If you want to create a graded topic, you can do so in the Assessment tab while creating or editing a topic.

You can create an assessed topic that does not count towards students’ final grades by not associating a grade item to the topic. For the topic to count towards’ students final grades and be included in the Gradebook, you need to associate a grade item to the topic.


To create a graded topic (that counts toward student grades and goes to the Grades tool):

  1. Click on the Assessment tab. 
  2. Select or create a grade item. 
  3. Give the topic a Score Out Of to evaluate the overall scores of the student’s contribution.
  4. Select or create a rubric for the topic: 
    1. Click Add Rubric to add an existing rubric. 
    2. Click Create Rubric in New Window to create a new rubric for the topic.
  5. If you want to allow assessment of individual posts you can select to and then select your calculation method. If you select the “Include unassessed posts in the calculated topic score as zero” option, posts without a score are scored zero.
  6. Click Save and Close, Save and New, or Save. 
    1. Save and Close: saves the topic and returns you to Discussions 
    2. Save and New: saves the topic and lets you create another topic 
    3. Save: saves the topic but stays on the page

To modify the topic details, you must click on the Properties tab and modify details there. 

To add release conditions or group and section restrictions, you must click on the Restrictions tab and modify those settings there. 

To add objectives to the topic, you must click on the Objectives tab and modify those settings there.