Discussion Rubric

Your discussions will be graded according to the rubric (scoring guide) below. Notice that this scoring guide does not mention writing style, spelling, or other such things. Although it is never good to present yourself as illiterate, minor mechanical errors are usually overlooked in discussions. Make sure you make use of the vocabulary in your unit when you write.

Advanced - The top scoring students will do the following:

• Create original posts, without the aids of dictionaries or translators, or native speakers.
• Post early on so that the discussion starts going right away.
• Give comments that respond to the assigned topic carefully.
• Show that they understand the topic, giving good examples to support what they have to say.
• Return often to the discussion to respond thoughtfully to what others say.
• Change their minds when they come upon something that makes them think differently.
• Make excellent use of the unit vocabulary.
• Show ease of communication in language skills.
• Are polite and respectful of others.

Proficient - Acceptable scores for students go to those who do the following:

• Create original posts, without the aids of dictionaries or translators, or native speakers.
• Post in time for someone to respond.
• Speak to the topic, although not as carefully or as on topic as others.
• Their posts do not show as much knowledge of the topic as the top scorers.
• Only post occasionally, showing little response to what others say.
• Hold onto positions even when they have been shown to be wrong.
• Make some use of the unit vocabulary, but not as much as the stronger posts. The use may be forced and unnatural.
• Fluency in expression is not as strong as in the best posts.
• Are polite and respectful of others.

Unsatisfactory - Students score poorly when they:

• Make use of dictionaries, translators, or native speakers.
• Post very late, if at all.
• Give responses that are off topic or lead the reader to suspect that they did not understand the topic.
• Do not respond to others.
• Are rude or insulting to others.
• Make little or no use of unit vocabulary.
• Have poor written expression that shows little fluency.
• Clearly show that they logged in quickly and wrote a number of meaningless entries just to get it done.