Guiding Students with Online Discussion Tips

Many times teachers are challenged with new or non-traditional students who are not familiar with how online discussion work in education, as well as, some students who struggle within the online environments. Naturally, when some students do not make the most of the discussion sections, and this can impinge the overall effectiveness of the forum for the class.

Like most aspects on teaching and learning, a little preparation before the lesson can save the instructor a lot of work after student falter.  By offering tips to students in advance, you can assist them in better contributing in class discussions.  Alternatively, setting up an adaptive learning system, these tips can be set to assist students who first demonstrate that they may not understand how to maximize the discussion forums.

Below is an open set of tips (included in the video playlist above). Feel free to use these to assist any students you have that could benefit from better discussion participation.

Blackboard Crib Notes

<Click on the above to open the Fullscreen mode. A PDF version can be downloaded there. >

Sometimes it is  nice to have a few crib-notes to help when working.  The following presentation has a brief overview of key aspects of Blackboard Learn.  The most common faculty and developer items are covered.  

Specifically, it covers the common elements of course creation (content, assessments, and discussions), tools (for communications), and the Grade Center (creating columns, categories, organization, and weighted columns).

Feel free to select the arrow to download the presentation in pdf format.  Also, selecting the full screen is helpful.

Grading in Blackboard Part 1

Grading in Blackboard is probably easier than you think. Often it is as easy as selecting a button stating “Grading Discussion Forum” or “Grading Assignment”. If you follow these simple steps you can grade or re-visit grades to edit or change them.

1. Make sure when editing the assignment (et al.) that you want graded, that you have the check box ensuring that it will be included in the Grade Center is selected.
2. Be sure there is a submission to be Graded
3. Either Grade it from the submission area or the Grade Center
       a. Within the area with the submission:

          i. Select the button on the dark row that states “Grade”
          ii. You will see a list of students and the ones with submissions will be indicated.

          iii. Select the Grade Box

          iv. Add comments and grade
          v. Submit

     b. Within the Grade Center you have several ways of viewing submissions that work and the Full Grade Center allow you to view and edit previously graded submissions. The Grade Center options include:
          • “Needs Grading”,
          • “Full Grade Center”
          • ‘Assignments”
          • “Tests”
     c. Select one of these.
     d. Find and select the column and specific assignment you wish to grade.
     e. Select the drop down editing arrow and select “View Grade Details”
          i. You can select “Attempts” to see attempts as well as grade or re-edit the grade.
          ii. You can enter a grade.

That is all there is to it.