A forum discussion is a collaborative exploration of one or more texts for the purpose of enhancing understanding not only of the texts but also for introduction, development, and application of course concepts. It's a bit like a classroom discussion except that in our online class, every student must participate.
Each discussion is done in a named BlackBoard Discussion Board forum. Forum discussions are fundamental to building a personal knowledge of the course concepts and content. The forums are where the bulk of our knowledge building will take place.
As you engage with and extend the ideas discussed in the forums, you'll develop skill in many of the expected outcomes for this course. Forums are also the place for asking questions about concepts. If there's something in the text you don't understand, explain your confusion and what you've already done to try to clear it up. Then the class can help you toward better understanding.
Forum discussions are much more free-ranging than essay assignments; however, because they are part of the formal writing in this class, there are several criteria that must be considered as you are preparing them. These include:
- Standard written English conventions:. Forums are not the place for instant or text message conventions. Forum posts should use appropriate sentence structure, grammar, spelling, etc. A portion of the discussion grade is based on correct use of standard conventions.
- Substance: Posts should provide evidence of understanding the assigned readings and lectures and should make connections between assigned material, concepts being discussed and your own thoughts.
- Organization: Think of each forum post as a mini essay. Each post should have a specific purpose. Each should have an introduction, a body, and a conclusion, even if the post is a single paragraph.
- Development: Each post should be at least one full paragraph (4 to 7 sentences).
- Each post should make a point that serves to build on the ideas and concepts under discussion.
- Citation: While full citations of source material used in discussion posts is not needed, at least some must be provided, including quote marks around copied material and the URL or some other way for readers to relocate the source.
Special note about discussions: For every discussion, unless specifically stated, you'll need to make at least 3 posts in order to have even a chance at full credit. The first post needs to be made no later than Thursday during the week the discussion is due, but the other posts can be made any time before Sunday. You're always free to make more than 3 posts!
The Thursday posts will generally provide the basis for discussion. After you've made your first post, you should read what others have said and see if there's anything that strikes your fancy. Another good strategy for figuring out something to add is to read my posts. I sometimes write an additional questions to the class that can be used as discussion prompts.
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