students ideas. This more informal type of assessment can be given in the form of a class participation grade for instance. Students learn to exercise the use of cognitive skills and furthermore, they back up their thoughts with evidence from past in class teachings. Students feel a stronger sense of confidence because they get to say what they think, instead of being told, this is what you should think. Because the teacher acts as a peer listener, responder, questioner, instead of a lecturer, students feel more in control of their learning and in turn become more motivated.

Limitations Of Using Class Discussion

Though there are many benefits, there are also some limitations to using classroom discussions for assessment. For example, this type of assessment is more suited for higher grade levels where students have the mental capacity to participate in a classroom discussion. Other types of assessment must be used in combination with this type of personal communication assessment in order to thoroughly assess a student’s knowledge and application. Classroom discussion alone is not a good way to thoroughly assess students. Then there is the argument that classroom discussion may not be the best way to evaluate all students. What about the shy, introverted students? In a study done in 2008, while comparing students written responses to that of the same students classroom discussion responses, the study proved that written responses were more thorough and not fully manifested within the environment of classroom discussions (Furtak, Erin Marie; Ruiz-Primo, Maria Araceli, 2008). This statement makes a lot of sense when one considers their own writings. People tend to be more descriptive, logical, and meticulous when writing because they most usually think things through thoroughly and write several drafts before the final draft is complete. Whereas, within a class discussion there is no intense brainstorming, outlining, and drafting over the course of several days. You have minutes at best to think about the topic, form an opinion, and speak your mind. Because of this, students tend to use bias, assumption, and judgement in order to form opinions. But is this such a bad thing? Or does this only make classroom discussions more effective when hearing and discussing the opposing views and diverse perspectives of others?

Exercise \(\PageIndex{1}\)

(1) What Form of Assessment does Classroom Discussion fall under?

A. Written Response

B. Performance Assessment

C. Selected Answer Response

D. Personal Communication

(2) Which of the following BEST describes Classroom Discussion?

A. Formal Assessment

C. Formative Assessment

D. Summative Assessment

(3) Mrs. Williams is a Drawing teacher at a High School. She has all of her students post their latest assignment on the board at the front of the classroom. She then asks her students what they like and dislike about each piece or artwork. She also asks them to comment on what can be changed in order to make each piece stronger. What is this an example of?

B. Formal Assessment

C. Class Discussion

D. Selected Answer Response

(4) Which of the following answers BEST demonstrates Classroom Discussion?

A. An oral presentation by a student about their favorite artist.

B. A teacher begins class by asking his/her students "What is Art?" and various students respond with their opinions.

C. A classroom is broken up into groups of 4 students in order to discuss their group project.

D. A teacher begins class by lecturing while using a Powerpoint presentation.

Dixon, Felicia A. 2000. The Discussion Examination: Making Assessment Match Instructional Strategy. Roeper Review 23 no2 104-8 D

Furtak, Erin Marie; Ruiz-Primo, Maria Araceli. 2008. Science Education v. 92 no. 5 (September 2008) p. 799-824.

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Using Discussion as a Summative Assessment

Verbal participation in discussions is a tried-and-true formative assessment, but it can also be rubric-based and summative.

Throughout my two decades in education, I have experimented with a variety of approaches to assessment, including projects, models, debates, and traditional assessments. In the past two years I’ve been teaching high school online, and I’ve abandoned traditional tests in favor of more compassionate forms of assessment. My new favorite is the discussion assessment, and I hope I can inspire you to add it to your assessment toolbox whether you’re teaching online like me or in a classroom.

My first foray into discussion assessment involved the cellular energy unit in my biology course. Many students struggle to see the relevance of photosynthesis and cellular respiration and thus find the concepts overly challenging. I decided to experiment with discussion as a way to help students engage with the concepts on a deep level but also feel encouraged to explore, share understandings, and learn during the assessment process. 

At a recent professional development session, I heard the phrase “compassionate assessment.” It was loosely defined as supportive, rather than punitive, assessment practices. My discussion assessment is compassionate, as it supports critical thinking, allows students to teach each other, and provides students an opportunity to master content. In the best discussions, students ask probing questions that take the class into new territory, and we all learn together. At the end, students have expressed how interesting and fun the class felt—something that never happens after traditional tests.

Getting Started

To get started with discussion assessments, outline a few meaty questions before you begin your unit. For a class of 20–25 students, I find that six questions in a 90-minute period is the maximum. Start with those essential unit questions you want students to understand, and then branch out to some of your favorite extension topics that you will touch on, or hope students will want to explore. Students’ questions and work during the unit often inspire great discussion questions, so it’s OK to not be thoroughly backward-planned.

I like to tease these questions throughout the unit. Since I’m a science teacher, my units are driven by phenomena, so I am always coming back to the driving phenomenon we are working to explain. My students answer a lesson question each day (which I use instead of a traditional objective or learning target), so the idea of having layers of questions makes sense to them. When we finally arrive at the end of the unit, students are ready to synthesize their learning about the questions we’ve been working to answer.

Implementation

To have a successful and productive discussion, I give students a full class period to choose their questions and to start writing response outlines. We typically use a claim, evidence, and reasoning framework (you’ll want to teach this structure before the discussion prep, if necessary). I encourage students to find visuals to support their responses. 

Allowing students choice over which question to answer is important; if we want students to show what they know, they must be able to choose the questions they understand the best. It’s also impossible for every student to share their thinking in response to all six questions, so limiting preparation to three or four questions helps. If possible, assign discussion preparation through your learning management system so you can track students’ preparation.

On the day of the discussion, students run the show, and you moderate. I begin by calling on a student and asking them to share their claim. I provide discussion starters to support productive talk and record student contributions in a spreadsheet. 

Every student is called on for the questions they prepared, but students may participate in all questions. Students agree and disagree with each other, build on each other’s ideas, and ask clarifying and probing questions. When students express ideas that are incorrect, they help each other understand—and most important, no points are deducted. Students can only earn points during the discussion, which results in a wonderfully supportive experience for all members of the classroom community. The rubric I provide to students delineates how I score the quantity and quality of their participation and makes sure that each student is contributing to the discussion for all questions prepared.

Documentation and Adaptation

Students must take notes during the discussion. This not only holds them accountable for learning, it also results in notes that support the formal writing assessment I assign afterward, in which students choose one discussion question to respond to in a paragraph. 

This written assessment makes the process more rigorous—adding a writing task allows students to synthesize what they learned in the discussion. I’ve found that this student writing is of much higher quality compared with short-answer responses on previous traditional assessments, which makes them more rewarding for me to evaluate.

But what about students who don’t prepare, don’t participate, or are absent? I simply turn the discussion questions into an alternative assessment and require that students choose two or three of them to respond to in paragraph form. This way, all students have the opportunity to demonstrate deep content knowledge and critical thinking. I always suggest that teachers try a new approach in their least favorite unit or the unit where previous projects or assessments have not worked out. Some additional teacher resources to inspire you include these discussion sentence stems and a discussion rubric , which you can adapt or modify for your class.

Assessing by Discussion Board

A discussion board is an online communication tool that lets students and teachers take part in discussion in a virtual environment.  It creates a virtual community of enquiry, allowing peer-to-peer discussions at any time and wherever Internet access is available. Students can post comments, questions and responses, and the discussion board constitutes a record of the discussion. Available as stand-alone applications or as built-in tools in learning-management systems such as Moodle, discussion boards typically allow multiple threaded discussions to be grouped into a forum.

Discussion boards can be used throughout a course and students' contributions assessed at the end of semester, or they can be set up as summative assessment activities. Conceptual discussions and group problem-solving tasks can be facilitated very effectively through discussion boards, while tasks requiring students to post personal reflections to the tutor or to showcase their individual performance are better fulfilled using tools such as a journal or blog.

To help you decide whether to use a blog, a wiki or a discussion forum, visit the page Blog, wiki or forum—which should you use?

• A discussion board can be used to assess a broad range of learning outcomes, including conceptual understanding, generic skills (e.g. reasoning, communication) and interpersonal and teamwork skills.
• Because discussion can take place at any time and in any place, students have a chance to ponder the discussion and produce in-depth and considered reflections, and to review the evolving discussion as often as they like.
• Where the immediacy of a face-to-face discussion in a classroom may alienate some students – for example, those who are new to studying in an Australian university – a discussion board can feel more inclusive, in that students have time to read and review the exchanges of views.
• Students can see and evaluate their peers’ posts, which helps develop a community of enquiry and a more democratic assessment process.
• When their discussion board activities can earn them a mark, students are more inclined to contribute actively and productively to discussion. Richer class discussions result, as well as increased opportunities for students to demonstrate the depth of their learning.
• A discussion board provides a record of students' online contributions, so that assessors can review each student's performance.
• Discussion threads can be archived for future use, for example, as a stimulus for further discussion, or to justify marks in the case of appeals.
• Assessing discussion board contributions sometimes results in students spending excessive time preparing polished contributions around assessment deadlines, rather than engaging in dynamic and generative discussion and debate throughout the semester.
• Contributing regularly to discussion boards can be time-consuming for students, particularly when it entails following the threads of multiple discussions.
• Online discussions do not suit all learning styles. Some students may be unfamiliar with this tool, or uncomfortable using it. For example, students whose first language is not English may be unsure what tone they should adopt in a discussion post.
• Technology-related issues such as system maintenance, outages or unreliable Internet access can disrupt discussion.
• Discussion-board formats may not be customisable to particular users' requirements; for example, the need to upload video presentations.

Design for assessment with discussion boards

When designing assessments that use a discussion board, consider these basic questions:

• to engage students in creatively proposing and exploring ideas on a topic in preparation for a formal face-to-face class seminar?
• to enable students within a small group to generate ideas towards the development of a group position paper on a topic?
• a demonstrated understanding of subject-related concepts
• skill in communicating ideas effectively
• the ability to contribute productively to a socially negotiated group outcome
• demonstrated leadership in facilitating or moderating a group discussion.
• How much, how regularly, how frequently and how spontaneously should students contribute?
• Should students engage in the discussion as individuals or as representatives of a group?
• early practice with low-stakes discussion topics?
• tutorial activities about discussion-board etiquette?
• Will students be required to take the initiative in identifying topics or trigger questions?
• Will the tutor act as an e-moderator, determining how discussions begin, develop and conclude?
• Will e-moderators be rotated between groups to balance out differences in approach?
• the quantity of students' contributions?
• the quality of their contributions?
• a blend of quantity and quality?
• Will students assess their own or their peers' contributions?
• If teachers assess, will they do so individually or in teams?
• Will other people, such as workplace supervisors, assess the contributions? You might have to make the online discussion available to these other parties.
• As formative feedback using the discussion board tool to engage students in a reflective dialogue about the quality of their discussion?
• As generic feedback to the class about the most common strengths and weaknesses in discussion board responses to tasks?

