Discussion Board Posts III
Very important component of our course and worth 50% of your final grade. That’s right, HALF of your final grade will come from the discussion board activity, so do not disregard the importance of this assignment.
Our units are two weeks long. You must log in and participate at least twice per week (i.e. four times per unit). This is how your attendance and participation will be measured. Weeks start on Sunday and end on the following Sunday.
Assignment Requirements:
• Post 1: Choose a topic from the unit’s reading assignment. Discuss it thoroughly. It must be between 150 to 250 words. Do not exceed the word count, but do not fall short of the 150 word requirement.This post must be in your own words. Any instances of copied material from ANY source will result in an automatic zero for the offense and an F in the course for the second one, plus a permanent notation in your academic record, which will seriously affect any future employment prospects where background checks are conducted (which in today’s job market, includes every single employer). These posts are due by Sundays of Weeks I, 3, 5, and 7.
•Post 2: Choose a fellow student’s post and provide an example (i.e. create a “story” that applies the concept). For example, if a students discussed the rules of searching a vehicle trunk, you are to provide an example (i.e. a little story) of a police office conducting either an illegal or a legal search of a vehicle trunk. This learning process is called “application” and will enhance your critical thinking skills. This forces you to “think”, not just to memorize and regurgitate material, which any circus-trained monkey can do. The goal is to prepare you for the real world, which will expect you to think independently. If you are ready to submit your second post, but there are insufficient initial posts for you to choose one, then you can pick a topic from the reading assignments and simply provide an example (i.e. an example/story) for that topic. There is no word count for these posts. These posts are due by Sundays of weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8 (Week 8 ends on a Wednesday, not on Sunday)
• Post 3: choose another concepts from the unit’s reading assignment and explain it thoroughly, the same as “Post 1”
• Post 4: draft a story for another concept, the same as “Post 2”
Let me further clarify: you will repeat the process twice during the two-week unit. Posts 1 and 2 are during the first week of the unit and posts three and four are due during the second week of the unit. However, I will not be deducting points for failing to meet these deadlines during Unit I, as I understand there are textbook issues and scheduling issues which can cause delays. As long as you submit four posts by the end of Unit I, then you will be fine. However, all deadlines will be strictly enforced for Units II, III, and IV.
Grading Criteria:
• Posts 1 and 3: Thoroughness of discussion. Word Count. Detail of discussion. Accuracy of content. Label the subject line of your post: Post 1 or Post 3
• Posts 2 and 4: Creativeness of story. Originality. Accuracy of content application. Label the subject line of your post: Post 2 or Post 4.
