Discussions Overview

Discussion assignments require that you post your contribution first, read the answers posted by your classmates, and give at minimum 2 responses to other postings within the group, unless otherwise directed.

Each discussion post is worth up to ______ points. _____ points for your original post and ______ points for your response to a classmate. There are 14 discussions during the semester.

Discussion topics open each Sunday at 11:59 p.m. and close Friday at 11:59 p.m of the lesson week.

How do you earn the points?

Elements included in the evaluation of discussion board participation will include evidence of critical thinking, clear identification of the issues, understanding problems, and the ability to propose and evaluate solutions. All participants are expected to welcome open expression of opinions, attitudes, and beliefs and to accept the legitimacy and value of dissent. In addition to respect for the ideas of your classmates and the instructor, common courtesy is also expected.
Responses which demonstrate a high level of critical thinking skills and respect for the view of others will receive full credit. Responses which display lower levels of critical thinking skills or no critical thinking skills or which fail to engage substantively and respectfully with other's views will receive correspondingly lower grades.
Please be sure to post the URL link to your source(s).
Your INITIAL discussion post should be two to three paragraphs in length, with each paragraph consisting of eight to ten substantive sentences. Remember the first posting is due on Wednesday at 11:59 p.m.
Your RESPONSE post should consist of two paragraphs eight to ten sentences in length. You are free to respond to any initial post that has not received a response. Your reply is due on Friday at 11:59 p.m.
Replies to classmates like "I agree," and "That's great!" will receive ZERO points. You must post a substantive response to their original post. Think about how you would respond in a face to face classroom discussion. You can take your time in an online discussion to put your responses together, so this gives you the ability to ensure you have a thoughtful response. (*Note: A three page response will not lend to a quality discussion either. Consider length on both ends of the spectrum.)

See the instructions given in each discussion board thread for information about the requirements for the given thread. Remember that discussion board participation is graded both on adherence to the assignment and upon the quality of the given response.

Discussion Board and Feedback Guidelines

In your communication with other students, please:

Expand on or clarify an important point.
Offer an additional argument to support a position taken in an answer.
Suggest ways in which an idea could be more clearly expressed.
Identify passages where you think the writer misunderstood a concept or applied it incorrectly.
Disagree with a point or position made in an answer.

If you disagree with the views of another student, please:

Be constructive and respectful. Remember that tone cannot be interpreted from text, so please be thoughtful in your written responses.
Politely critique a position on an issue, but not the person.
Avoid sarcasm, swearing, or language that would be considered rude or argumentative.
State precisely the point you disagree with.
Offer reasons why you think their view is incorrect and support your position by citing the text or other sources.

Student Responsibilities

The purpose of Discussion Board Assignments is for students to reflect thoughtfully and exchange ideas of the academic topics covered in this course. As a class, you will benefit from this assignment only as much as you put into it. Last minute posts that are inaccurate, sloppy, unorganized, and unclear are not beneficial and will receive a grade reduction. If you find that a post is unclear or inaccurate, it is your role to ask your classmate for further clarification or to point out the inaccuracy. If someone replies to your post with a question, you owe him or her the courtesy of a response. You are also responsible for posting your answers and replies on time.

This instructor will also comment where appropriate on the posts or discussion threads. This instructor may correct inaccuracies or lead discussions where there is confusion, and also look forward to reading posts or discussions that are particularly thoughtful, insightful, or well written.