Manage assessment with discussion boards

The following table summarises strategies for discussion board based assessment. Most of these strategies are equally applicable to assessing participation in face-to-face classroom learning activities.

Table 1: Strategies to engage students in more active and productive discussion board tasks for assessment (adapted from Williams & Wache, 2005, p. 6)

Suitable assessment tasks

Reflect on discussion.

Ask students to reflect on how a discussion is evolving or has evolved. The discussion can be their own or a sample discussion thread (if using a sample, make sure the sample participants have been made anonymous). This reflective exercise is useful in encouraging students to identify what makes discussions effective, and to think about the relationship of discussions to the assessment criteria for individual contributions.

Students can move from this reflective activity to self- and peer assessment, either for formative feedback or to contribute towards the summative grade. Students can develop their own reflective responses, and relate this to the assessment criteria.

Sample reflective responses may include:

• explain how posts are related to the previous thread of the discussion
• comment on or express an opinion on a topic
• provide a reason or rationale for the post
• provide substantiating evidence (including the source) for assertions made in a post
• contribute an example that illustrates a point in the discussion based on reading or personal experience
• contribute a link to related reading or other material
• ask for clarification of a post by someone else, or comment on their post
• provide a summary of the discussion thread so far
• analyse the main perspectives being presented by different participants
• pose a new but related question that will take the discussion deeper.

Small group reports to the whole class

Sub-groups discuss particular topic areas, then prepare a summary of their group discussion as a contribution to the whole class discussion. Many variations are possible;; for example, sub-group members can visit other discussions to share outcomes, or individual contributions or jointly constructed syntheses can be the subject of assessment.

Role-play discussion

Students adopt particular roles, which they first research and then represent in the discussion. For example, they might present the perspectives of diverse stakeholders seeking funding to advance a community initiative.

Lead or moderate a discussion

Students facilitate or e-moderate, leading a discussion on a particular topic. For example, you could require a student to provide a brief summary of a particular reading, pose some critical questions, monitor the ensuing contributions and  synthesise the key points that emerge. The assessment criteria should reflect the leadership and management aspects of the role. 

Case studies and scenarios

Students engage in discussion analysing a given case study or scenario. Sub-groups pursue particular aspects of the case or scenario, collaboratively prepare summary posts and report their findings.

Retrospective commentary on learning

Ask students to retrieve all their discussion-board posts for the course and prepare a reflective account, commenting on:

• how their understanding of concepts and skills has developed
• how they have contributed to the learning community of their class.

This can be used to substantiate their self-assessment of their learning performance.

Ensure fairness

Assessment using discussion boards is intrinsically fairer for many students, particularly shy students or students in remote locations. But it can disadvantage others; for example, students with a visual impairment or dyslexia. Ensure that you set up discussion conditions so that all students have an equal chance of success. For example:

• Advise students of any flexibility that is available in the assessment plan to accommodate special needs.
• Ensure that students have access to the discussion board, and that they understand how to use its features to engage actively in the discussion. Give them practice in a low-stakes activity before you require them to participate in a high-stakes summative assessment discussion.
• Appropriately limit the proportion of the mark that derives from discussion-board contributions, in accordance with its role in the assessment design.
• Monitor discussion-board activities to ensure that students are appropriately inclusive in their discussions.

Table 2: Rubric for assessing the content of discussion-board contributions (Nandi, Chang & Balbo, 2009)

Table 3: Rubric for assessing the interaction quality of discussion board contributions (Nandi, Chang & Balbo, 2009)

Table 4: Rubric for assessing objective measures of discussion-board contributions (Nandi, Chang & Balbo, 2009)

• Assess student participation in Moodle discussion forums
• Create a forum in Moodle
• Lam, A. M. (2022). Boost learning with online student discussion forums .  Times Higher Education, 19 December.
• Lieberman, M. (2019). Discussion Boards: Valuable? Overused? Discuss . Inside Higher Ed, 26 March.

Al-Husban, N. A. (2020). Critical thinking skills in asynchronous discussion forums: A case study . International Journal of Technology in Education , 3 (2), 83-91.

Nandi, D., Chang, S. and Balbo, S. (2009). A conceptual framework for assessing interaction quality in online discussion forums. In Same places, different spaces: Proceedings ASCILITE , Auckland.

Oliveira, A. S., Silva, M. A. R., da Silva, D. & Borges, R. C. (2021). Quality assessment of online discussion forums: Construction and validation of a scale that values student perception . Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education , 22 (4), Article 4.

Ononiwu, C. (2021). Role of online discussion forums in enhancing users' cognitive skills.  Journal of Teaching English for Specific and Academic Purposes, 9(3), 307-320. https://doi.org/10.22190/JTESAP2103307O

Patel, N. S. (2021). Development of criticality in thought: A conceptual framework for online student discussion forums in higher education. International Journal of TESOL Studies , 3 (3), 22-40. https://doi.org/10.46451/ijts.2021.09.02

Williams, M. and Wache, D. (2005), "Just link and leave": A recipe for disaster for online discussions. Breaking the Boundaries: The International Experience in Open, Distance and Flexible Education , Adelaide, 17th ODLAA Conference.

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Eberly Center

Teaching excellence & educational innovation, creating and using rubrics.

A rubric is a scoring tool that explicitly describes the instructor’s performance expectations for an assignment or piece of work. A rubric identifies:

• criteria: the aspects of performance (e.g., argument, evidence, clarity) that will be assessed
• descriptors: the characteristics associated with each dimension (e.g., argument is demonstrable and original, evidence is diverse and compelling)
• performance levels: a rating scale that identifies students’ level of mastery within each criterion  

Rubrics can be used to provide feedback to students on diverse types of assignments, from papers, projects, and oral presentations to artistic performances and group projects.

Benefitting from Rubrics

• reduce the time spent grading by allowing instructors to refer to a substantive description without writing long comments
• help instructors more clearly identify strengths and weaknesses across an entire class and adjust their instruction appropriately
• help to ensure consistency across time and across graders
• reduce the uncertainty which can accompany grading
• discourage complaints about grades
• understand instructors’ expectations and standards
• use instructor feedback to improve their performance
• monitor and assess their progress as they work towards clearly indicated goals
• recognize their strengths and weaknesses and direct their efforts accordingly

Examples of Rubrics

Here we are providing a sample set of rubrics designed by faculty at Carnegie Mellon and other institutions. Although your particular field of study or type of assessment may not be represented, viewing a rubric that is designed for a similar assessment may give you ideas for the kinds of criteria, descriptions, and performance levels you use on your own rubric.

• Example 1: Philosophy Paper This rubric was designed for student papers in a range of courses in philosophy (Carnegie Mellon).
• Example 2: Psychology Assignment Short, concept application homework assignment in cognitive psychology (Carnegie Mellon).
• Example 3: Anthropology Writing Assignments This rubric was designed for a series of short writing assignments in anthropology (Carnegie Mellon).
• Example 4: History Research Paper . This rubric was designed for essays and research papers in history (Carnegie Mellon).
• Example 1: Capstone Project in Design This rubric describes the components and standards of performance from the research phase to the final presentation for a senior capstone project in design (Carnegie Mellon).
• Example 2: Engineering Design Project This rubric describes performance standards for three aspects of a team project: research and design, communication, and team work.

Oral Presentations

• Example 1: Oral Exam This rubric describes a set of components and standards for assessing performance on an oral exam in an upper-division course in history (Carnegie Mellon).
• Example 2: Oral Communication This rubric is adapted from Huba and Freed, 2000.
• Example 3: Group Presentations This rubric describes a set of components and standards for assessing group presentations in history (Carnegie Mellon).

Class Participation/Contributions

• Example 1: Discussion Class This rubric assesses the quality of student contributions to class discussions. This is appropriate for an undergraduate-level course (Carnegie Mellon).
• Example 2: Advanced Seminar This rubric is designed for assessing discussion performance in an advanced undergraduate or graduate seminar.

See also " Examples and Tools " section of this site for more rubrics.

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Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Assignments

• Annotated Bibliography
• Analyzing a Scholarly Journal Article
• Group Presentations
• Dealing with Nervousness
• Using Visual Aids
• Grading Someone Else's Paper
• Types of Structured Group Activities
• Group Project Survival Skills
• Leading a Class Discussion
• Multiple Book Review Essay
• Reviewing Collected Works
• Writing a Case Analysis Paper
• Writing a Case Study
• About Informed Consent
• Writing Field Notes
• Writing a Policy Memo
• Writing a Reflective Paper
• Writing a Research Proposal
• Generative AI and Writing
• Acknowledgments

Introduction

Student-led in-class discussion assignments involve students assuming the role of instructor by preparing for and leading the class in summarizing, interpreting, and evaluating a particular course reading, issue, or topic. It can take the form of an individual student leading the discussion or a small group of students leading the discussion. The role of the professor is to define the scope of the discussion, review the lead student’s presentation and discussion prompts, monitor student participation in the discussion, improvise new directions and reflections when necessary, provide a summary of what has transpired at the end of the discussion, and assess learning outcomes, often based on a rubric [a scoring tool that explicitly describes the professor’s performance expectations]. The order by which students lead a class discussion is determined most frequently by a method of voluntary sign-up or assigned ahead of time based on either a predetermined protocol or randomly chosen by the professor.

Byrd, Jr., Jack and Suzanne Goodney Lea. Guidebook for Student-Centered Classroom Discussions . Interactivity Foundation, 2008; Discussion . Chicago Center for Teaching. University of Chicago; Novak, Sandi, and Cara Slattery. Deep Discourse: A Framework for Cultivating Student-Led Discussions . Bloomington, Indiana: Solution Tree Press, 2017; Muller, Heidi L. "Facilitating Classroom Discussion: Lessons from Student-Led Discussions." (2000). Paper Presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Communication Association (86th, Seattle, WA, November 9-12, 2000).

