Overview
Instructors can set a minimum word count for student posts in their Harmonize discussions. When a student's post reaches this word count minimum, it will be counted toward the completion of discussion Milestones.
Setting Minimum Word Count for Posts & Comments
- Navigate to your Harmonize Discussion and click the Edit button.
- Click the Milestone Due Dates & Auto-Grading tab.
- If you don't already have Milestones, add them now.
- In the Minimum Word Count for Posts field that appears, enter the minimum number of words a post must contain to count toward completing a Milestone. Leave this value at 0 if there is no minimum.
- In the Minimum Word Count for Comments field that appears, enter the minimum number of words a comment or reply must contain to count toward completing a Milestone. Leave this value at 0 if there is no minimum.
Review all of your Milestone settings and requirements. When you are finished, click Save & Publish.
Student View
For Posts
When a student clicks Create a Post, they will see two things:
- Word Count. A word count requirement in the lower right corner of the Create Post window.
- Warning Banner. A banner that shows the number of words needed before the post will count toward Milestone progress will also appear at the bottom on the Create Post window.
Once the word count minimum is met, the banner will disappear and the counter will update to reflect the current word count.
For Comments
When a student clicks Add Comment or Reply, the word count requirement will appear in the lower right corner just above the Publish button.
Milestone Requirements
- Milestones, located at the top of the Harmonize window, will show student discussion requirements.
- Student posts and comments not meeting word count minimums will be listed beneath the progress bars, but do not count toward Milestone requirements.
- Once all Milestone requirements are completed, the student will only see full progress bars.
Instructor View
You will be able to view word count information in the grading area.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Will setting a Word Count minimum prevent students from making posts or comments that do not meet the minimum threshold?
- No. Students are free to publish posts and comments of any length, but only posts and comments meeting or exceeding their respective word count minimums will count toward Milestone completion.
Q. Can I set a Word Count maximum?
- No.
Q. Can I set a Word Count minimum for videos?
- No. The only limit we support video, audio, and screen recording, is a maximum time.