1. A method implemented on a computing device having a processor for designing an academic course, comprising: using the computing device having the processor to perform the following: selecting a natural interaction forum that an educator who is responsible for the academic course desires to use to assess a learner's knowledge of a topic taught in the academic course, where the learner is enrolled in the academic course; attaching a rubric to the selected natural interaction forum, where the rubric is a template that aids the educator in assessing the learner; assigning to the learner a natural interaction assignment that is used to assess the learner's knowledge of the topic based on the learner's participation in the natural interaction forum; and integrating a final score of the learner on the natural interaction assignment into a final gradebook for the academic course to design an academic course that grades both on a learner's performance on the natural interaction assignment and on traditional forms of subjective assessment.