Benefits of Leading a Class Discussion

The benefits and expected learning outcomes for students leading a classroom discussion can include improving your ability to synthesize scholarly research, developing your oral communication skills, learning how to effectively engage in a constructive dialogue with an audience, and responding to feedback or questions in a clear and concise manner that encourages further discussion. Similar to giving an oral presentation, the skills acquired from successfully completing this assignment are transferable to the skills needed in any workplace environment where communicating your thoughts effectively to a team or within a group setting is an essential part of your day-to-day responsibilities. Listed below are some reasons why professors assign student-led discussions:

Benefits for a Student Discussion Leader [individual or group]

• Leadership and Preparation Skills . For individualized in-class discussion assignments, facilitating a discussion involves assuming a leadership role, identifying the main issues to be examined, and developing the questions to be asked. You also gain leadership skills from managing the discussion, shaping its direction, and making sure everyone has an opportunity to participate in the discussion.
• Freedom to Set the Learning Agenda . Leading a class discussion places you in the role of being the instructor. Therefore, embrace the opportunity to take ownership of not just your own learning about a course reading or topic, but from the act of facilitating all aspects of what happens during the discussion. Although your professor is present to supervise the activities, you are in control of the specific proceedings.
• Motivate a Group Discussion . This assignment also helps you develop an ability to motivate others to actively participate in the discussion. There are several strategies you can use to create a relaxed, comfortable setting in which everyone feels comfortable [see below]. Leading a class discussion can also teach you how to be inclusive by helping particular students not feel marginalized by letting them know that their thoughts and opinions matter .
• Improve Listening Skills .  As the discussion leader, not only must you ask good questions, but you need to listen carefully to what is being said. Leading a discussion can help you to be reflective about what others are saying, to contemplate what this means in relation to the topic or course reading, and to hear the often subtle differences in how audience members frame their perspective or opinion. Consider the act of listening to not only encompass verbal cues, but include non-verbal body language concerning how people participate and what this signaling might mean, for example, in the type of follow up questions you ask.
• Manage Silence or Disengagement in a Positive Manner . Invariably, there will be moments when no one answers your question or the discussion ends abruptly--all that’s left is silence. As the lead facilitator, you are responsible for moving the discussion forward. This can be done by asking a new question, expanding upon a prior discussion point, or altering the direction of the discussion. Note, however, that silence may signal that people are simply contemplating what they want to say, so always let the silence linger for a bit before interjecting.
• Improve Critical Thinking . An in-class discussion improves what can be thought of as critical thinking in motion as classmates continuously speak and discuss key issues. For example, a student may respond in an unexpected way to your question and you then have to improvise in that moment about how to use that feedback in a way that solicits further discussion or creates a opportunity for sharing new ideas. Leading class discussions forces you to be analytical about what is being discussed and to insert yourself in the discussions when needed to create an even more robust dialogue.

Benefits for a Classroom Audience

• Peer-to-Peer Learning . Student-led class discussions are a form of reciprocal, mutually supportive learning. In other words, it is an in-class activity that offers students the opportunity to learn from each other. As a result, it encourages participants to take responsibility for their own learning and, more generally, learning how to learn through acts of dialogue, debate, and deliberation.
• Minimizes Authoritative Power Dynamics . The peer-to-peer learning format of student-led discussion assignments can contribute to a more dynamic and inclusive conversation among students because it reduces the discomfort some students may feel about challenging statements made by the professor. A student leading the discussion can create a better give and take atmosphere within the classroom than a professor who [presumably] carries the weight of authoritative knowledge.
• Relate to Contemporary Lived Experiences . Depending on the course reading, topic, or issue, the discussion can include references to the contemporary lived experiences of the student discussion leader and the student audience. This grounds the discussion in a reality that is more connected to student’s understanding and sense of meaning-making than what your professor may be able to offer as a reference point or example [i.e., “Back when I was your age....”].
• Potential to Change Attitudes and Ideas . As with any classroom discussion, the information shared and debated openly in student-led discussions can encourage participants to re-examine the research problem with a fresh perspective or with a new understanding of the study's implications or proposed actions to be taken. This can be a catalyst for reassessing a particular decision or reshape an approach to a problem that evolves organically through student-to student discussion rather than simply being prompted by the professor.

Guide to Discussion Skills . Academic Skills Toolkit, University of New South Wales, Sydney; Novak, Sandi, and Cara Slattery. Deep Discourse: A Framework for Cultivating Student-Led Discussions . Bloomington, Indiana: Solution Tree Press, 2017; Rhodes, Gale and Robert Schaible. "Talking Students/Listening Teachers: The Student-led Discussion." Issues of Inquiry in College Learning and Teaching 15 (1992): 44-61; Rugutt, John, and Caroline C. Chemosit. "What Motivates Students to Learn? Contribution of Student-to-Student Relations, Student-faculty Interaction and Critical Thinking Skills." Educational Research Quarterly 32 (March 2009): 16-28.

How to Approach Leading a Class Discussion

The structure of a student-led discussion can vary widely depending on the goals of the assignment. Described below are general suggestions on how to prepare to lead a class discussion.

If you are leading a class discussion about a specific course reading, consider the following:

• Carefully read the material and take notes . Focus on the main elements of the study and their significance in relation to the research problem or topic. Your notes will form the basis of what you want to emphasize in your brief summary introduction to the class [often your professor will require that you to provide a brief summary of the reading before you begin the discussion].
• Organize your ideas around the elements of the study . Think critically about the significance of the research problem, the suitability of the method used to gather information, the thoroughness of the author's discussion about the findings, and the appropriateness of the author’s conclusions, including any limitations and their implications, the validity of any recommendations in addressing the research problem. If there are recommendations for further research, consider what areas of study might be missing or specific recommendation that requires additional context or clarification.
• Based on these elements of the course reading, develop a set of questions that will help your classmates understand and evaluate the research and its implications . The number of questions you ask depends on the amount of time allotted to lead the class discussion. If you have a limited period of time, focus on questions that will encourage audience engagement and understanding. This can include asking the audience why they may agree or disagree with specific statement, recommendation, or conclusion, offering a contrarian or controversial perspective, or asking what stood out about the study and to explain why.
• In general, a good discussion begins with a broad question that lays a foundation for unpacking specific aspects of the study. This approach frames the parameters of the overall discussion. For example, a course reading studying the effects of the pandemic on learning among minority students in middle school, could begin with a question concerning why this study is important, followed by discussing if specific examples cited by the author were effective in providing a complete picture of the problem and then, if they do not, asking the audience for evidence-based examples that they believe would be better at explaining these effects. Note that it is highly unlikely everyone will agree with such a broad opening question, so this reaction should encourage a good discussion.

NOTE: Often your professor will ask you to share your questions and discussion prompts ahead of time in order to provide constructive feedback and clarification. If this is not required, do it anyway. Professors are skilled in posing questions that help students think critically about the subject matter. As such, obtaining advice from your professor beforehand can help you formulate questions that will most likely evoke thoughtful and insightful responses and encourage everyone to share their insights and opinions.

ANOTHER NOTE: If your audience comes to a consensus about the importance the course reading or have finished answering your questions before the discussion is supposed to end, you can continue the dialogue by shifting focus towards asking your classmates to think about how they would approach building on the original study or how to transform the findings to create new policy or actions, or even why the audience has come to such a quick conclusion about the study. Follow up questions not only can cover the research itself, but they can also focus on future applications of the study or contemplating what new discoveries may be derived from the research in the future.

If you are leading a class discussion about a specific research problem or topic, consider the following:

• Read all the course readings on the topic that is to be discussed and take notes. Review past studies that may be relevant based on the sources that have been cited in the course materials you read and are listed in the course syllabus. Use the "cited by" feature of Google Scholar to identify more recent, related studies about the topic or issue. Do this by copying the title of the article into Google Scholar. If anyone has subsequently cited that article in their research, those works can be viewed by clicking on "Cited by" link that is followed by a number below the record [e.g., Cited by 61, showing that the study has been subsequently cited 61 times].
• Use the notes you have taken to organize your ideas around specific problems, controversial or confusing issues, and/or key research questions relating to the topic. Focus on themes that researchers have identified or overall concerns that have repeatedly emerged in the context of research findings.
• Use the themes you have developed to create a set of discussion points that will help your audience understand and evaluate the main arguments [i.e.., the evidence-based claims or thesis statements you have found underpinning the issue or topic].
• Formulate questions around these discussion points that are intended to provoke debate and stimulate further thinking about possible solutions or recommended courses of action. As you formulate these questions, think about how you might answer them and what follow up questions you might want to ask. This can help you develop additional questions to further the discussion in productive ways.

NOTE: It may be necessary to ask close-ended, factual questions [e.g., “What happened when...?; Who was responsible for...?], but these types of questions do not set the stage for a good discussion because they fail to encourage audience members to interpret, analyze, or evaluate. Your role as discussion leader is to utilize evidence from your review of the literature to provoke students to challenge the basic assumptions underlying research about the issue or topic. This approach will encourage active participation in the discussion.

ANOTHER NOTE: As with giving an oral presentation, practice leading the class discussion. While there may not be any way to anticipate the level of audience engagement or the types of questions that might be asked, you should practice delivering your introduction and reading aloud the questions or discussion points you plan to cover. If possible, practice in front of others and ask them to help you prepare by thinking about the questions and providing feedback as if they were in the class.

Al-Amri, Majid. “Student-led Seminars as an Active Learning Strategy to Enhance English as a Foreign Language Procrastinating Students’ Achievement.” Learning and Teaching in Higher Education: Gulf Perspectives 15 (2018):. 2-13; Baran, Evrim, and Ana Paula Correia. "Student Led Facilitation Strategies in Online Discussions." Distance Education 30 (2009): 339-361; Brisbin, Matthew, "Using Student-led Discussion Strategies to Motivate, Increase Thinking, Create Ownership, and Teach Citizenship" Master of Education Action Research Projects. Paper 1, George Fox University, July 15, 2015; Byrd, Jr., Jack and Suzanne Goodney Lea. Guidebook for Student-Centered Classroom Discussions . Interactivity Foundation, 2008; Casteel, Mark A., and K. Robert Bridges. "Goodbye Lecture: A Student-led Seminar Approach for Teaching Upper Division Courses." Teaching of Psychology 34 (2007): 107-110; Discussion . Chicago Center for Teaching. University of Chicago; Flynn, Nora K. "Toward Democratic Discourse: Scaffolding Student-led Discussions in the Social Studies." Teachers College Record 111 (August 2009): 2021-2054; McGinnis, Lee. "Simple but Effective: Rediscovering the Class Discussion." In Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning . Proceedings of the Annual ABSEL conference, vol. 31. 2004; McMullen, Victoria Budzinski. "Using Student-led Seminars and Conceptual Workshops to Increase Student Participation." College Teaching 62 (2014): 62-67; Muller, Heidi L. "Facilitating Classroom Discussion: Lessons from Student-Led Discussions." (2000). Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Communication Association (86th, Seattle, WA, November 9-12, 2000); Novak, Sandi, and Cara Slattery. Deep Discourse: A Framework for Cultivating Student-Led Discussions . Bloomington, Indiana: Solution Tree Press, 2017; Wagner, Christopher J., Marcela Ossa Parra, and C. Patrick Proctor. "The Interplay between Student-led Discussions and Argumentative Writing." Tesol Quarterly 51 (June 2017): 438-449; White, Kathleen M., and Robert G. Kolber. "Undergraduate and Graduate Students as Discussion Section Leaders." Teaching of Psychology 5 (February 1978): 6-9.

Structure and Organization

Your professor may have a very prescribed assignment plan, in which case the in-class discussion will be relatively easy to organize. However, most of the time, your professor will only set general guidelines, leaving the responsibility to you about how the discussion could be to structured. Below are general guidelines that can help establish a proper, relaxed atmosphere for the audience.

