Overview
Harmonize has added a participation-based Auto-Grading feature to Milestones (multiple due dates) the allows instructors to set participation points for each individual task in an online discussion. Points will be assigned and populate the LMS grade book as milestones are fulfilled - once the activity is completed or the due date arrives, whichever occurs first.
If you're setting up a discussion for the first time, follow the instructions in Setting Up Auto-Grading Using the Wizard. If you're editing a discussion you've already finished initial setup, follow the instructions in Setting Up Auto-Grading Using the Editor.
Setting Up Auto-Grading Using the Wizard
You can enable milestones while setting the requirements for your discussion. Just make sure the box is checked.
Note: When you turn on auto-grading in the wizard, the points for the assignment will automatically be split equally between your two milestones.
If you'd like to include minimum word counts as a requirement, you will have the chance to add this at the end of the setup process. During the final step, instead of choosing Publish, select Configure Additional Settings.
You can then follow the instructions in Setting Up Auto-Grading Using the Editor to adjust the minimum word counts.
Setting Up Auto-Grading Using the Editor
Navigate to your Harmonize discussion and click the Edit button. Select the Milestones & Auto-Grading tab. Click the Add Milestone button. This will add a configurable Milestone to your discussion and open the Milestones options menu.
Toggle ON the "Turn on Participation Auto-Grading" option. This will provide a text box where you can enter points for each Milestone created. As you add Milestones a running total of points will appear at the bottom of this screen. Click the Add Milestone button to add additional Milestones.
There are some additional options you can consider when configuring auto-grading:
- By default, students only receive points for the milestone requirements they complete ahead of the milestone due date. If you would like to allows students to receive credit for completing requirements, even if they're late, you can enable the Give Credit for Late Participation option.
- You may also set a minimum word count threshold student posts and comments need to meet in order to count toward Milestone completion. Read more about this feature here: Word Counts Minimums.
Once you are finished allocating points for each Milestone you've created, click the Publish button.
Auto-Grading Grade Passback
Students receive participation points for each Milestone requirement completed prior to the Milestone's due date by default or for each completed requirement regardless of the due date when the credit for late participation option is enabled. Points earned by students will be transferred to your LMS gradebook when the student fulfills all Milestone requirements or the assignment due date elapses, whichever occurs first.
Furthermore, if adjustments are made to the assignment due date or milestone settings that could affect grade calculations, Harmonize will automatically recalculate each student's grade and send an updated grade to the gradebook, if necessary. The only exception to this rule is if Harmonize detects a grade change in the LMS gradebook, it will not overwrite that grade.
Here is an example of a Harmonize discussion in Canvas that uses Milestones with Due Dates and Auto-Grading:
- Because the student fulfilled all Milestone requirements prior to their respective due dates, full participation points were earned.
- When the final Milestone was fulfilled, Harmonize submitted full participation points (in this case 50 points total) to the Canvas gradebook.
- Please note that any auto-grade submitted by Harmonize can be overridden by the instructor at any time.
A Quick Note about Grade Calculation
Harmonize will pass a score in the form of a percentage to your LMS grading system. If you set the total number of points possible for the assignment in the LMS to be exactly the same as the total participation score created in Harmonize, then you will see the same number of points earned by the students appear in your LMS. For example: 10/25 points earned by the student in an assignment with 25 possible points will appear in your LMS grade program as a 10. If the total number is not the same, then a score equivalent to the percentage of points earned will be populated. For example: 10/25 participation points will populate a score of 40% or 40/100 in the LMS.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Help! I can't figure out why a student did not receive full participation points!
- Students only receive points for the Milestones they complete prior to each Milestone's respective Due Date. If the student does not receive full points, it's likely they did not fully complete the Milestone on time (ie they completed the Milestone requirements after the Milestone due date elapsed), they only partially completed their Milestones (ie they only submitted one comment of a two comment requirement), or they posts did not meet minimum word count requirements.
- The student's Milestone Summary in the Discussion Activity report will show exactly which Milestone requirement went unfulfilled.
Q: I set up milestones and auto-grading using the wizard. How does it know how many points to assign to each milestone?
- If you set up auto-grading and milestones using the wizard, your points will automatically be divided equally between the two milestones. At the end of the wizard setup, you can choose to Configure Additional Settings if you wish to allocate points differently.