Forum #4

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GUIDE: DISCUSSION FORUMS

Discussions are used to enhance the higher-order thinking skills and creativity of business students. Discussion comments should be substantive, raise questions, suggest alternatives, probe for more information, offer recommendations, etc. Replies to initial postings should be relevant and useful. As mentioned before, avoid "one-liners" and "I agree" statements that are not supported with an explanation (no credit points for one-liners!).

It is possible--in fact likely--that you will not get a response to everything you post. Since this course is based on collaborative learning, we expect that participants give and receive feedback to and from each other. You will be graded on your first comments (initial response to the question of the forum and your first reply to one of the other students’ initial response to the question of the forum).

Asynchronous communication forums have many advantages, including the discussion of multiple perspectives. You may be more confident to "speak up," less distracted than in a typical classroom, and you can enhance your higher-order thinking via exposure to multiple opinions and perspectives.

NOTE: Do not use attachments in the Moodle discussion forums! Instead cut and paste your responses from your Word documents into the forum. (Short responses can be typed directly into the forum box). I will not open the attachment and therefore will not be able to grade your comments. Also, your classmates will appreciate being able to read your note immediately without having to click several times and wait for the document to open.

Discussion Forum submission requires TWO steps:

o Step 1: Turnitin Check for your initial response (Submit Here First for Turnitin Check)

§ First, submit your response as a Microsoft Word file to the Forum Discussion assignment link via the submission box shown below.

§ A Turnitin score will be generated. If not at 20% or less, resubmit assignment until the threshold is achieved.

§ Allow 24-36 hours for Turnitin report generations.

§ Submissions that stop in step one will receive a zero. You must get the report from Turnitin AND then start Step 2 to get a grade (READ AGAIN).

o Step 2: Discussion Forum (After Turnitin Check)

§ Second, once your 'response' has received a Turnitin score of 20% or less, copy and paste the same information/assignment to the Discussion

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Forum link. You must submit your 'response' to the forum for final grading.

Turnitin Requirements:

• For each case analysis, your similarity score must meet a threshold of no more than 20%.

• A 'response' with greater than 20% similarity must be revised and resubmitted to Turnitin until the 20% threshold is achieved.

• For resubmissions, it may take up to 24 hours for a new similarity score. No extension will be offered if your similarity score is high. DO NOT include your reference list when uploading to Turnitin to lpower the similarity score. Do not forget to add the reference list back to your post in actual forum.

• A 'response' with more than 20% threshold will receive a zero.

DISCUSSION FORUM RUBRIC

Several assignments require you to participate in Moodle discussion forums! Participation will be measured according to the thoughtfulness of response, the accuracy of response, and the quality of writing.

Discussion comments should be substantive, raise questions, suggest alternatives, probe for more information, offer recommendations, etc. Replies to initial postings should be relevant and useful. Avoid "one-liners" and "I agree" statements that are not supported with an explanation (no credit points for one-liners!).

- You should also develop a dialog with those who responded to your initial post. Refute or concede your classmates’ viewpoints (disprove or admit that the other side has a valid point and say why you think so).

To count as an acceptable response to conceptual problems, your initial responses and feedback to classmates must include explanations and justifications, citing the sources you used (including your textbook). An acceptable answer will also apply the concepts from the textbook/lecture. Forum posts that do not relate directly to the problem(s) being discussed or do not have any logical justification and are only thoughtless replies will not count as acceptable responses.

All forum posts must be written in Standard English, using accepted norms of capitalization, spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Any posts submitted after the deadline will not be graded (you will receive a zero).

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Specific guidelines will accompany each assignment. If your assignment is a discussion- board post, you will need to post your initial response by Wednesday night (11:00; CST) or at the latest by Thursday night (11:00 pm; CST) with 5 points penalty.

IMPORTANT: If you post your initial response after Wednesday 23:00 CST and before Thursday 23:00 CST your response will be graded, but 5 points will be deducted (read this sentence again!). Post your feedback to your classmates by Saturday night (11:00 pm; CST) unless instructed otherwise. Late submissions will not be accepted.

Each forum responses are typically worth 30 points. Only for high-quality initial responses (and for substantive response/feedback to your classmates) will you receive all the points possible. Substantive responses show the depth of understanding, demonstrate insight into the material, and are free from spelling and grammar mistakes. Here is a breakdown of the points:

Initial Post Rubric: a. Zero points = failure to post b. 2-3 points – comment is not relevant to the course materials. c. 4-6 points – comment is related to course material but lacks substantive content. Example:

"The book says that ‘effective goodwill messages must be sincere and honest....’ I agree.” d. 7-14 points - creative response related to the course material. But fail to include and cite

external materials (e.g., academic articles, web pages, etc.). Example: "The book says that ‘effective goodwill messages must be sincere and honest....’ I agree. My own experience taught me that …”

e. 15-25 points – going beyond creative response related to the course material and citing at least TWO external (NOT your textbook) resources (preferably recently published academic journal articles), and providing examples to enrich your answer and argument. Note: You must follow APA format in your all citations (i.e., in-texts and reference lists; extra 2 points will be deducted for each incorrect citations; max 8 points). Extra 10 points will be deducted if your initial post is less than 250 words (excluding refrences).

f. 25-30 points – comment has all the characteristics mentioned in section “e” and also has been posted early enough (before Wednesday 23:00 CST) in the week allowing others to provide feedback and contribute to the information exchange.

Also, 10 Points will be assigned for responses and feedback to other students. Your responses/feedback must be substantive, enriched by citing resources, and providing examples based on your experience or readings. You cannot get full credit unless your feedback shows that you critically thought about and analyzed your classmates’ or teammates’ responses. You must reply first to someone that has no replies (so that there is a fairly even distribution for each student).

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Responses/feedback Post Rubric: Zero points = failure to post 1 point – response/feedback is not relevant to the initial post and to the course materials. 2-3 points – response/feedback is related to the initial post and the course materials but lacks substantive content. 4-6 points - creative response/feedback related to the initial post and the course materials. Or, you have responded thoughtfully from your own experience, only. 7-10 points – going beyond creative response/feedback related to the initial post and the course material and referring and citing at least ONE external (NOT your textbook) resource (preferably recently published academic journal article(s) and/or web pages, and providing example (s) to enrich your response. Note: You must follow APA format in all citations (i.e., in- texts and reference lists; extra 2 points will be deducted for each incorrect citations; max 4 points). Note: Only the first response of each student to the initial response of a peer will be graded.