• Provide a brief introduction that highlights the purpose of the study, its significance, and key findings. You can conclude by asking if everyone agrees with what you have said or if anyone would like to add anything before continuing. Note that you can purposely leave out a main point in order to provoke a response or create an initial conversation with a follow up question [e.g., “well, what about this finding that...?”].
• After the introduction, you can begin the discussion with a interesting or provocative question, a noteworthy quotation from the text, or a visual depiction of something related to the study as alternative methods for starting the discussion. The purpose here is to motivate your audience to be actively engaged in a discussion; once engaged, discussions tend to flow organically as more and more of your classmates want to contribute and build on what others have said.
• As the discussion takes place around a broad, initial question or prompt [e.g., "Why should anyone care about this study’s findings?”], listen carefully to what is said and respect other people’s contributions. Remember that one of your responsibilities as facilitator is to create an inclusive space for discussion. Encourage all members of the audience to contribute before offering your own comments or moving on to the next question.
• To help move the discussion along, be conscious of moments when you can expand upon or clarify comments made by your classmates in order to help them recognize the main issues and to keep everyone focused on the course reading or topic. Expansive or clarifying comments can also be used to circumvent someone from going off on a tangent that steers the discussion away from the original topic or course reading.
• Throughout the process of leading the class discussion, inform without coming across as dogmatic. It is important  that you remain a neutral voice during the proceedings. This is not to say you can’t express an opinion, but it should be grounded in evidence and used to help move the discussion forward [e.g., "I also don’t like the way the city handles safety concerns on the Metro system, but this study shows that...”].
• Also throughout the process of leading the class discussion, take notes while people are speaking so you can conclude by summarizing the main issues discussed, highlight key insights, and indicate divergent viewpoints expressed about the topic. If applicable, leave the audience hanging with a thought to ponder by stating what should be done next. This will help people remember the discussion and reflect on what happened.

NOTE: For discussions that are intended to cover a complicated course reading or topic or there is a lot of time for leading the discussion, consider using presentation slides. The use of visual cues can help frame the discussion and keep everyone focused. However, do not clutter the slides with a lot of text or graphics--use keywords or phrases because you want the audience to be focused on the discussion, not reading a slide.

ANOTHER NOTE: As a member of the audience, a suggested way to organize your contributions to a class discussion is to start with making small contributions. For example, by agreeing with what someone has said or asking the discussion leader to provide an example or expand on a point they have made. This can help you feel more comfortable being more actively involved in the discussion by directly answering a question put to the group or by providing an example for a point under discussion or disagreeing with what someone and offering an alternative perspective.

Problems to Avoid

As the discussion leader , be prepared to confront the following issues that may arise during the discussion:

• Make sure no one dominates the discussion . Do this by inviting and encouraging contributions from all students. As noted above, as the discussion leader, it is important that you encourage an inclusive and equitable space for discussion and debate.
• Make sure audience members do not talk over one another . Be proactive in ensuring that only one member of the audience speaks at a time. Encourage passionate responses, but enforce rules  that encourage civil discussion and that discourage only the most loud are heard. For example, state that you will only respond to raised hands.
• Make sure the discussion does not drift off course . Even if the discussion is focused on examining a particular course reading, a single comment or random thought expressed can lead to the discussion quickly moving off topic. Part of your role as student discussion leader is to refocus everyone on the main topic and ensure that the discussion remains relevant.

Assignment Tip

Should I Wait or Should I Go?

There is a long-standing internal debate that most students have whenever they are asked to volunteer for an in-class assignment-–is it better to wait and learn how others manage the assignment or jump in early and just get it over with? The assumption is that those who volunteer first to lead a class discussion proceed with the least knowledge about how to do it well. On the other hand, waiting until the very end can be stressful and divert attention away from what is being discussed each week as you think more and more about how you will lead the class when it's finally your turn.

The most common answer based on conversations I have had with students is to avoid being among the first couple of students to volunteer while, at the same time, not waiting until the very end to do so. Given this, the best advice may be to volunteer after a few students have already led a class discussion. Ultimately however, you should always decide based on what makes you most comfortable, fits within your overall academic schedule, or the course reading or topic for a specific week is of interest to you regardless of where it falls on the calendar. Note that professors are well aware of these issues and may work around it by assigning students in some type of predetermined order [e.g., alphabetical by last name]. But, professors also understand the pressure students experience when they volunteer to go first or last and will  likely take this into account when evaluating how well you have moderated the discussion.

Abdullah, Mohd Yusof, Noor Rahamah Abu Bakar, and Maizatul Haizan Mahbob. "The Dynamics of Student Participation in Classroom: Observation on Level and Forms of Participation." Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences 59 (October 2012): 61-70.

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Center for Teaching Innovation

Resource library.

• Teaching students to evaluate each other

Peer assessment

Peer assessment or peer review provides a structured learning process for students to critique and provide feedback to each other on their work. It helps students develop lifelong skills in assessing and providing feedback to others, and also equips them with skills to self-assess and improve their own work. 

If you are interested in facilitating a team member evaluation process for group projects, see the page on  Teaching students to evaluate each other .

Why use peer assessment? 

Peer assessment can: 

• Empower students to take responsibility for and manage their own learning. 
• Enable students to learn to assess and give others constructive feedback to develop lifelong assessment skills. 
• Enhance students' learning through knowledge diffusion and exchange of ideas. 
• Motivate students to engage with course material more deeply. 

Considerations for using peer assessment 

• Let students know the rationale for doing peer review. Explain the expectations and benefits of engaging in a peer review process. 
• Consider having students evaluate anonymous assignments for more objective feedback. 
• Be prepared to give feedback on students’ feedback to each other. Display some examples of feedback of varying quality and discuss which kind of feedback is useful and why. 
• Give clear directions and time limits for in-class peer review sessions and set defined deadlines for out-of-class peer review assignments. 
• Listen to group feedback discussions and provide guidance and input when necessary. 
• Student familiarity and ownership of criteria tend to enhance peer assessment validity, so involve students in a discussion of the criteria used. Consider involving students in developing an assessment rubric. 

Getting started with peer assessment 

• Identify assignments or activities for which students might benefit from peer feedback. 
• Consider breaking a larger assignment into smaller pieces and incorporating peer assessment opportunities at each stage. For example, assignment outline, first draft, second draft, etc. 
• Design guidelines or   rubrics   with clearly defined tasks for the reviewer. 
• Introduce rubrics through learning exercises to ensure students have the ability to apply the rubric effectively. 
• Determine whether peer review activities will be conducted as in-class or out-of-class assignments. For out-of-class assignments, peer assessments can be facilitated through Canvas using tools such as FeedbackFruits peer review and group member evaluation , Canvas peer review assignment , or Turnitin . See the Comparison of peer evaluation tools to learn more and/or set up a consultation by contacting CTI ." 
• Help students learn to carry out peer assessment by modeling appropriate, constructive criticism and descriptive feedback through your own comments on student work and well-constructed rubrics. 
• Incorporate small feedback groups where written comments on assignments can be explained and discussed with the receiver. 

• Online Assessment, Grading, and Feedback , Online Education

Evaluating Discussion Forums for Undergraduate and Graduate Students

• February 12, 2015
• Gloria P. Craig, EdD

The discussion forum is an essential part of online courses. It’s where students interact, reflect, exchange ideas, and expand their knowledge base. The quality of the discussion forum depends on the ability to develop a sense of community, the clarity of the discussion questions, and the use of a grading rubric that includes standards of performance.

Sense of community

Cobb (2011) found that relationships, comfort, and community are important factors in undergraduate student success. She recommends establishing forums for student introductions, instructor involvement in the forums, and acknowledging students’ points of view.

Mayne and Wu (2011) found that the following strategies increase student satisfaction with an online course and positively influence perceptions regarding social presence and group interaction: personal emails and biographical and personal information from the instructor, an introduction with specific course instructions, an inclusive syllabus with student and instructor expectations clearly outlined, assignment rubrics, links to helpful tutorials or resources, and an informal place for students to chat.

Another way to promote community is to provide a question-and-answer forum. This facilitates student exchange of information that does not require instructor input, enabling students to mentor one another.

Small group sizes (with no more than 10 students per discussion forum group) also can promote social presence and community. According to Schellens and Valcke (2006), small discussion groups have higher levels of knowledge construction than larger groups do. They also found that students want specific discussion forum guidelines and want the forums to be graded to enhance the level of responsibility.

Clarity of discussion questions

To be meaningful, discussion questions need to be correlated with the course readings and learning outcomes for each module. Students are more likely to understand learning outcomes that are directly connected with an assignment (forum, quiz, or paper).

Most discussion questions focus on the basic levels of thinking of Bloom’s Taxonomy to evaluate students’ understanding of the content in each module and their ability to explain ideas or concepts. Some questions may direct students toward higher levels of thinking, requiring them either to apply the information from the module to a workplace situation or to compare and contrast particular issues (analyzing). To promote higher levels of thinking, ask students to critique one another’s posts (evaluating) and direct them to pose a question related to the topic of discussion (creating) to further stimulate discussion in the forum (Overbaugh and Schultz, n.d.).

In undergraduate courses, have students respond to the initial prompt and include rationale and references. Then have them reply to fellow students with substantial constructive feedback (remembering and understanding). Encourage students to respectfully consider the opinions of others, agree or disagree with those opinions, and provide rationale based on references or workplace experience (applying, analyzing). After all the students have posted and replied, post a closing post for the forum that acknowledges students’ points of view, addresses any areas that need further clarification, and adds new content to augment understanding of the topic of discussion.

Hold graduate students to the same criteria as undergraduate students, but also have them include questions with their posts to further stimulate discussion. This leads to a higher level of thinking. Also consider requiring graduate students to handle their posts that include questions as individual forums. Have them take on the role of instructor, replying to other students and posting summaries for their forums (evaluating). The instructor would then read all the posts, including questions and summaries, and post a closing message as described above for undergraduate students.

Grading rubric with standards of performance

Use analytic grading rubrics for online discussions. Analytic grading rubrics have two major components: levels of performance and a set of criteria. Levels of performance can include terms such as exemplary, proficient, basic, or below expectations or can include numbers. Points can be attached to the levels of performance and distributed based on the total number of points allowed for a post in the discussion forum. Criteria depend on the learning outcomes for the course, but may include the following:

• Demonstration of an understanding of the topic of discussion through critical thinking, higher-order thinking, and uniqueness of contribution
• Community building through collaboration and connection with other students
• Proper netiquette and mechanics of writing
• Timeliness and participation with posts/replies

Hold undergraduate and graduate students to the same standard in regard to netiquette, including language, spelling, and grammar, but modify the type and number of required references to suit the educational level. For example, undergraduate students may be required to include supporting references from their reading assignments, but Truemper (2004) suggested that the expectation for graduate students should be to include references from research journals.

