Discussion Rubric and Guidance
Your active participation in the discussion forums is essential to your overall success in this course. Discussion questions are designed to help you make meaningful connections with the course content and
encourage you to think critically about the material. These discussions offer you the opportunity to express your own thoughts and gain insight from your classmates’ responses and instructor’s guidance.
Requirements for Discussion Board Assignments
Students are required to create a unique discussion thread articulating their unique thoughts on the discussion assignment, respond to questions or comments posted to their thread and to follow up with
response posts on at least two classmate discussion threads.
For your response posts you must:
 Reply to at least two different classmates outside of your own initial thread
 Complete the two response posts by Sunday at 11:59 PM CST
 Demonstrate more depth and thought than simply stating “I agree” or “I disagree.”
For your initial thread you must:
 Compose a post of one to two paragraphs by Thursday at 11:59 PM CST
 Consider appropriate course content and other discussion boards from the current module and
previous modules, when formulating a response
 Review all responses to your thread to ensure follow-up on questions or comments
Rubric
Critical Elements
Comprehension
Applies relevant
concepts, theories
or material to
argue or support a
point of view
Timeliness
Engagement
Critical Thinking
Writing
Applies proper
spelling, grammar,
usage and
mechanics
Distinguished
Develops an initial post with an
organized, clear point of view or idea
using rich and significant detail
applying most relevant course
concepts or material to support (30)
Proficient
Develops an initial post with a
point of view or idea using some
relevant course concepts or
material to support (26)
Emerging
Develops an initial post with a
point of view or idea but does
not use relevant course concepts
or material to support (23)
Deficient
Does not develop an initial
post with an organized point
of view or idea (18)
Not Evident
No initial post (0)
Submits initial post on time by
Thursday at 11:59 PM (10)
Submits initial post by Friday at
11:59 PM, one day late (7)
Submits initial post by Saturday at
11:59 PM, two days late (4)
No initial post (0)
10
Provides relevant and meaningful
response posts with clarifying
explanation and detail (20)
Draws insightful conclusions that are
thoroughly defended with evidence
and examples (30)
Initial post and responses are easily
understood, clear, and concise using
proper citation methods where
applicable with no errors in citations
(10)
Provides relevant response posts
with some explanation and detail
(17)
Draws informed conclusions that
are justified with evidence (26)
Provides somewhat relevant
response posts with some
explanation and detail (15)
Draws logical conclusions (23)
Submits initial post by Sunday
at 11:59 PM, three days late
(3)
Provides response posts that
are generic with little
explanation or detail (13)
Does not draw logical
conclusions (18)
No response posts (0)
20
30
Initial post and responses are
easily understood using proper
citation methods where applicable
with few errors in citations (7)
Initial post and responses are
understandable using proper
citation methods where
applicable with a number of
errors in citations (4)
No conclusions reached; no
evidence of critical thinking
(0)
Initial post and responses are
not understandable and do
not use proper citation
methods where applicable (0)
Significant errors in citation
and mechanics noted
throughout initial post and
responses (3)
Earned Total
Comments:
Value
30
10
100%
The discussion board is intended to create a community of inquiry that encourages critical thinking among learners. The following critical thinking model will assist learners in applying strong critical thinking
skills as you formulate your responses.
Thought Element
Ideas to Consider
Point of View
How am I looking at this situation?
Is there another way to look at it that I should consider?
What exactly am I focused on? How am I seeing it?
Is my view the only reasonable view?
What does my point of view ignore?
Am I considering the way other cultures or groups view this?
Which viewpoints make the most sense to me given the situation?
Am I having difficulty looking at this situation from a viewpoint with which I disagree?
What is the point of view of the author of this story, article or reading?
Do I study viewpoints that challenge my personal beliefs?
What is the purpose of the discussion?
How does this relate to my purpose?
What is the scope of my purpose – what is and is not included?
Am I focused on my purpose throughout my response?
What is the question I am trying to answer?
What important questions are embedded in the issue?
Is there a better way to put the question?
Is this question clear? Is it complex?
What would I have to do to settle this question?
What information do I need to answer this question?
What data are relevant to this problem?
Do I need to gather more information?
Is this information relevant to my purpose or goal?
On what information am I basing my response?
What experience can I share that is relevant to the question?
How do I know this information is accurate?
Have I left out any important information that I need to consider?
What conclusions am I coming to?
Is my inference logical?
Are there other conclusions I should consider?
Did I interpret the data correctly?
How did I reach that conclusion?
What am I basing my reasoning on?
Does my interpretation make sense?
Does my solution necessarily follow the data?
Purpose
Question
Information
Interpretation and
Inferences
Is there an alternative plausible conclusion?
Given all the facts, what is the best possible conclusion?
What idea am I using in by thinking?
Concepts
What is the main hypothesis I am using in my reasoning?
Am I using terms that keep with established usage?
What main distinctions should I draw in reasoning through this problem?
What idea is the author of the reading using in his or her thinking?
What am I assuming or taking for granted?
Assumptions
Am I assuming something I should not?
What assumption is leading me to this conclusion?
What does the author take for granted?
What is being presupposed in this theory?
What are some important assumptions I am making for my argument to be true?
Source: Elder, L. and Paul, R. (2010). The thinker’s guide to analytic thinking. Foundation for Critical Thinking Press: Dillon Beach, CA