Discussion Board General Instructions and Grading Rubric:
The following are instructions for all of your discussion board assignments. These instructions will be included at the end of the topical instructions on each discussion board for your reference.
One “Initial Post” in response to your instructor’s instructions (located on the Discussion Board in your online classroom) is due by Thursday by 11:59 p.m., ET. This post must be a minimum of 400 words. A minimum of two replies to classmates’ post of your choice are due no later than Sunday by 11:59p.m. Each of the two replies must be a minimum of 250 words. Point assignment is based on these requirements and the Discussion Board rubric located under the classroom Assignments link.
Because scholarly discussion and related student interaction within a learning community are such essential aspects of online learning, participation is graded and required. Discussion assignments are graded directly from the board, so you do not need to upload copies of posts into your student folder or copy/pasted them into the student comments box associated with teach assignment unless you wish to do so for your own records.
Discussion board “initial posts” must be based on factual information, using the textbook for this class as your primary resource. Other scholarly sources in addition to the course textbook may also be used but these do not replace the textbook as the required primary source of information. Be sure to properly cite and reference your source in your discussion comments. To assist you with APA citation and referencing, a guide titled, “Tips, Guidelines, and Examples of APA” is available in the “Course Materials” folder. Discussion board posts will be graded on verbal expression, critical thinking, making an effort to not just participate in but contribute to the dialog with