The number of replies may need to be adjusted to suit the size of each discussion group. Typically, eight to 10 in a group is sufficient for a discussion that demonstrates interaction, reflection, exchange of ideas, and expansion of the knowledge base related to the topic of discussion. The number of points assigned to a discussion forum will also depend on the amount of responsibility assumed by the students. If students are required both to include a question to further stimulate discussion and to facilitate their forums by providing a summary, then additional points may be assigned to the discussion forum grading rubric. Last, the timeliness of the posts and replies can be negotiated with students, as many adult learners have busy schedules.

References Cobb, S. (2011). “Social presence, satisfaction, and perceived learning of RN-BSN students in Web-based nursing courses.” Nursing Education Perspectives, 32(2), 115-119.

Mayne, L., and Wu, Q. (2011). “Creating and measuring social presence in online graduate nursing courses.” Nursing Education Perspectives, 32(2), 110-114.

Overbaugh, R., and Schultz, L. (n.d.). Bloom’s Taxonomy. Retrieved from http://ww2.odu.edu/educ/roverbau/Bloom/blooms_taxonomy.htm .

Schellens, T., and Valcke, M. (2006). “Fostering knowledge construction in university students through asynchronous discussion groups.” Computers & Education, 46(4), 349-370.

Truemper, C. (2004). “Using scoring rubrics to facilitate assessment and evaluation of graduate-level nursing students.” Journal of Nursing Education, 43(12), 562-564.

Gloria P. Craig is a professor in the College of Nursing at South Dakota State University.

Excerpted from Online Classroom, 13.12 (2013): 5,8. © Magna Publications. All rights reserved.

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Rubric Best Practices, Examples, and Templates

A rubric is a scoring tool that identifies the different criteria relevant to an assignment, assessment, or learning outcome and states the possible levels of achievement in a specific, clear, and objective way. Use rubrics to assess project-based student work including essays, group projects, creative endeavors, and oral presentations.

Rubrics can help instructors communicate expectations to students and assess student work fairly, consistently and efficiently. Rubrics can provide students with informative feedback on their strengths and weaknesses so that they can reflect on their performance and work on areas that need improvement.

How to Get Started

Best practices, moodle how-to guides.

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Step 1: Analyze the assignment

The first step in the rubric creation process is to analyze the assignment or assessment for which you are creating a rubric. To do this, consider the following questions:

• What is the purpose of the assignment and your feedback? What do you want students to demonstrate through the completion of this assignment (i.e. what are the learning objectives measured by it)? Is it a summative assessment, or will students use the feedback to create an improved product?
• Does the assignment break down into different or smaller tasks? Are these tasks equally important as the main assignment?
• What would an “excellent” assignment look like? An “acceptable” assignment? One that still needs major work?
• How detailed do you want the feedback you give students to be? Do you want/need to give them a grade?

Step 2: Decide what kind of rubric you will use

Types of rubrics: holistic, analytic/descriptive, single-point

Holistic Rubric. A holistic rubric includes all the criteria (such as clarity, organization, mechanics, etc.) to be considered together and included in a single evaluation. With a holistic rubric, the rater or grader assigns a single score based on an overall judgment of the student’s work, using descriptions of each performance level to assign the score.

Advantages of holistic rubrics:

• Can p lace an emphasis on what learners can demonstrate rather than what they cannot
• Save grader time by minimizing the number of evaluations to be made for each student
• Can be used consistently across raters, provided they have all been trained

Disadvantages of holistic rubrics:

• Provide less specific feedback than analytic/descriptive rubrics
• Can be difficult to choose a score when a student’s work is at varying levels across the criteria
• Any weighting of c riteria cannot be indicated in the rubric

Analytic/Descriptive Rubric . An analytic or descriptive rubric often takes the form of a table with the criteria listed in the left column and with levels of performance listed across the top row. Each cell contains a description of what the specified criterion looks like at a given level of performance. Each of the criteria is scored individually.

Advantages of analytic rubrics:

• Provide detailed feedback on areas of strength or weakness
• Each criterion can be weighted to reflect its relative importance

Disadvantages of analytic rubrics:

• More time-consuming to create and use than a holistic rubric
• May not be used consistently across raters unless the cells are well defined
• May result in giving less personalized feedback

Single-Point Rubric . A single-point rubric is breaks down the components of an assignment into different criteria, but instead of describing different levels of performance, only the “proficient” level is described. Feedback space is provided for instructors to give individualized comments to help students improve and/or show where they excelled beyond the proficiency descriptors.

Advantages of single-point rubrics:

• Easier to create than an analytic/descriptive rubric
• Perhaps more likely that students will read the descriptors
• Areas of concern and excellence are open-ended
• May removes a focus on the grade/points
• May increase student creativity in project-based assignments

Disadvantage of analytic rubrics: Requires more work for instructors writing feedback

Step 3 (Optional): Look for templates and examples.

You might Google, “Rubric for persuasive essay at the college level” and see if there are any publicly available examples to start from. Ask your colleagues if they have used a rubric for a similar assignment. Some examples are also available at the end of this article. These rubrics can be a great starting point for you, but consider steps 3, 4, and 5 below to ensure that the rubric matches your assignment description, learning objectives and expectations.

Step 4: Define the assignment criteria

Make a list of the knowledge and skills are you measuring with the assignment/assessment Refer to your stated learning objectives, the assignment instructions, past examples of student work, etc. for help.

  Helpful strategies for defining grading criteria:

• Collaborate with co-instructors, teaching assistants, and other colleagues
• Brainstorm and discuss with students
• Can they be observed and measured?
• Are they important and essential?
• Are they distinct from other criteria?
• Are they phrased in precise, unambiguous language?
• Revise the criteria as needed
• Consider whether some are more important than others, and how you will weight them.

Step 5: Design the rating scale

Most ratings scales include between 3 and 5 levels. Consider the following questions when designing your rating scale:

• Given what students are able to demonstrate in this assignment/assessment, what are the possible levels of achievement?
• How many levels would you like to include (more levels means more detailed descriptions)
• Will you use numbers and/or descriptive labels for each level of performance? (for example 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and/or Exceeds expectations, Accomplished, Proficient, Developing, Beginning, etc.)
• Don’t use too many columns, and recognize that some criteria can have more columns that others . The rubric needs to be comprehensible and organized. Pick the right amount of columns so that the criteria flow logically and naturally across levels.

Step 6: Write descriptions for each level of the rating scale

Artificial Intelligence tools like Chat GPT have proven to be useful tools for creating a rubric. You will want to engineer your prompt that you provide the AI assistant to ensure you get what you want. For example, you might provide the assignment description, the criteria you feel are important, and the number of levels of performance you want in your prompt. Use the results as a starting point, and adjust the descriptions as needed.

Building a rubric from scratch

For a single-point rubric , describe what would be considered “proficient,” i.e. B-level work, and provide that description. You might also include suggestions for students outside of the actual rubric about how they might surpass proficient-level work.

For analytic and holistic rubrics , c reate statements of expected performance at each level of the rubric.

• Consider what descriptor is appropriate for each criteria, e.g., presence vs absence, complete vs incomplete, many vs none, major vs minor, consistent vs inconsistent, always vs never. If you have an indicator described in one level, it will need to be described in each level.
• You might start with the top/exemplary level. What does it look like when a student has achieved excellence for each/every criterion? Then, look at the “bottom” level. What does it look like when a student has not achieved the learning goals in any way? Then, complete the in-between levels.
• For an analytic rubric , do this for each particular criterion of the rubric so that every cell in the table is filled. These descriptions help students understand your expectations and their performance in regard to those expectations.

Well-written descriptions:

• Describe observable and measurable behavior
• Use parallel language across the scale
• Indicate the degree to which the standards are met

Step 7: Create your rubric

Create your rubric in a table or spreadsheet in Word, Google Docs, Sheets, etc., and then transfer it by typing it into Moodle. You can also use online tools to create the rubric, but you will still have to type the criteria, indicators, levels, etc., into Moodle. Rubric creators: Rubistar , iRubric

Step 8: Pilot-test your rubric

Prior to implementing your rubric on a live course, obtain feedback from:

• Teacher assistants

Try out your new rubric on a sample of student work. After you pilot-test your rubric, analyze the results to consider its effectiveness and revise accordingly.

• Limit the rubric to a single page for reading and grading ease
• Use parallel language . Use similar language and syntax/wording from column to column. Make sure that the rubric can be easily read from left to right or vice versa.
• Use student-friendly language . Make sure the language is learning-level appropriate. If you use academic language or concepts, you will need to teach those concepts.
• Share and discuss the rubric with your students . Students should understand that the rubric is there to help them learn, reflect, and self-assess. If students use a rubric, they will understand the expectations and their relevance to learning.
• Consider scalability and reusability of rubrics. Create rubric templates that you can alter as needed for multiple assignments.
• Maximize the descriptiveness of your language. Avoid words like “good” and “excellent.” For example, instead of saying, “uses excellent sources,” you might describe what makes a resource excellent so that students will know. You might also consider reducing the reliance on quantity, such as a number of allowable misspelled words. Focus instead, for example, on how distracting any spelling errors are.

Example of an analytic rubric for a final paper

Example of a holistic rubric for a final paper, single-point rubric, more examples:.

• Single Point Rubric Template ( variation )
• Analytic Rubric Template make a copy to edit
• A Rubric for Rubrics
• Bank of Online Discussion Rubrics in different formats
• Mathematical Presentations Descriptive Rubric
• Math Proof Assessment Rubric
• Kansas State Sample Rubrics
• Design Single Point Rubric

Technology Tools: Rubrics in Moodle

• Moodle Docs: Rubrics
• Moodle Docs: Grading Guide (use for single-point rubrics)

Tools with rubrics (other than Moodle)

• Google Assignments
• Turnitin Assignments: Rubric or Grading Form

Other resources

• DePaul University (n.d.). Rubrics .
• Gonzalez, J. (2014). Know your terms: Holistic, Analytic, and Single-Point Rubrics . Cult of Pedagogy.
• Goodrich, H. (1996). Understanding rubrics . Teaching for Authentic Student Performance, 54 (4), 14-17. Retrieved from   
• Miller, A. (2012). Tame the beast: tips for designing and using rubrics.
• Ragupathi, K., Lee, A. (2020). Beyond Fairness and Consistency in Grading: The Role of Rubrics in Higher Education. In: Sanger, C., Gleason, N. (eds) Diversity and Inclusion in Global Higher Education. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore.

Other assessments: Assessed discussion

• Scientific writing style
• Case studies
• Journal critique
• Research proposals
• Dissertations
• Literature reviews
• Assessed discussion
• Video assignments

On this page:

In many professions, the ability to communicate verbally, with well thought out, evidenced arguments is key to success.

Assessed discussions can develop skills that you are likely to use in many professional or vocational contexts. By interacting with others you can increase knowledge and understanding of the discussion topic for yourself and the other people involved.

What is an assessed discussion?

An assessed discussion is a structured and formal conversation or debate where students are expected to participate actively and engage in critical thinking.

