When setting up Discussion activities, it is important to make the purpose of the discussion and the rules of engagement very clear. Include clear instructions, a purpose for the discussion and some rules in the Description of your Discussion Topic. Here is an example of a Description for a Discussion Topic. It was used by […]

What do they do? Discussions facilitate asynchronous communication between students and teachers in a unit. They can contain text, hyperlinks, images and videos. It can take some time for students to become acquainted with Discussions as a communication vehicle. Students need to be informed of the rules of engagement. If students will be using Discussions frequently, take some time […]

This resource [PDF] explains how to include an image (from a computer or the web), or embed a YouTube video in a discussion post. This can be a very useful skill to teach students when you want them to share ideas and viewpoints that they have found on the web, in articles or in the […]

This resource [PDF] explains how to attach a document, like a PDF or a Word file, to a post in a discussion thread. This is a very useful document to provide to students when you want them to share resources or perhaps post some work for feedback from other students. Please feel free to upload […]

Here are three methods that can be used to grade student Discussion contributions online: Marking with a Grade Item via the Discussion Tool, in which a score and general feedback are provided; or Marking with a Rubric via the Discussion Tool, in which an electronic Rubric is used for feedback and/or grade calculation (when a Custom […]