biology Lab Assignment Report

BIOL& 100L Discussion forum assignment checklist and rubric

Check list for weekly assignment postings-

 Is it your own words? Do not copy and paste from other sources. If you use information from

another source (such as the lab background section or an Internet website), give a reference citation

of the source. (Use any standard citation style).

 Is it complete? Include your findings from all of the experiments that you did and a summary of what

you have learned from the lab activities. Aim for a succinct posting of around 300-400 words.

 Is it accurate? The posting should accurately portray your lab findings and other sources of

information.

 Is it neatly done? Use clear and concise language that is first written in a word processing software

in order to correct grammatical and spelling errors.

Replies to others’ postings-

 Reply to at least two other assignment postings with substantive comment. This can include:

 A question about their findings along with comments that compare their findings with your own.

 Additional insight about the topics covered in the lab activities that helps others develop a deeper

and relevant understanding of the topic.

 Internet links to learning resources that shed more light on the topics or findings of the lab

assignment along with your summary of the learning resource and your evaluation of its accuracy

and validity.

Replies that do not generate credit include those that simply state your agreement with the posting.

Avoid making comments that evaluate the quality of the other student’s posting.

Replies to replies-

Discussion forum assignments are not very effective unless class members routinely check their

postings and replies and substantively engage in threaded discussions.

 Have you returned daily to the discussion forum to continue the discussion- specifically replying to

others’ replies that ask questions? Simply posting the assignment and replying to others’ postings

that same day with no further follow-up and response will lead to less points earned.

Scoring rubric:

100% of points= Posting was complete, accurate, and neatly done with at least two substantive replies that were posted on time. There is clear evidence of frequent interaction in the forum. 70% of points= Posting was complete, accurate, and on time; however, replies to others’ postings are either missing or not substantive. 25-75% of points= A partially accurate and/or incomplete posting along with discussion participation can still earn some points; however, if discussion replies are missing or non-substantive, the score will be further lowered. Late assignment postings will be reduced by 10% per day. Replies to others’ postings do not receive credit after the 11 pm Monday deadline. Copying content from other postings or other sources that are not cited will result in a zero score (repeated plagiarism will result in a zero course grade).

I generally try to include helpful comments with assignment scores; however, I strongly encourage

students to contact me if they have any questions about their score.