ALIGNED: Guidelines explaining required levels of student participation (i.e., quantity and quality of interactions) are consistently provided.
EXEMPLARY: A rubric or equivalent grading document is included within assignments/activities to explain how participation will be evaluated.

Overview

B6: Participation Levels focuses on setting expectations for students so they know how what you expect in terms of their contributions. Here are a few questions students commonly have about discussions: How long should the initial post be? Are there any required elements? Should I include sources? How many replies to peers are expected, and what are the length and topic requirements? When are initial posts and responses due?

At minimum, courses should consistently include an explanation of both the required quantity and quality of interaction. This should be found in activity instructions and grading criteria. An overview may also be provided in the syllabus. To reach Exemplary (and we really recommend you do for B6!), a rubric that supports the stated grading criteria is provided. Offering sample posts can also be very helpful in communicating expectations.

Guidelines for Quantity

Here are a few details to consider including when explaining quantity expectations (needs may vary based on assignment type)

number of posts and replies
word count or number of paragraphs
due dates for initial post and replies (stagger due dates by a few days to allow time for conversations to develop)

Guidelines for Quality

Quality expectations (which should match up with the grading criteria on your rubric) may include:

required topic(s) or scope
level of detail expected
analysis/critical thinking expectations
required source material (textbook, module content, web search, etc.)
any citation requirements

Example

Here is some sample language that may be helpful:

Initial Post Instructions

I can't wait to hear your thoughts about this week's reading! Please contribute your initial post of 250-350 words by Thursday, 11:59 pm. Your goal is to share your original insights into one aspect of this week's readings; with that in mind, please choose one of the topics below as a starting place. Be sure to support your points with 1-2 examples from this week's readings and/or materials. [5 open-ended topics provided]

Response Instructions

Respond to the posts of at least two classmates by Saturday, 11:59 pm. Responses should extend an idea, provide additional support, or propose a different perspective in approximately 100-150 words. This means you'll need to go beyond "good idea" or "I agree" to earn credit.

Grading & Feedback

Many students find that having a rubric in advance helps them reach the grades they are aiming for because it clarifies expectations and how points are distributed. Please take a moment to visit the rubric for this discussion via the Options menu (3 dots) at the top of this page. This rubric will be filled out and attached to your discussion grade.

I will provide feedback throughout the week by joining this discussion, and scores will be posted by the following Monday. Friendly reminder: To earn credit, posts and responses must follow our community guidelines.

The Canvas rubric attached to this discussion (which can't be seen from a regular page like the one you're reading) has been recreated in the table below:

Discussion Rubric
Criteria	Exemplary	Meets Expectations	Almost There	No Credit
Initial Post: Development of Ideas	Responds to topic with an exceptionally insightful post of at least 250-350 words.	Responds to topic with focused, developed insights in at least 250-350 words.	Post has partially met requirements; it needs more attention in either length or development of ideas (see my comments)	Post is missing, doesn't follow our community guidelines, or needs more development to assess.
Initial Post: Support	Ideas are amply supported with 2 or more relevant examples from this week's readings/materials.	Ideas are supported with 1-2 relevant examples from this week's readings/materials.	Post discusses ideas but does not adequately support them with 1-2 relevant examples from this week's readings/materials.	Post is missing, doesn't follow our community guidelines, or needs more development to assess.
Response 1	Response is at least 100-150 words and enriches the discussion by expanding on a post's idea or approaching it from a new direction.	Response is at least 100-150 words and adds to the discussion by responding to a post's idea with specific points and supporting details.	Response is 100-150 words and generally responds to a post's idea. Being more specific would make it an even more meaningful contribution to the discussion.	Response 1 is missing, doesn't follow our community guidelines, or needs more development to assess.
Response 2	Response is at least 100-150 words and enriches the discussion by expanding on a post's idea or approaching it from a new direction.	Response is at least 100-150 words and adds to the discussion by responding to a post's idea with specific points and supporting details.	Response is 100-150 words and generally responds to a post's idea. Being more specific would make it an even more meaningful contribution to the discussion.	Response 2 is missing, doesn't follow our community guidelines, or needs more development to assess.

Resources

Canvas Guides:

CVC's Course Design Resources for B6: B6 - Participation