The discussion is typically evaluated by the instructor, and the students' performance is graded based on their contribution to the conversation, their ability to present and defend their arguments, and their overall comprehension of the subject matter.

The goal of an assessed discussion is to encourage students to think critically, communicate effectively, and actively engage with the course material.

Assessed discussions can take various forms, including small-group discussions, debates, and online forums. This page focuses on face-to-face discussions. A page on online discussions is coming soon!

Using evidence to inform your discussion

An assessed discussion is more than just a chat, you will need to discuss relevant material. This could include:

Research.  Journal articles that are relevant to the given topic. 

Cases. Examples from real cases. Your discussion may be about a specific case, but you can include information from others too. Remember to mention sources.

Your own professional experience. If you have worked, are currently working in a relevant field, or have experience from placements, you can bring this into the discussion too. Keep your examples brief and to the point though - it can be tempting to spend a lot of time talking about yourself!

Preparing for a discussion

Review the course material.

Make sure you are familiar with the course material and have a good understanding of the topic of the discussion . This will help you to contribute meaningfully to the conversation.

Research the topic more thoroughly

Do some additional research on the topic of the discussion to deepen your understanding and to be able to contribute to the discussion with well-informed points. You are often required to provide a reference list as part of the assessment, so take a note of the research you read.

Prepare your argument

Think about the key points you want to make during the discussion and organize them in a logical order. Make sure you have evidence to support your arguments.

Bring notes

It is usually perfectly acceptable to bring notes to the discussion - it is not a test of your memory. Short summaries of the main evidence you want to bring are usually best - rather than complete journal articles etc. Use clear headings so that you can glance down at your notes and find the information you need.

Practice active listening

You will need to listen carefully to other participants during the discussion and make sure you understand their points of view. This will help you to respond thoughtfully and engage in a productive conversation. There are techniques that you can use to ensure you are listening actively  - so learn a few in advance!

Anticipate potential questions or counterarguments

Try to anticipate potential questions or counterarguments that may arise during the discussion, and prepare responses in advance.

Participate in practice discussions

If your tutor offers practice discussions, make sure you attend them. This will give you a chance to practice your discussion skills in a low-pressure environment.

Preparing and working in groups

Many assessed discussion assignments require you to work in groups - both to prepare for the discussion and during the discussion.

Preparing as a group

The main way to work as a group when preparing, is to divide up research tasks and then feedback the main findings to the group. This could involve producing:

• short summaries of key papers or documents,
• a list of take-away bullet points with sources indicated,
• a diagram that shows connections between sources etc.

If you have any pertinent personal experiences that can inform the discussion, it is best to share these in advance, so that your group-members are not surprised if you bring these up during the discussion - or can ask you about them (see below).

Also, prepare some questions to ask each other during the discussion - in case you feel one of your group members has not been able to contribute significantly.

Teamwork during the discussion

The key thing is to ensure that everyone gets a chance to contribute in a meaningful way . That is why having some prepared questions to ask each other (as mentioned above) is so important. You may not need to use them if everyone seems to have contributed well, but they are useful to have in reserve. Consider things like:

"Lucy, do you have any professional experience that is relevant here?"

"Sinan, didn't you find a great article about that - can you remember the main findings?"

Your earlier preparation should mean you know they do and can - don't ask questions that could make your group members look bad . It will not make you look good!

If you want something more general, try "Dola, do you have anything to add?" or something like that.

Remember, an assessed discussion is an opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of the material and your ability to think critically and communicate effectively. By preparing thoroughly and participating actively in the discussion, you can showcase your skills and earn a good grade.

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What is an assessed academic group discussion?

This is the first of three chapters about Group Discussions . To complete this reader, read each chapter carefully and then unlock and complete our materials to check your understanding.   

– Discuss the six most common academic assignments

– Explore group discussions in detail, explaining their purpose and assessment criteria

– Discuss the skills learned through successful completion of group discussions

Chapter 1: What is an assessed academic group discussion?

Chapter 2: Which skills make for effective group discussions?

Chapter 3: What are the nine pitfalls of university discussions?

Students will be assessed in a variety of ways during their time at university, and each assessment is generally just as important (if not more important) than the last. While essays and exams might be familiar territory to most students, an assessed  group discussion   may very well be a new and daunting experience. Knowing how to correctly listen to, respond to and structure a successful group discussion can be a challenging task, which is why our academic experts have created this short three-chapter reader. Chapter 1 introduces the basics of academic discussions, Chapter 2 explores the skills that are needed for an effective discussion and Chapter 3 highlights the nine most common pitfalls that students should avoid. 

Which academic assignments are most common?

While universities might get creative in the types of assessment that they expect students to complete, there are six common forms of assignment that students should expect and become confident in.

What exactly is a group discussion?

Group discussions   are a type of assessment in which a small team of students are required to discuss an arranged topic in front of a small number of assessors. Such discussions typically last between eight and fifteen minutes and are usually conducted in groups of three to six students. To determine the topic of the discussion, students are normally provided with a discussion prompt. This prompt may include images, a number of words and phrases  to assist memory, and a specific question to guide the debate, such as the examples below:

‘Why did Brexit happen and how has this affected the EU?’

‘Is the air pollution that one country produces the world’s responsibility?’

‘How can technology assist language learning in the classroom?’

While such prompts may be provided to the students a week or two before the day of assessment, they are normally provided just before the  group discussion   starts. Students must therefore become familiar with and be able to predict the types of topics that will be expected in their assessed discussion.

Why do university use group discussions?

Group discussions   are designed to prepare students for future participation in academic seminar discussions. Out of all the assessment methods, group discussions perhaps demand the most from students and assessors and demonstrate and strengthen a wide variety of useful skills . This academic assignment allows students to show off their presentation and listening skills as well as demonstrate their teamwork, communication, persuasiveness and delivery.

Group discussions   also help students to:

• improve confidence
• explore topics in depth
• improve language skills
• strengthen conceptual knowledge
• increase retention of factual knowledge
• develop communication and critical thinking skills

How are group discussions usually assessed?

While assessment criteria will change from university to university, the most common method of assessing a  group discussion   is to focus on delivery , interaction, listening skills , language use and topic knowledge. Students therefore tend to perform poorly during group discussions if they are nervous of speaking in public, if they lack the knowledge necessary to contribute to the conversation, or if they have a poor command of the language.

Now that you understand the basics of  group discussions , it might be a good idea to test your knowledge by unlocking the Chapter 1 Worksheet. Once completed, students may then wish to progress to Chapter 2 where we discuss how body language , delivery strategies and discussion strategies make for effective assessed group discussions. 

To reference this reader:

Academic Marker (2022) Group Discussions . Available at: https://academicmarker.com/academic-guidance/assignments/group-discussions/ (Accessed: Date Month Year).

• Indiana University
• University of Waterloo
• UNSW Sydney

Once you’ve completed all three chapters in this short reader about Group Discussions , you might then wish to download our Chapter Worksheets to check your progress or print for your students. These professional PDF worksheets can be easily accessed for only a few Academic Marks .

Chapter 1 explores the topic: What is an assessed academic group discussion? Our Chapter 1 Worksheet (containing guidance, activities and answer keys) can be accessed here at the click of a button. 

Chapter 2 explores the topic: Which skills make for effective group discussions? Our Chapter2 Worksheet (containing guidance, activities and answer keys) can be accessed here at the click of a button. 

Chapter 3 explores the topic: What are the nine pitfalls of university discussions? Our Chapter 3 Worksheet (containing guidance, activities and answer keys) can be accessed here at the click of a button. 

To save yourself 2 Marks , click on the button below to gain unlimited access to all of our Group Discussions Chapter Worksheets. This  All-in-1 Pack includes every chapter, activity and answer key related to this topic in one handy and professional PDF.

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Common Assignments: Writing a Successful Discussion Post

Writing a successful discussion post, 1. read the discussion prompt carefully..

Pay special attention to:

• Purpose: What question or required reading are you being asked to respond to?
• Particulars: What is the word limit? When is the due date and time? What sources are you expected to draw on?
• Response type: Are you being asked to reflect on personal experience, determine a solution to a problem, compare two ideas, or make an argument?
• Formatting: What formatting has your instructor requested? If no specific formatting is indicated, follow general APA guidelines .
• Expectations: How will your discussion post be assessed? Consult your course materials or instructor.

2. Prepare adequately.

• Before beginning your post, make sure you have read all of the required readings with a critical eye .
• Access your instructor's feedback on previous assignments. Based on that feedback, how do you want to improve in this next post?
• After reading, spend some time jotting down your reactions, ideas, and responses to the reading.
• Determine one-two of your strongest ideas, which you will structure your response around, by assessing the amount of evidence you have to support a particular assertion, response, or claim.
• Logically piece together a rough outline of your evidence to make your claim both clear and persuasive.

3. Construct a draft.

• Discussion post assignments often have multiple questions. Instead of answering each one in order, use a topic sentence  to bring all points together into one central argument, claim, or purpose. 
• Use your evidence to build your response and persuade your readers by supporting your claim with course readings or outside sources (if permitted or required).
• Make sure that each piece of evidence keeps your post focused, relevant, clear, and scholarly in tone .
• Type in sentence case; in an online environment, ALL CAPS feels like yelling.
• Make sure you have adequately cited all information or ideas from outside sources in your post and have added a full reference at the end.

4. Review and revise.

After writing your post, review your ideas by asking yourself:

• Is my main idea clear and relevant to the topic of discussion?
• Does my response demonstrate evidence that I have read and thought critically about required readings?
• Have I proposed a unique perspective that can be challenged by my classmates?
• Do I support my claim with required readings or other credible outside sources?
• Have I used a scholarly tone, avoiding jargon or language that is overly conversational?
• Have I proofread my response for grammar, style, and structure?
• Copy and paste the final version of your draft into the discussion forum.
• Do a quick check to make sure no formatting mishaps occurred while uploading.
• Wait patiently for responses from your classmates.

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Didn't find what you need? Email us at [email protected] .

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Understanding Assignments

What this handout is about.

The first step in any successful college writing venture is reading the assignment. While this sounds like a simple task, it can be a tough one. This handout will help you unravel your assignment and begin to craft an effective response. Much of the following advice will involve translating typical assignment terms and practices into meaningful clues to the type of writing your instructor expects. See our short video for more tips.

Basic beginnings

Regardless of the assignment, department, or instructor, adopting these two habits will serve you well :

• Read the assignment carefully as soon as you receive it. Do not put this task off—reading the assignment at the beginning will save you time, stress, and problems later. An assignment can look pretty straightforward at first, particularly if the instructor has provided lots of information. That does not mean it will not take time and effort to complete; you may even have to learn a new skill to complete the assignment.
• Ask the instructor about anything you do not understand. Do not hesitate to approach your instructor. Instructors would prefer to set you straight before you hand the paper in. That’s also when you will find their feedback most useful.

