PADM 7240 |
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Guidelines for the Threaded Discussions |
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| One of the greatest challenges for an online course is how to encourage discussion and dialogue between the students. Since we do not meet face to face in a traditional classroom setting, threaded discussions provide the next best alternative for exchanging ideas and debating topics. For most of the course units, I will post a threaded discussion topic(s). A substantial percentage of your grade (60%) is based upon your responses in the threaded discussions. I will use the following criteria to grade the threaded discussions. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you are unclear about any issues or you have any questions. |
| Grades for the threaded discussions will be determined as follows: |
Respond to each question |
C = 70 to 79 |
Above, plus demonstrate awareness of & analytic ability in applying readings/lectures to answer |
B = 80 to 89 |
Above, plus interact/comment on at least three
other students' submissions |
A = 90 to 100 |
- Make sure that you provide a response to each of the threaded discussion topics for a given unit. In some cases the units will include multiple questions or questions with several parts. Read the questions carefully and be sure to answer each part.
- Your responses should be free of typographical and grammatical errors. Students often submit responses that are constructed with the haste of an email. Your responses to the threaded discussion should be prepared just like any course assignment. The best solution is probably to use MS Word to compose your answer and then copy and paste it into the discussion thread in WebCT.
- Please make sure that you have read the lecture materials and assigned readings for a given unit before you respond to the threaded discussion. Your responses to the threaded discussions should make reference to the course readings.
- As you review the syllabus, you will notice that each unit lasts for 7 days. Please post your comments during the week that we are covering a unit. For the first few weeks of class, I recognize that many of you may still be getting acclimated to the online learning environment. At all costs, avoid falling behind in the threaded discussions.
- Your initial posting to a threaded discussion should provide a response to the given topic. Your second and third postings within a given unit should be responses to the comments of other students or the instructor. I encourage you to engage in a dialogue and debate with other members of the class.
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Finally, please follow the following conventions for threaded discussions:
- When you read a question in the discussion thread and are ready to answer the question, use the "Reply" button and then enter your response.
- Do not use the "Create Message" button in the main Discussion window when you are replying to a question or responding to comments of another student. That breaks the thread and starts a new thread. The thread is supposed to follow the question. It makes it much more difficult to follow the discussion when the entries jump from one thread to another.
- Also, when you want to respond to the comments of another student, use the "Reply" button as described above.
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| Reference http://www.valdosta.edu/~gamerwin/pa/classes/padm7240/discussions.html |
| Updated 12/31/2007, contact Jerry Merwin |