English Unit 4 – Discussion Board

The Discussion Board (DB) is part of the core of online learning. Classroom discussion in an online environment requires the active participation of students and the instructor to create robust interaction and dialogue. Every student is expected to create an original response to the open-ended DB question as well as engage in dialogue by responding to posts created by others throughout the week. At the end of each unit, DB participation will be assessed based on both level of engagement and the quality of the contribution to the discussion.

At a minimum, each student will be expected to post an original and thoughtful response to the DB question and contribute to the weekly dialogue by responding to at least two other posts from students. The first contribution must be posted before midnight (Central Time) on Wednesday of each week. Two additional responses are required after Wednesday of each week. Students are highly encouraged to engage on the Discussion Board early and often, as that is the primary way the university tracks class attendance and participation.

The purpose of the Discussion Board is to allow students to learn through sharing ideas and experiences as they relate to course content and the DB question. Because it is not possible to engage in two-way dialogue after a conversation has ended, no posts to the DB will be accepted after the end of each unit.

Assignment Details

The key to solving any problem in personal, academic, and professional environments is to first identify the cause(s). Any time you try to answer the question “Why?,” you use causal analysis. This ability to analyze the relationship between cause and effect is a very important trait for success. In this Discussion Board assignment, you will practice this critical reasoning skill by preparing a cause-and-effect or problem–solution outline post and then peer review the posts of your classmates.

Think of an issue or a problem that you have observed within your city, town, workplace, neighborhood, or civic group. Be sure to pick something that you are willing to share with your classmates. Prepare a post that provides a brief description of the situation, and then present a cause-and-effect or problem–solution outline of the issue or problem. Review the posts of at least 2 of your classmates.

Specifically, your post should include the following:

• A brief description of the issue or problem
• The focus of your outline (cause-and-effect, or problem–solution)
• A thesis statement
• 3 body paragraph topic sentences
• A concluding paragraph