Each student must make at least three (3) entries during the week.
*One of the entries MUST ask a question about a concept/idea presented in the required readings in the textbook from the chapters covered this week. This should be a question pertaining to material that you personally do not understand or need clarification on and should be at least 40-50 words in length. Question topics cannot be claimed, and it is one question topic per student. This will aid in diversifying the discussion. Broad categories are posted already in the discussion board. Post your question under the category to which it best applies. State your question in the subject line of the post. (Do not use generic titles such as Week 2, post 1, etc., and try to avoid duplicating the category name.) This will create a list of questions and everyone will be able to see.
*The two remaining entries must offer an explanation in answer to a classmate’s question. Your responses must be researched, and the content of your response must be supported by reliable and credible resources. These two response posts must be a minimum of 200 words each.
*Ground rules for the Biology Discussion: Each post must be in your own words. Do NOT copy and paste from the Internet. [Review the Plagiarism presentation in the Student Resource Center.] It is better to paraphrase content/information (putting the content/information in your own words) from a resource. Paraphrased information from resource is required to be properly cited per APA requirements*, with it-text citations immediately following the information and a full reference citation at the end of the discussion board posting. [*Refer to the Getting Started area of the class for ‘Helpful Resources & Websites on Referencing Sources per APA’ and to the Student Resources tab on the left-hand side of the classroom.]
Directly quoted content should be used sparingly, if at all. You may use directly quoted from a resource, but the directly quoted information will not count towards your word count requirement. Please do not plagiarize. If you use a quote, you must put quotation marks around it AND you must cite the resource per APA requirements* [*Refer to the Getting Started area of the class for ‘Helpful Resources & Websites on Referencing Sources per APA’ and to the Student Resources tab on the left-hand side of the classroom.] In addition to your textbook, it is a requirement to use and cite at least one reliable and credible resource in your responses. If you answer in your own words, I will be able to see where you misunderstand a concept, and I can help you clear up the misconceptions.
You should try and get the first entry – your question about a concept/idea presented in the required readings for this week – posted to the Discussion by Wednesday or Thursday, but all the entries must be completed by 11:59 p.m. ET Sunday. While pleasantries such as “I agree” or “great job” are nice, they will not count as one of your required posts. Your three required postings must be posted on at least 3 separate days with all your participation in the weekly discussion being completed by 11:59 p.m. Sunday night.
**Remember, you are required to participate in the discussion on a minimum of three days during the week. Please find below the criteria for grading and scoring of your discussion participation.**
Discussion Assignment Grading Criteria
Initial Post [Post 1]:
Student submitted an appropriate post about the material. This includes asking/presenting an original question in a grammatically correct and logical manner. (10 points)
Assignment submitted on time and on a different day than other posts. (5 points)
Assignment met word count AND Word Count (WC) is stated at the end of the post. (5 points)
Response Post #1 [Post 2]:
Student submitted an appropriate and substantive response to another student’s post in a grammatically correct and clear and logical manner. (25 points)
Assignment submitted on time and on a different day than other posts. (5 points)
Assignment met word count AND Word Count (WC) is stated at the end of the post. (5 points)
Appropriate scientific college-level sources were used and referenced properly with APA formatted in-text citations and APA formatted full references in a reference list. (5 points)
Response post [Post 3]:
Student submitted an appropriate and substantive response to another student’s post in a grammatically correct and clear and logical manner. (25 points)
Assignment submitted on time and on a different day than other posts. (5 points)
Assignment met word count AND Word Count (WC) is stated at the end of the post. (5 points)
Appropriate scientific college-level sources were used and referenced properly with APA formatted in-text citations and APA formatted full references in a reference list. (5 points)
For Week 2:
Begin the readings for Week 2 and review these concepts as you go. Then if there is anything in the readings for Chapters 18 – 21 that you do not grasp entirely, post your question below. After doing that, continue your reading and periodically drop in to check entries made by your classmates. If you see a question, you think you can answer, please do so. You can use the textbook, information from reliable and credible electronic resources and/or books to help you answer the question. Your responses MUST be supported by at least one resource that is properly cited per APA requirements*. [*Refer to the Getting Started area of the class for ‘Helpful Resources & Websites on Referencing Sources per APA’ and to the Student Resources tab and the Writing Help! tab on the left-hand side of the classroom.]
