Grading Rubric for Discussion Board (DB)
Yes, I realize you probably believe you already know this, but it’s different from other Discussion
Boards you’ve been involved with before—so PLEASE READ THOROUGHLY!!
1. You are required to create and post one substantive original post each week in response to that
week’s forum, no later than 11:59PM every Wednesday night throughout the quarter. [NOTE:
During weeks #1 and 10, you will be required to respond to TWO separate forums (fora).]
• “Substantive”—defined as “full of meaning and content.” Your thread must show original thought
and should be specifically linked to that week’s topic and the specific questions I’ve posted. DO
NOT TELL ME WHAT THE TEXTBOOK SAYS, AND DO NOT TELL ME WHAT MY LECTURES
SAID! I already know that (and hopefully, so do your peers). What I want to hear is what you
think and feel, as related to the particular subject at hand!
• The table below will give you more specifics about what I’ll be looking for in both your threads
and your responses to others. It’s challenging to couch this in terms of number of words or
sentences! I'm actually looking more for the number of thoughts you express, although
understandably, that's fairly challenging to grade.
• If you absolutely cannot think of this in any way other than length, then consider the minimum
length as being a nice long paragraph of at least 5 or 6 meaningful sentences.
2. You are required to respond to at least two other people each week (which can include a response
to me or to the TA, as well as to other students). Responses must be posted no later than
11:59PM each Saturday night.
• In your replies to others, I don’t want to simply see, “Good post,” or “I agree/disagree with you.”
I want to know WHY you thought it was a good post, WHY you agree or disagree, and I want
you to link it in some way to your own experience or beliefs/thoughts/feelings. That means
(again) a decent-sized paragraph is required.
• Responses to others' posts will, obviously, vary in content and in length, but it will still be helpful
gradewise for your comments to demonstrate thoughtful (not just courteous, but thought-full)
analysis of the posts to which you are responding.
•
Please note that when I say I want you to respond to 2 other students' postings, that doesn't just
mean 2 posts; it's 2 people. So if you respond to Jane Doe three times, that still only counts as
1 response, even though you've actually entered 3 posts in addition to your own original entry. I
suggest you log on to DB daily, so can follow the flow of the various threads. I expect you to
keep up with the discussion (i.e., don’t ask questions that have already been answered). Also,
the earlier in the week you post your own original entry, the more peer responses you'll receive.
Time frame:
As indicated above, your original thread must be posted no later than Wednesday night before
midnight, so others will have a chance to respond to you; responses must be posted no later than
Saturday night (at, you guessed it, 11:59). I'll be joining the discussion periodically, so don't be
surprised to hear from me!  Participation in discussion activities will be graded at the end of that
particular week (usually by the following Sunday or Monday).
Grading:
Although it can be quite challenging to assign grades for something like Discussion Board, DB is the
online equivalent of attendance and participation, which is something I consider to be exceptionally
important in the area of social services. As indicated in the syllabus, your grade for participation in DB
amounts to 15% of your overall course grade, so it IS an important element in your overall course
grade. Each DB forum is worth 10 points, but bear in mind that grades are weighted, so there's not a
direct translation between number of points and letter grade. BTW…you'll also have the chance to pick
up a few bonus points by exceeding the number and/or quality of your DB posts! Each DB forum is
graded on a scale of 0-10 points, but going above and beyond the basic requirements can earn you up
to two bonus points each week (which could add up to as many as 24 extra points by the end of the
quarter). For a more specific look at my expectations for DB, please refer to the following table:
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DB Grading Rubric—SOC 301
Criteria
Connections
to Forum
Topic
Uniqueness,
Creativity
Critical
Thinking
Timeliness/
Content/
Overall
Quality
10 pts
Outstanding
• Clear connections:
• To current as well as
previous topic(s)
• To real-life situations
(includes personal
experience)
• Addresses all aspects of
forum questions
• Refers to ongoing DB
discussions
• New ideas and/or
connections, made with
depth & detail
• Expresses creativity and
individuality
• Well-written (in
particular: doesn’t
look/sound like a text!)
8-9 pts
Proficient (above avg)
• Contains some new ideas
or connections to current
topic
• Includes reference to
previous topic(s)
• Addresses most apects of
forum questions
• Acknowledges input of
others in some way
• Rich content, full of
thought and insight
• Shows time spent
thinking about topic
• Demonstrates
knowledge of human
behavior esp. re: impact
of values, culture, etc.
• Applies principles of
sociology, psychology,
and other fields.
• Posts original thread
early in week, and
checks in throughout the
week to join different
discussions
• Week’s submissions
incl excellent original
thread+ more than 3
substantive responses to
others
• Substantially exceeds
minimum requirements
• Substantial information
demonstrating ability to
apply concepts to new
learning
• Shows some thought,
insight, and analysis has
taken place
• Some application of
principles of human
behavior, psychology,
sociology, etc.
• All required postings
entered on time and not
one right after the other
• Contains substantive
original thread plus at
least 2 substantive
responses to others
• May exceed the
minimum requirements,
but not substantially
• Some new ideas/
connections made
• Contains above-average
level of depth/detail
• Generally well-written
• Goes beyond absolute
minimum requirements
6-7 pts
Basic (average)
• Limited connection to
topic, but is related to
some degree
• Somewhat vague,
generic
• Answers parts of some
forum questions
• If input of others is
referenced, it largely
rehashes or rephrases
• Few, if any new ideas or
connections apparent
• Rehashes or
summarizes other posts
• Covers but does not go
beyond barest minimum
requirements
• Short, skimpy, vague
• Acceptable, but doesn't
add much to the
discussion
• Minimal thinking
demonstrated—shows
some understanding of
topic but no effort to go
beyond the obvious
• Doesn’t question or
apply other learning to
the material addressed
• Meets barest minimum
requirements (1 original
thread, 2 responses)
• Done one right after the
other (obvious intent to
“get it out of the way”)
• All 3 posts are on time
2
4-5pts
Below Expectations
• Few (if any)
connections made to
current topic
• Mostly off-topic,
rambling, vague
• Doesn’t really address
forum questions
• No reference to others’
posts
0-3pts
Poor
• Something was
written hastily in an
attempt to earn a few
last-minute points
• Induces a response
of “????????!!!!”
• Doesn’t really
contribute anything new
to the discussion
• Primary content is “I
agree/disagree with…”
statement
• Written like a text
message! (come on,
this IS an assignment!)
• Rudimentary, concrete,
and/or superficial
• No analysis or insight is
displayed
• Suggests a lack of
understanding of the
topic or the intent of the
forum questions
• Consists of material
copied from another
source
• Consists of a series
of quotes (no original
thoughts)
• Repeats someone
else’s ideas without
attribution
• Doesn’t make
sense—either in
terms of how it’s
written, or the ideas
it’s attempting to
convey (doesn’t refer
to language skills,
though poor language
skills may impact my
ability to understand
what you’re saying)
• Some posts late
and/or missing
• Obviously submitted
only to avoid getting a
zero
• Extremely low
quality, showing no
effort or thought
(again, this is not
necessarily referring
to poor language
skills!)
• Some posts late, but
minimum # submitted (1
original thread, 2
responses to others)
• If student submits
ONLY an original
thread without replies to
others, s/he may earn
up to 5 points if the
thread is substantive.
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