What value assessment rubrics in shaping students’ engagement in asynchronous online discussions?

Abstract

In recognition of the power of a rubric as an assessment tool, a range of rubrics for assessing asynchronous online discussions have emerged in the literature over recent years. The assessment criteria used may have as their basis an underlying conceptual model of online discourse, or they may have emerged more pragmatically. Irrespective, one intention of the rubrics is to make explicit and transparent the sorts of engagement expected of students in discussions, in the hope that students will take on board the advice and act accordingly. This paper explores the purported value of rubrics in the light of research into factors that influence students’ engagement in online discussions, in particular students’ conceptions of the place of discussions in their learning. Value would seem to be there, but that value is qualified by considerations of fundamental course design.