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Discussion Boards (DB) are a key component of online learning. They foster active participation of learners and dialog with fellow learners and instructors. Graduate-level courses require learners to create original posts to course DBs and to engage in dialogue by responding to posts created by others throughout the course. Original posts and responses should be substantive, and if references are made to the works of others, APA guidelines for in-text citations and references apply.

Minimum Weekly DB Expectations

• Post an original and thoughtful Main Post to the DB prompt.
• Respond to at least 2 other posts from learners and/or the instructor (Response Posts).
• The first contribution (Main Post or Response Post) must be posted before midnight (Central time) on Friday of each week.
• Two additional responses are required after Friday of each week.
• For DB assignment prompts with a Part One and Part Two, Part One should be addressed in the first week of the unit with a Main Post and minimum of 2 Response Posts, and Part Two should be addressed in the second week of the unit with a Main Post and a minimum of 2 Response Posts.

More on DBs

At the end of each unit, DB participation is assessed based on level of engagement and the quality of the contribution to the discussion. DBs allow learners to learn through sharing ideas and experiences as they relate to course content. Because it is not possible to engage in two-way dialogue after a conversation has ended, no posts to the DB are accepted after the end of the unit. Learners must demonstrate an appropriate depth of understanding of course content to receive credit for having submitted substantive posts. Typically, this is achieved with 3–4 strong paragraphs for Main Posts and 2–3 strong paragraphs for Response Posts.

Deliverable Specifics

Part 1

During Unit 2, you should have received an invitation to Portfolium, our ePortfolio tool for the AIU School of Education. If you have not already done so, please take some time to personalize your ePortfolio and explore the AIU School of Education Portfolium network.

• Discuss the benefits of an ePortfolio for professional educators. What components should professional educators include in their ePortfolios? What other considerations should professional educators keep in mind when creating ePortfolios?
• Using the Search feature in the Portfolium network, conduct a search for the term “educational research.” What types of projects do you find?
• What are the benefits and drawbacks of sharing educational research projects through an ePortfolio platform? 

Part 2

There are 5 major guiding principles and 22 ethical standards that you should know as a researcher. You should be familiar with these guidelines and standards found here: American Educational Research Association Code of Ethics. Click on the "AERA Code of Ethics" link to open the PDF from that Web page.

For your Main Post:

• Explain why ethical standards are needed. 
• Review the 5 guiding principles, and choose 1 of them that is of particular interest to you. 
• Select 3–4 ethical standards that you believe align with your selected guiding principles.

In your own words, post a substantive response to the Discussion Board question(s) and comment on other postings. Your response should address the DB question(s) and move the conversation forward. You will be graded on the quality of your postings, including mastery of the concept as well as critical thinking. If asked for your opinion, do not simply state that it is a good or bad idea; elaborate on your reasons and argument. Include enough detail to substantiate your thinking as well as your position on the questions or comments.

Reference

American Educational Research Association (AERA). (2020). AERA code of ethics. Professional Ethics: Research Ethics. Retrieved from https://www.aera.net/About-AERA/AERA-Rules-Policies/Professional-Ethics

Scoring Rubric:

Your assignment will be graded in accordance with the following criteria: Grading Rubric.

For assistance with your assignment, please use your text, Web resources, and all course materials.