Weekly Chapter Discussions: WEEK #3 – CHAPTER 3
In the weekly Discussion tab in the course, the Professor and students interact to explore course concepts. Discussions always close Sunday, 11:59 P.M EST.
For full credit, you are required to post on three different days (three time each week) and follow the guidelines for frequency and quality provided below. For your initial post, address the four sections below, and write NO more than 500 words. Your contributions should be in your own words; quote very sparingly. Be concise. All other contributions would be reflection to the contributions by your classmates. After your initial post, reply to the contributions by your classmates and follow the guidelines for frequency and quality of your contributions.
- CHAPTER SUMMARY: Summarize chapter presented during the week. Identify the main point (as in “What’s your point?”), thesis, or conclusion of the key ideas presented in the chapter.
- SUPPORT: Do research outside of the book and demonstrate that you have in a very obvious way. This refers to research beyond the material presented in the textbook. Show something you have discovered from your own research. Be sure this is obvious and adds value beyond what is contained in the chapter itself.
- EVALUATION: Apply the concepts from the appropriate chapter. Hint: Be sure to use specific terms and models directly from the textbook in analyzing the material presented and include the page in the citation.
- SOURCES: Include citations with your sources. Use APA style citations and references.
The discussions are graded for Frequency and Quality.
Each week you will participate in the graded discussions that are related to our course Objectives. These discussions are drawn from our readings and research, lectures, and most important – our collective knowledge and experiences. Our interactions – not only between you and me, but between you and your peers; will ensure the best learning environment and help us achieve the most from our discussions.
Frequency is the number of posts and the number of days you post in keeping with the requirements. Students are expected to log into the course and post (respond) in each graded discussion on a minimum of three separate days per week in each graded discussion, beginning no later than Wednesday each week.
Quality is the content of the student’s contributions.
Frequency/12 points: Frequency is calculated on a “points per day” basis. Students cannot earn full points for frequency without meeting the frequency requirements.
In addition, students may receive a 2 point deduction for not posting for the week in by the Wednesday deadline.
Quality/18 points: Quality points up to the maximum are earned by a combination of the following values- 6 points per high quality post, 4 points per medium quality post and 2 point for each low quality post) – Post quality is evaluated using the quality measurement criteria below. For example, a student may post multiple medium quality posts in one graded discussion and earn full points for quality. To earn full quality points with the fewest number of posts, a minimum of three high quality posts is required in each graded topic.
Examples of quality posts include:
Providing additional information to the discussion;
Elaborating on previous comments from others;
Presenting explanations of concepts or methods to help fellow students,
Presenting reasons for or against a topic in a persuasive fashion,
Sharing your own personal experiences that relate to the topic, and
Providing a URL and explanation for an area you researched on the Internet.
Full credit is awarded when both required frequency is met and the maximum quality points are earned. Below is a grid summarizing the grading rubric:
Discussions Worth 30 Points/Week
|
Factor
|
Points
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Maximum Total
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Per Discussion
|
Frequency
|
4 points per day
|
12 points
|
Quality
|
6 points per high-quality post
|
18 points
|
4 points per medium quality post
|
2 point per low-quality post
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Total
|
30 points
|
In by Wednesday
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Penalty per discussion if not in by Wednesday
|
Deduct 2 points
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Total possible for week
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30 points
|