Assignment formats

Many assignments follow a basic format. Assignments often begin with an overview of the topic, include a central verb or verbs that describe the task, and offer some additional suggestions, questions, or prompts to get you started.

An Overview of Some Kind

The instructor might set the stage with some general discussion of the subject of the assignment, introduce the topic, or remind you of something pertinent that you have discussed in class. For example:

“Throughout history, gerbils have played a key role in politics,” or “In the last few weeks of class, we have focused on the evening wear of the housefly …”

The Task of the Assignment

Pay attention; this part tells you what to do when you write the paper. Look for the key verb or verbs in the sentence. Words like analyze, summarize, or compare direct you to think about your topic in a certain way. Also pay attention to words such as how, what, when, where, and why; these words guide your attention toward specific information. (See the section in this handout titled “Key Terms” for more information.)

“Analyze the effect that gerbils had on the Russian Revolution”, or “Suggest an interpretation of housefly undergarments that differs from Darwin’s.”

Additional Material to Think about

Here you will find some questions to use as springboards as you begin to think about the topic. Instructors usually include these questions as suggestions rather than requirements. Do not feel compelled to answer every question unless the instructor asks you to do so. Pay attention to the order of the questions. Sometimes they suggest the thinking process your instructor imagines you will need to follow to begin thinking about the topic.

“You may wish to consider the differing views held by Communist gerbils vs. Monarchist gerbils, or Can there be such a thing as ‘the housefly garment industry’ or is it just a home-based craft?”

These are the instructor’s comments about writing expectations:

“Be concise”, “Write effectively”, or “Argue furiously.”

Technical Details

These instructions usually indicate format rules or guidelines.

“Your paper must be typed in Palatino font on gray paper and must not exceed 600 pages. It is due on the anniversary of Mao Tse-tung’s death.”

The assignment’s parts may not appear in exactly this order, and each part may be very long or really short. Nonetheless, being aware of this standard pattern can help you understand what your instructor wants you to do.

Interpreting the assignment

Ask yourself a few basic questions as you read and jot down the answers on the assignment sheet:

Why did your instructor ask you to do this particular task?

Who is your audience.

• What kind of evidence do you need to support your ideas?

What kind of writing style is acceptable?

• What are the absolute rules of the paper?

Try to look at the question from the point of view of the instructor. Recognize that your instructor has a reason for giving you this assignment and for giving it to you at a particular point in the semester. In every assignment, the instructor has a challenge for you. This challenge could be anything from demonstrating an ability to think clearly to demonstrating an ability to use the library. See the assignment not as a vague suggestion of what to do but as an opportunity to show that you can handle the course material as directed. Paper assignments give you more than a topic to discuss—they ask you to do something with the topic. Keep reminding yourself of that. Be careful to avoid the other extreme as well: do not read more into the assignment than what is there.

Of course, your instructor has given you an assignment so that he or she will be able to assess your understanding of the course material and give you an appropriate grade. But there is more to it than that. Your instructor has tried to design a learning experience of some kind. Your instructor wants you to think about something in a particular way for a particular reason. If you read the course description at the beginning of your syllabus, review the assigned readings, and consider the assignment itself, you may begin to see the plan, purpose, or approach to the subject matter that your instructor has created for you. If you still aren’t sure of the assignment’s goals, try asking the instructor. For help with this, see our handout on getting feedback .

Given your instructor’s efforts, it helps to answer the question: What is my purpose in completing this assignment? Is it to gather research from a variety of outside sources and present a coherent picture? Is it to take material I have been learning in class and apply it to a new situation? Is it to prove a point one way or another? Key words from the assignment can help you figure this out. Look for key terms in the form of active verbs that tell you what to do.

Key Terms: Finding Those Active Verbs

Here are some common key words and definitions to help you think about assignment terms:

Information words Ask you to demonstrate what you know about the subject, such as who, what, when, where, how, and why.

• define —give the subject’s meaning (according to someone or something). Sometimes you have to give more than one view on the subject’s meaning
• describe —provide details about the subject by answering question words (such as who, what, when, where, how, and why); you might also give details related to the five senses (what you see, hear, feel, taste, and smell)
• explain —give reasons why or examples of how something happened
• illustrate —give descriptive examples of the subject and show how each is connected with the subject
• summarize —briefly list the important ideas you learned about the subject
• trace —outline how something has changed or developed from an earlier time to its current form
• research —gather material from outside sources about the subject, often with the implication or requirement that you will analyze what you have found

Relation words Ask you to demonstrate how things are connected.

• compare —show how two or more things are similar (and, sometimes, different)
• contrast —show how two or more things are dissimilar
• apply—use details that you’ve been given to demonstrate how an idea, theory, or concept works in a particular situation
• cause —show how one event or series of events made something else happen
• relate —show or describe the connections between things

Interpretation words Ask you to defend ideas of your own about the subject. Do not see these words as requesting opinion alone (unless the assignment specifically says so), but as requiring opinion that is supported by concrete evidence. Remember examples, principles, definitions, or concepts from class or research and use them in your interpretation.

• assess —summarize your opinion of the subject and measure it against something
• prove, justify —give reasons or examples to demonstrate how or why something is the truth
• evaluate, respond —state your opinion of the subject as good, bad, or some combination of the two, with examples and reasons
• support —give reasons or evidence for something you believe (be sure to state clearly what it is that you believe)
• synthesize —put two or more things together that have not been put together in class or in your readings before; do not just summarize one and then the other and say that they are similar or different—you must provide a reason for putting them together that runs all the way through the paper
• analyze —determine how individual parts create or relate to the whole, figure out how something works, what it might mean, or why it is important
• argue —take a side and defend it with evidence against the other side

More Clues to Your Purpose As you read the assignment, think about what the teacher does in class:

• What kinds of textbooks or coursepack did your instructor choose for the course—ones that provide background information, explain theories or perspectives, or argue a point of view?
• In lecture, does your instructor ask your opinion, try to prove her point of view, or use keywords that show up again in the assignment?
• What kinds of assignments are typical in this discipline? Social science classes often expect more research. Humanities classes thrive on interpretation and analysis.
• How do the assignments, readings, and lectures work together in the course? Instructors spend time designing courses, sometimes even arguing with their peers about the most effective course materials. Figuring out the overall design to the course will help you understand what each assignment is meant to achieve.

Now, what about your reader? Most undergraduates think of their audience as the instructor. True, your instructor is a good person to keep in mind as you write. But for the purposes of a good paper, think of your audience as someone like your roommate: smart enough to understand a clear, logical argument, but not someone who already knows exactly what is going on in your particular paper. Remember, even if the instructor knows everything there is to know about your paper topic, he or she still has to read your paper and assess your understanding. In other words, teach the material to your reader.

Aiming a paper at your audience happens in two ways: you make decisions about the tone and the level of information you want to convey.

• Tone means the “voice” of your paper. Should you be chatty, formal, or objective? Usually you will find some happy medium—you do not want to alienate your reader by sounding condescending or superior, but you do not want to, um, like, totally wig on the man, you know? Eschew ostentatious erudition: some students think the way to sound academic is to use big words. Be careful—you can sound ridiculous, especially if you use the wrong big words.
• The level of information you use depends on who you think your audience is. If you imagine your audience as your instructor and she already knows everything you have to say, you may find yourself leaving out key information that can cause your argument to be unconvincing and illogical. But you do not have to explain every single word or issue. If you are telling your roommate what happened on your favorite science fiction TV show last night, you do not say, “First a dark-haired white man of average height, wearing a suit and carrying a flashlight, walked into the room. Then a purple alien with fifteen arms and at least three eyes turned around. Then the man smiled slightly. In the background, you could hear a clock ticking. The room was fairly dark and had at least two windows that I saw.” You also do not say, “This guy found some aliens. The end.” Find some balance of useful details that support your main point.

You’ll find a much more detailed discussion of these concepts in our handout on audience .

The Grim Truth

With a few exceptions (including some lab and ethnography reports), you are probably being asked to make an argument. You must convince your audience. It is easy to forget this aim when you are researching and writing; as you become involved in your subject matter, you may become enmeshed in the details and focus on learning or simply telling the information you have found. You need to do more than just repeat what you have read. Your writing should have a point, and you should be able to say it in a sentence. Sometimes instructors call this sentence a “thesis” or a “claim.”

So, if your instructor tells you to write about some aspect of oral hygiene, you do not want to just list: “First, you brush your teeth with a soft brush and some peanut butter. Then, you floss with unwaxed, bologna-flavored string. Finally, gargle with bourbon.” Instead, you could say, “Of all the oral cleaning methods, sandblasting removes the most plaque. Therefore it should be recommended by the American Dental Association.” Or, “From an aesthetic perspective, moldy teeth can be quite charming. However, their joys are short-lived.”

Convincing the reader of your argument is the goal of academic writing. It doesn’t have to say “argument” anywhere in the assignment for you to need one. Look at the assignment and think about what kind of argument you could make about it instead of just seeing it as a checklist of information you have to present. For help with understanding the role of argument in academic writing, see our handout on argument .

What kind of evidence do you need?

There are many kinds of evidence, and what type of evidence will work for your assignment can depend on several factors–the discipline, the parameters of the assignment, and your instructor’s preference. Should you use statistics? Historical examples? Do you need to conduct your own experiment? Can you rely on personal experience? See our handout on evidence for suggestions on how to use evidence appropriately.

Make sure you are clear about this part of the assignment, because your use of evidence will be crucial in writing a successful paper. You are not just learning how to argue; you are learning how to argue with specific types of materials and ideas. Ask your instructor what counts as acceptable evidence. You can also ask a librarian for help. No matter what kind of evidence you use, be sure to cite it correctly—see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial .

You cannot always tell from the assignment just what sort of writing style your instructor expects. The instructor may be really laid back in class but still expect you to sound formal in writing. Or the instructor may be fairly formal in class and ask you to write a reflection paper where you need to use “I” and speak from your own experience.

Try to avoid false associations of a particular field with a style (“art historians like wacky creativity,” or “political scientists are boring and just give facts”) and look instead to the types of readings you have been given in class. No one expects you to write like Plato—just use the readings as a guide for what is standard or preferable to your instructor. When in doubt, ask your instructor about the level of formality she or he expects.

No matter what field you are writing for or what facts you are including, if you do not write so that your reader can understand your main idea, you have wasted your time. So make clarity your main goal. For specific help with style, see our handout on style .

Technical details about the assignment

The technical information you are given in an assignment always seems like the easy part. This section can actually give you lots of little hints about approaching the task. Find out if elements such as page length and citation format (see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial ) are negotiable. Some professors do not have strong preferences as long as you are consistent and fully answer the assignment. Some professors are very specific and will deduct big points for deviations.

