This is my first time using the new discussion "checkpoints". I'm hoping the multiple due dates are effective, but using the "checkpoints" does seem to create other problems:
- They only allow for ONE "reply to topic". The way I use discussions in some of my classes is to allow for students to ask MULTIPLE questions per discussion topic (one discussion per unit topic). I actually REQUIRE at least TWO questions asked per unit discussion.
- Multiple due dates makes it challenging to get the grade center to place the discussions in the proper location based on due date ("oldest" or "newest first"). Ideally, the placement for each discussion would be for either the "reply to topic" due date or the "required replies" due date - allowing the instructor to determine when the discussion appears in the grade center. My preference would be the date the last reply is due.
- If individual discussions are not graded separately, then the only way to "display" a grade without affecting grade total is to assign zero points for posts AND setting "display grade" as "complete/incomplete". I'd like to be able to set "checkpoint" due dates but can't do that without saying it is a "graded" discussion. I track all discussion throughout the course but only determine a single overall grade for discussions (basically an average based on quality and timing of posts throughout the course, counting only the best of the required number of posts).
I also had one discussion display in Grade Center assigning "out of 30" points when, in fact, I set the points as "zero". The other "graded" discussions also are set to have "zero" points per post (simply "complete/incomplete") and do display as "out of zero" in the Grade Center. Can't figure out how to fix that one discussion that indicates "out of 30" when it should be "out of zero" points. This is then messing up the final grade calculation (when displaying as letter or percent).
