Discussion boards have proved an effective way to support student learning, especially in course formats with asynchronous learning components such as hybrid courses. However, discussion boards can be rendered less effective if the grading system does not account for substantive student responses. Grading approaches that simply tally the number of posts written over the course of the semester, give the instructor no insight into the ways students did or did not push their thinking during discussions. On the other hand, if all posts are graded for quality, then the grading burden becomes unsustainable. One winning solution to this problem is the Participation Portfolio.
The Participation Portfolio usually consists of 3-5 posts that students feel represent their best work. Students curate their portfolio from all of their discussion posts over the course of the semester. Students must select their posts from a range of specified weeks in order to avoid last minute submissions or the frontloading of discussion posts at the start of the semester. Using a rubric, students argue for the score that they feel they’ve earned, pointing to the selected posts as evidence for their proposed grade. Below are the five steps to designing a Participation Portfolio assessment:
A rubric must be created to illustrate what a strong and weak post look like. Providing exemplar posts will help set clear expectations.
Students revisit their discussion posts, evaluating their contributions against the rubric. After evaluating their best work, students propose a grade that they feel is deserved. This part of the assignment is key. Students (not the instructor) are tasked with combing through all their contributions and evaluating them against established criteria.
Students will select 3-5 posts that provide evidence for the grade they have proposed. You can also allow replies on discussion posts to serve as evidence. Ideally, evidence posts will be accompanied by the students’ rationale for how the proposed score meets the discussion expectations outlined in the rubric.
A requirement of the evidence gathered is that the selected posts cover separate weeks to avoid an end of term rush or start of term post banking. Specify that a post must be selected from several date ranges. For example, one post from weeks 1-4, one post from weeks 4-8, and so on.
The instructor will use the evidence provided along with the rubric explanations to accept, raise, or lower a student's grade.
One of the primary reasons to use a Discussion Portfolio is the potential to increase meaningful discussion between students. When students know that they are ultimately responsible for presenting 3-5 substantive posts, they will be more motivated to write meaningful discussion posts. Another obvious advantage is that the instructor is not responsible for assessing every post, alleviating the grading burden. Finally, students who must miss class due to illness or quarantine will not be penalized for a few missed posts since the Participation Portfolio assesses the quality of discussion posts, not the quantity.
Although the quantity of student posts is not a feature of this assignment, it is important to set clear expectations regarding the number of required posts. Research conclusively shows that students who engage frequently in discussion boards have a greater sense of community with the class, which leads to emotional connections that improve student learning and leads to greater feelings of satisfaction with the course. Because consistent student presence in discussion forums is so important, instructors should consider requiring a specific number of posts. This requirement could be graded as part of the Participation Portfolio, or students could receive a separate participation grade for reaching the post requirement.
When used well, discussion board assignments put the responsibility on students to drive their own learning, ask questions, and contribute to building shared knowledge in their learning community. In much the same way, the Participation Portfolio asks students to be responsible for showing the value of their discussion contributions. Setting clear expectations for the course discussion board, specifically expectations for the content and structure of discussion posts, will enable students to determine whether or not they met expectations and to recognize where they fell short. This process does more than reduce instructor grading load, it encourages metacognition by engaging students in a reflective process of their own learning.
If you would like support with designing a Participation Portfolio assignment description, complete this consultation request form and we will schedule a time to meet with you. We are also happy to talk through ways your discussion tool can be leveraged to increase student engagement.
References:
https://teambasedlearning.site-ym.com/page/tbltip_v4i1
