Active participation by all students in online courses provides an opportunity to learn from each other, to network with each other, and to gain support (help beyond what the instructor can provide). Connections with your peers will help you to be more successful in an online or Internet-supplement environment. You will have the opportunity to share your experiences with others and to learn from and about others in our virtual environment. For these reasons, participation is expected in this course.
Discussion Board participation is defined as contributing at least two substantive messages (initial posts to activity questions and replies to other messages) for each discussion forum topic. As a general guideline, initial replies to discussion board activity questions should be in the 100 – 300 word range. In addition, it is required that you spell and grammar check your responses before posting them. I encourage you to incorporate your personal and professional experiences along with explanations supported by course materials in your discussion board responses.
You are given discussion
topics / questions to be answered each week. To get full participation
points, it is important that you post quality responses, in a timely manner
and respond to at least one peer's posting. Your responses to the
discussion topics and to your peers are to be posted by the due dates on the
Assignment Schedule at 11 p.m. each week. You should post to
the discussion boards 2-5 times per topic.
Quality
Posts
Part of your grade consists of your weekly contribution to the Discussion Board. This is a discussion area where your instructor will pose a topic and you will respond to the topic and to another classmate's response.
It is required that you put thought and effort into your responses to ensure that they are of quality. It is also recommended that you refer to course materials when possible. Also, please cite any resources you use in formulating your responses. You'll fine an example of quality responses below.
Cybercafe: Additionally, you are encouraged to post any comments, websites you want to share, etc. in the Cybercafe discussion board.
Email your instructor if you have specific assignment or general questions. You should NOT post it to the discussion board. If you have a question that others may have, your instructor will post it to the FAQs discussion board (without your name). Your instructor will also post reminders and important information in the discussion boards. Also, for this reason, it is required that you read the discussion boards daily.
QUESTION:
Cell phones have
become very popular. Do you think using a cell phone when driving is dangerous
to other drivers?
QUALITY RESPONSE TO
TOPIC:
Yes, I do believe that using
cell phones when driving is dangerous. Cell phones may be popular but
individuals need to learn when and how to use them when driving. Recently I read
that 40% of individuals own cell phones (source: http://www.cellphones.com). Of
those 40%, 25% are in accidents because of not paying attention and talking on
the phone. In fact, today, as I was driving to work I saw someone talking on the
phone, drinking coffee and driving with their knees. Perhaps everyone should be
required to use headsets when they are driving or to not use a cell phone at
all.
QUALITY RESPONSE FROM CLASSMATE TO PEER:
Oh, you
must have seen the same person that I did J. I also had a similar experience
with this. As she was driving, she was also putting on make-up! It
is a scary thought that we are on the road with people who are careless. I read
an article (source: http://www.newsweek.com) about using headsets with the cell
phones. It said that it does assist in keeping one hand free. However, it does
not help with the distraction that cell phone conversations bring. Did
anyone else read this article? If not, I highly recommend it as it relates well
to chapter 12.
INCOMPLETE RESPONSE TO TOPIC:
Yes. Cell
phones may be popular but individuals need to learn when and how to use them
when driving.
INCOMPLETE RESPONSE FROM CLASSMATE
TO PEER:
Yeah. I agree with you.
Grading Rubric
|
Points |
Criteria |
|
14-15 |
Clear and logical statements; explanation and/or examples (referring to course materials when applicable) provided to support ideas; shows insight; proper spelling and grammar; follows rules of Netiquette; 100-300 words; 2-5 posts per topic (1st post towards middle of week & second post (responding to at least one other student) before due date) |
|
10-13 |
Clear statements with appropriate explanations or examples (but lacking something from above) |
|
6-9 |
Clear statements with limited explanation or examples (and lacking something from above) |
|
3-5 |
Some unclear statements or incorrect explanations or examples (and lacking something from above) |
|
1-2 |
Confusing, lacks explanation of reasoning |
|
0 |
Not submitted on time or unreadable |
Students are required to adhere to the behavior standards listed in http://www.mc.maricopa.edu/other/students/pdfs/handb.pdf .
Students are entitled to receive instruction free from interference by other members of the class. If a student is disruptive, an instructor may ask the student to stop the disruptive behavior and warn the student that such disruptive behavior can result in withdrawal from the course. An instructor may withdraw a student from a course when the student's behavior disrupts the educational process.
Appropriate classroom behavior is defined by the instructor. This includes the number and length of individual messages online. Course discussion messages should remain focused on the assigned discussion topics. Students must maintain a cordial atmosphere and use tact in expressing differences of opinion.
Inappropriate discussion board messages may be deleted if an instructor feels it is necessary. Students will be notified privately that their posting was inappropriate. Please use discretion when posting to the discussion board. In addition, if you are posting a file to a discussion board that is not rated “G”, please post a bold disclaimer at the top of the post so that others do not view material that they may find offensive.
Student access to the course Send Email feature may be limited or removed if an instructor feels that students are sending inappropriate electronic messages to other students in the course.
Netiquette
Always follow the rules of “Netiquette” when posting to the Discussion Boards and/or emailing peers / instructors. To open a two page document (in PDF) on Netiquette, click on this link: