Discussing Online Discussion

This discussion forum examines the importance of online discussion in online learning and the guidelines for assessing it. Respond to the following and, if appropriate, include personal experience as part of your answers.

• Since discussions can result in daily posts from students, the instructor can easily become overwhelmed with the number of responses. If you were an online instructor, what guidelines would you create and use to effectively balance the number of assignments with their presence in the forum? How would you make sure to accurately and objectively evaluate students' posts?
  
  
• When requiring discussion work as part of the student's grade, the instructor must provide specific rules and protocols for good online behavior. Read the Guidelines and Rubric for Online Discussion Boards (http://media.pearsoncmg.com/pcp/pls/poe_2/assessing_knowledge_skills_online/assignments/1256079243/docs/discussion_10_discussion_protocol.pdf)

These guidelines are an example of a handout that specifies the rules and protocol for discussion work. Do you think this handout is sufficient? What recommendations or modifications would you make to ensure the students understand what is required of them during discussion work?