When you create a discussion forum, you have the option in Forum Settings to grade a student for his/her performance in the entire forum or threads within the forum. If you choose to Grade Forum or Grade Threads, an item will automatically be added to the Grade Center. If Grade Threads is enabled, participants cannot add their own threads, but can only reply to threads created by the instructor. Peer rating of posts can also be enabled in Forum Settings.

1.  Click on Discussions in the course menu.
   
   
2. If you chose to grade the forum when you set it up, you can click the chevron to the right of your forum name and select Grade from the menu.
   
   
   
   You can also click on the name of the forum you wish to grade, and then click the Grade Forum button.
   
   
   
   
3. Both options bring up a list of students, with the number of posts they made to the forum. Click on the Grade button to the right of each student's name.
   
   
   
   
4. You will see a box containing the student's forum statistics and grade on the right hand side of the page. Click the Edit Grade button to add a student's grade.
   
   
   
   
5. You can also provide written feedback using the text box. When you are finished, click the Save Grade button.
   
   
   
   Students can see their grades by clicking on the Tools menu button, then on My Grades. If the instructor has added feedback, the student can see the feedback under Comments.
   
   
   

Grading a Thread

To grade threads in a forum, that option must be enabled when the forum is created or modified. Use the following steps to create a thread that you can grade:

1. Click on the Discussions course menu button.
   
   
2. Click on the forum where you will grade threads.
   
   
3. Click on the Create Thread button.
   
   
   
   
4. Add a subject and description and attach a file, if you like.
   
   
5. Click in the box beside Grade Thread and add Points possible.
   
   
   
   

To grade a thread:

1. Go to the forum that holds the threads you wish to grade. Click the Grade Thread button next to the thread you are grading.
   
   
   
   
2. Then click the Grade button to the right of each student's entry to view his/her posts and assign a grade for the thread.
   
   
   
   
3. This will bring up a box of the student's statistics and grades. Under Thread Grade, click the Edit Grade button.
   
   
   
   
4. Assign points earned and provide feedback in the appropriate areas.
   
   
   
   
   
   Students can view their grades under Tools > My Grades.
   
   
   

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