Discussion Grading Rubric

Discussion assignments for each module are worth a maximum of 60 points each.

The requirements for your postings are found within the discussion prompts for each week.
You are expected to actively participate in Discussions, responding your colleagues’ postings. Responses and postings must be submitted as early as possible within each week. Timely responses are important so that other students have ample opportunity to learn from each other and build a sense of community.
All Discussion postings and responses should reflect college-level writing regarding research, grammar, and spelling.
Please remember to be courteous in your interactions with colleagues. Proper netiquette is expected at all times.

Points for each Initial Discussion will be awarded as follows:

27-40 points

Discussion postings and responses follow all required instructions (See: Discussion Expectations) and are posted by the due date.
Discussion postings and responses demonstrate a full understanding of the concepts for the week.
Three or more references are used to substantiate the post.

13-26 points

Discussion postings and responses are posted by the due date but are not completely responsive to the requirements of the Discussion instructions.
Discussion postings and responses demonstrate some understanding of the concepts and/or strategies as presented in the Learning Resources, and do not include rich examples from personal experience.
One or two references are used to substantiate the post.

12 or fewer points

Discussion postings and responses are posted past the due date and/or do not address the requirements of the Discussion instructions.
Discussion postings and responses do not demonstrate an understanding of the concepts and/or strategies as presented in the Learning Resources, and include rich examples from personal experience.
No references were used to substantiate the post and all writing is opinion-based. If plagiarism is detected, the post will receive a “0” score.

Points for Replies to Others will be awarded as follows:

15-20 points

Discussion postings and responses provide evidence that the student has read and considered a three or more colleagues' postings.
Discussion posting and responses follow rules for proper netiquette.

10-14 points

Discussion postings and responses provide evidence that the student has read and considered only two colleague's postings.
Discussion posting and responses follow some rules for proper netiquette.

9 or fewer points

Discussion postings and responses do not provide evidence that the student has read or considered only one or no colleagues' postings.
Discussion posting and responses follow no rules for proper netiquette.

Netiquette for Distance Education and Web-Based Courses

Netiquette or "network etiquette" are rules of common courtesy for communicating in an online environment. If you have never taken a distance education or web-based course, you might not be familiar with some general cultural guidelines for an online community. Without these guidelines, you may not communicate clearly, offend a classmate/instructor, and/or forget that there is a person on the other end of the technology. This brief guide is meant to provide new distance education or web-based students/faculty an opportunity become familiar with some general online communication recommendations.

Remember the Human – Treat other the way you want to be treated! Often it is easy to hide behind an email; remember that electronic communication (email, forums, etc.) does not include facial expressions, gestures, or tone of voice. Before you send an email or post to a forum, read the email as if you were in someone else’s shoes. If you think the email will offend the reader or come off in an inappropriate tone, reword the email removing the offensive content or materials. In other words, if you would not tell this person the same information in person, you should reword the email or post before sending. It is acceptable to request a discussion with an instructor or student when you feel like your message would be better accepted if you can have a real-time conversation.
Behave Online the Way You Would Behave in Person – Your ethical standards in person should be the same when you are online. Do not assume that you can hide behind the technology and have a lower standard of ethics, or that bad behavior is acceptable in an online community/course. If you would not violate the LWTech Honor Code in person, do not violate it when online! Remember that Canvas can track student activity and progress throughout a course. If you commit violation of the LWTech Honor Code and think that it won’t matter because you violate the code online, think again! These types of offenses just require suspicion by an instructor or another student to file a report.
Understand the Community/Website – Before you use inappropriate language or abbreviations remember that some internet communities are very different than others. If you are participating in an online forum or chat within an online course, you should be professional when you are communicating with peers, classmates, and instructors. However, when you are on a social networking site you would most likely be more casual since you will be communicating with friends.
Don’t Waste Other’s Time – Keep your postings or emails down to one per conversation. If someone does not immediately respond, assume they are busy and will get back to you shortly. Do not continue to send the email until someone responds. Most of time, you can expect to receive a response within 24 to 48 hours. If you do not hear back from someone within a forum or email after 48 hours, resend the email.
Spelling and Grammar Count – Often, the first item the online community has to judge is either the quality of your work or intelligence of your work. Make sure that you are spelling correctly and using appropriate grammar. If there is not a spell check option within a forum, chat, or email, use a word processing program to construct your message and then copy & paste it. If think your grammar needs some improvement, you can make an appointment with the LWTech Writing Center. We recommend that you proof read your messages to make sure they are clear and can be understood by the recipient.
Don’t be Afraid to Share What you Know – One strength of online communities is being able to post to course/community-wide forums to gain valuable information. If someone posts a question and you know the answer, don’t be afraid to answer the question.
Attempt to Keep Flame Wars in Control – Flaming is a message that is posted or sent when someone strongly expresses their feelings, opinion, or attitude without holding back any emotion. While netiquette does not forbid flaming, everyone should be aware that this type of online communication can be detrimental to resolving the problem. If you feel like your message or post could be construed as flaming, don’t post it immediately, get another person’s opinion, or contact the instructor for advice.
Respect Other Electronic Property – Electronic information is still someone’s property or intellectual information. Do not attempt to read others emails, login to their email or Canvas accounts, or pretend to be someone else on a secured website. This is not only a violation of the LWTech Honor Code, but could also result in expulsion from the college. Also, remember that all electronic sources should be cited. Do not assume that because it is online that it is acceptable to copy and paste it into your assignment without a citation.

This information has been adapted from “The Core Rules of Netiquette” by Virginia Shea.

Shea, V. (1994). The core rules of netiquette. San Francisco: Albion Books.