A Blackboard Tip of the Week: Grading Discussion Boards

Tip: You can grade Blackboard discussion board forums or threads by enabling the grading option when creating or editing a discussion forum.

Here’s how to create a gradable discussion forum:

1. Click on the Course Tools area of the Control Panel then select Discussion Board in the expanded menu.


2. On the Discussion Board page, click on the discussion board in which you would like to create the forum.
• NOTE: By default, Blackboard creates one discussion board per course. More discussion boards are created when groups with discussion boards are created through the Groups tool.


3. Click on the Create Forum button and create the forum as usual but do not click Submit yet.
• NOTE: If the forum already exists, click on the action link next to the forum name and select Edit.


4. Scroll down to the Grade options under section 4, Forum Settings, find the Grade section, and select one of the following:
1. Grade Discussion Forum
• Set the points possible for this forum grade.
• NOTE: Blackboard automatically creates a Grade Center column for this forum.


2. Grade Threads
• Students will not be able to create threads in this forum.
• When you create threads in this forum for students to reply to, you will be given the option to make the thread a graded thread and assign a point value.
• NOTE: Blackboard automatically creates a Grade Center column for each thread enabled for grading.

Here’s how to grade:

1. Access the forum or thread you would like to grade


2. Click on the Grade Forum or Grade Thread button


3. Click on the Grade button in the row of the student whose work you will be grading
• NOTE: On the resulting page, you can filter, sort, and print the student’s posts


4. Click on the Edit Grade button in the right-hand column to enter a grade, feedback to the student, and grading notes that will be visible to you and any other instructors or teaching assistants in the course


5. Click on Save Grade and then select the student whose posts you would like to grade from the Contributors section
• NOTE: This section only lists students who have posted in the forum or thread unless you click on the Show All button. Students with an exclamation mark in a green square have not been graded yet.


6. Click on OK to return to the Grade Forum or Thread page