Usually, the page length tells you something important: The instructor thinks the size of the paper is appropriate to the assignment’s parameters. In plain English, your instructor is telling you how many pages it should take for you to answer the question as fully as you are expected to. So if an assignment is two pages long, you cannot pad your paper with examples or reword your main idea several times. Hit your one point early, defend it with the clearest example, and finish quickly. If an assignment is ten pages long, you can be more complex in your main points and examples—and if you can only produce five pages for that assignment, you need to see someone for help—as soon as possible.

Tricks that don’t work

Your instructors are not fooled when you:

• spend more time on the cover page than the essay —graphics, cool binders, and cute titles are no replacement for a well-written paper.
• use huge fonts, wide margins, or extra spacing to pad the page length —these tricks are immediately obvious to the eye. Most instructors use the same word processor you do. They know what’s possible. Such tactics are especially damning when the instructor has a stack of 60 papers to grade and yours is the only one that low-flying airplane pilots could read.
• use a paper from another class that covered “sort of similar” material . Again, the instructor has a particular task for you to fulfill in the assignment that usually relates to course material and lectures. Your other paper may not cover this material, and turning in the same paper for more than one course may constitute an Honor Code violation . Ask the instructor—it can’t hurt.
• get all wacky and “creative” before you answer the question . Showing that you are able to think beyond the boundaries of a simple assignment can be good, but you must do what the assignment calls for first. Again, check with your instructor. A humorous tone can be refreshing for someone grading a stack of papers, but it will not get you a good grade if you have not fulfilled the task.

Critical reading of assignments leads to skills in other types of reading and writing. If you get good at figuring out what the real goals of assignments are, you are going to be better at understanding the goals of all of your classes and fields of study.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Assessing assignments

Reflective assignments can be assessed in different ways; below you will find information about summative, formative, peer, and self-assessment of assignments.

Criteria and rubrics can help you in your assessment

As highlighted on the ‘Should I assess?’ page, different levels of assessment will either require or benefit from explicit criteria and rubrics. They will help you in your assessment and will particularly support the reflectors when producing their reflections. Moreover if you decide to use peer or self-assessment, criteria and rubrics will be of great help as part of the guidelines students should be given for the assessment process.

Should I assess? (within the Facilitators’ Toolkit)

Assessment types that work well for reflective assignments

Reflective assignments lend themselves well to most types of assessment.

Classic summative assessment

In contrast to reflective activities, reflective assignments work particularly well for summative assessments that might carry high proportions of the overall course marks. This would be similar to a final essay in a course.

For example, this could be:

• A reflective journal
• A report that pulls on evidence from a reflective journal
• A reflective blog
• A reflective essay on the student’s development in the course
• A reflective essay on meeting benchmark statements
• A reflective essay on a particular experience (for example a critical incident in an experiential learning course)
• A skills-development log

Peer-assessment can be used, but summative assessment might lend itself better to assessment from tutors or course organisers. While it is strictly possible, self-assessment might not suit summative work and it is recommended to use for formative work instead.

Summative assessments are high-stakes assessment. It is therefore important that students receive support on how to reflect and perform well. For instance, having a chance to practice in a low-stakes environment such as formative assessment can be valuable.

Formative assessment

Reflection is an excellent way of checking-in partway through an initiative and supporting students with their further development. Any kind of formative assessment is a valuable way of practising for a summative assignment and therefore smaller or interim versions of final assessments are great for formative feedback.

• Individual entries from a reflective journal
• A reflective blogpost
• Interim essays on development during the course or on benchmark statements
• Drafts on reflective summative assessments
• Reflective workbooks

As mentioned, formative assessment is low-stakes and can be a good way of engaging either peers or students themselves in the assessment process.

For completion or pass/fail

Reflective assignments can easily be implemented ‘for completion’ or ‘pass/fail’. Including reflection ‘for completion’ will ensure that students start the process, but not necessarily engage with it fully. By creating a ‘pass/fail’ option you ensure that students will engage at least to the point of ‘good enough’ with the reflective process.

Types of reflective assignments that can work well ‘for completion’ or ‘pass/fail’:

• Reflective journals/diaries
• Skills-development logs
• Reflective videos/audio recordings

While ‘pass/fail’ of assessment is lower stakes than many other forms of summative assessments and ‘for completion’ is generally very low stakes, you still have the responsibility of ensuring that students have enough information on how to complete the assignment satisfactorily. For ‘pass/fail’, just like any other summative assessment, it means having both criteria and a rubric.

When assessing reflective assignments it is essential to have clear guidelines and criteria. The higher the stakes of the assessment (for example summative versus formative), the more important clear guidelines and rubrics become.

You can use both formative and summative assessment for reflective assignments.  When posing a summative assessments it is important to allow students to practise or you must be extremely clear about what you want and provide detailed guidance.

Reflective assignments lend themselves better to summative assessment than activities do.

Where next?

To get a sense of typical assessment criteria to include when assessing reflection, head to the assessment criteria page. For sample rubrics, see the rubrics page.

Assessment criteria (within the Facilitators’ Toolkit)

Assessment rubrics (within the Facilitators’ Toolkit)

uopeople catalog

Graduate catalog: 2023/24, components of the study process.

Graduate students begin by reviewing the Learning Guide which lists the requirements for the Learning Week. All texts, readings, cases and other supplemental materials are provided within the course itself with emphasis placed on teamwork and project-centered learning. Courses are taught in small class sections that foster a close sense of community; students work in teams to complete projects, write papers, analyze and document case studies, and prepare class presentations.

Successful course completion depends on following the instructions and guidelines provided in each course syllabus. At the start of each term, students should read the syllabi and learning guides very carefully to fully understand the components and requirements of each of the courses in which they are enrolled. Course requirements include weekly readings, participation, peer assessment tasks, discussion forum responses, written assignments, portfolio and group activities, cases studies and final projects, and quizzes.

The Learning Guide

The Learning Guide shapes the learning experience for the entire week by providing a framework for directing students through the study material and tasks, including instructions on how to approach the weekly tasks.

Participation

Research has shown that student participation is directly related to course success. In order to ensure a rich learning experience, students must take an active approach to their studies by being present and involved.

Course Attendance

Attendance is measured and recorded from posted responses to weekly Discussion Forum questions, participation in the peer assessment process; and submission of weekly assignments, case studies and final projects.

Course Forum

Students discuss course material and raise issues and questions related to a course in the Course Forum. The Course Forum is regularly monitored by Course Instructors. Participation is not required, but highly recommended.

Reading Assignments

UoPeople courses use Open Educational Resources (OER) and other materials specifically donated to the University with permission for free educational use. Therefore, students are not required to purchase any textbooks or sign up for any websites that have a cost associated with them. All required textbooks can be readily accessed inside each course, although there may be additional required/recommended readings, supplemental materials, or other resources and websites which students can also access at no cost.

Peer-to-Peer Learning and Assessment

Peer-to-peer learning, a hallmark of the UoPeople program, is central to the learning process at UoPeople. In critiquing the work of peers, students consolidate their own knowledge and skills even as they are contributing to the growth and learning experience of others. Students whose work is being discussed have the benefit of input from multiple sources, which extends their understanding of the concepts. It also fosters deeper learning on the part of the students doing the assessing because they must first consolidate their own level of knowledge and skill before they can do an assessment. Assessing the work of others also helps to develop higher order thinking, communication, and evaluation skills. Students are taught about the evaluation process and, as they progress through their studies, learn how to assess the work of their fellow students with increasing insight and precision.

During the Learning Week following the submission of an assignment, students are given anonymous assignments from other students in the classroom for peer assessment. A student’s final grade is determined both by the work that he or she submits and by the quality of his or her peer assessments. Giving unjustifiably poor or exaggeratedly positive reviews of the work of others brings down a student’s grade as it is a sign that the student has not learned to evaluate the material properly according to the criteria. Students must therefore correctly apply the assessment elements set forth in the rubrics established for a given assignment.

Peer assessment is under the supervision of Course Instructors who monitor peer reviews for anomalies. Because the student’s assignment is assessed three times, Course Instructors identify discrepancies in grading when monitoring the scores of the assessments and may adjust the scoring, as appropriate, or override and re-grade a student’s work where necessary.

Discussion Assignments

Most units require students to complete a Discussion Assignment by posting a well-formed response to the Discussion Assignment in the Discussion Forum. Students must participate in the discussion by responding to at least three of their peers’ postings in the Discussion Forum by rating their submissions and providing substantive written feedback. Discussion Forums are only active for each current and relevant learning week, so it is not possible to contribute to the forum once the learning week has come to an end. Failure to participate in the Discussion Assignment and/or participate in the Discussion Forum may result in failure of the course.

Written Assignments

Most units require students to complete a written assignment. Assignments can vary in type including but not limited to short papers, research-based papers, and case studies. Students first submit their assignments by the required deadline and then assess three classmates’ assignments according to provided instructions in the Learning Guide. Students are expected to provide details in the feedback section of the corresponding assignment’s Peer Assessment Form with an explanation for the rationale of the grade awarded. Failure to submit assignments and/or peer-assessments may result in failure of the course.

Portfolio Activities

Portfolio Activities are tools for self-reflection and evaluation within the context of the course. Designed as a way for students to document and reflect upon their learning process and critical thinking skills, Portfolio Activities encourage students to draw upon their life experiences and what they’ve learned in other courses to showcase their overall growth in developing and sharpening their professional goals.

Portfolio Activities are used as part of the Capstone experience.

Group Activities

Most courses require students to complete work as part of a small group, giving students the opportunity to engage in projects while working on teams. Group work is an important component of graduate level coursework, and allows students to gain a more thorough understanding of the topics covered in a course with their fellow classmates. Unless otherwise noted, students are randomly assigned to groups and are expected to work with their teammates throughout the term.

Courses may contain two types of quizzes – the Self-Quiz, and the Graded Quiz. These quizzes may contain multiple choice, true/false, or short answer questions. It is highly recommended that students complete all quizzes to ensure that they have adequately understood the course material.

Late work is not permitted at UoPeople unless there is an exceptional personal circumstance/illness (clear, documented proof is required), or a systemic Moodle site technical error. Documented proof of an exceptional, extended systemic city/region-wide power outage is required to be considered for late work to be considered. Extensions are not guaranteed for students experiencing random power outages or lapses in computer/Internet access prior to assignment deadlines.  

Students are strongly encouraged to submit their work as early as possible to avoid such unfortunate circumstances.  

Access to Previous Coursework

Students should be aware that University of the People provides limited access to previous courses , including students’ own contributions to their courses . This access is limited to the current and previous term. Note this access may be removed at any time at the University’s discretion.  

Students are advised to save all of their work on their computers in case they want to access it at a later date. To request access to a course syllabus for a course they have completed, students may contact the Office of Academic Affairs at [email protected] .  

All UoPeople course readings are available to enrolled UoPeople students in the Online Syllabi Repository (OSR) on the Moodle homepage. The repository may assist students in preparing for a prospective course or referencing and reviewing course materials after completing a course.