So...how will you be evaluated?

1. Student Led Discussions on the textbook chapters:  50%
2. Web Assignments / Discussions: 25%
3. Internet Research Paper: 25%

The Internet Research Paper project is worth a total of 25% of your final grade. The paper itself counts 80% of that 25%, 10% is based on the Phase 1 discussions, and 10% on the Phase 2 discussions.  The Phase 1 and 2 discussions are evaluated using the same system used for chapter discussions.

Grading Scale:  Here are the cutoffs for course grades:

A+=97, A=93, A-=90
B+=87, B=83, B-=80
C+=77, C=73, C-=70
D+=67, D=63, D-=60
F=0-59
Note: The "earned" grade of "F" is treated mathematically as a "30". Missing grades, such as discussions with no participation, are treated as a "0".

Attendance Policy:  HCCC has the following attendance policy:  A faculty member may perform an administrative withdrawal for a student who has missed 20% of the required logons in a course.

How to succeed in this course!

Expect to spend about 15-20 hours per module on this course!

I expect you to log-on a minimum of six times per module, and contribute to the discussions each time you log-on. Each time you logon you should participate in the discussion threads you are leading and at least 3 additional discussion threads in each chapter. If you do not post at least one document, no log-on is recorded, and no credit is given for attendance.  For attendance purposes, make sure you post every time you log on to the course.

Make sure your Internet Research Paper meets the all of the requirements.  
Very important - post your discussion questions in the Student-led discussion sections as soon as possible once the module is open.

Do a good job of maintaining quality in the discussions you lead.  Lead by example and by command!  In other words, use good grammar, not 'Internet Slang'.  If other students are not participating in your discussion threads, find out why and do something about it.

Make frequent high quality contributions to the Student-led discussions.  It is probable that if you are an active participant in the discussions led by other students, they will actively participate in yours.

Note:  Submissions to a Student-led discussion after the module end date are welcome, but they are not included in the evaluation of your course activities.

Details:

1. The questions you ask in the Student-led discussions should be thoughtfully developed and carefully worded.  These questions should address issues and/or concepts from the reading that you find particularly important.  I will use the following 5 criteria to evaluate your questions:
   1. Relevance - your question must be relevant to the material in the unit of study.
   2. Importance - your question must address a significant issue in the chapter.
   3. Thought-provoking - your question must require high-level thought, not a simple "look-up" in the textbook.
   4. Originality - you must not ask a question that is essentially the same as a question posed by another student.
   5. Timely - Your question must be posted early in the Module so that the other students have an opportunity to respond and you have time to facilitate a good discussion thread.
2. Your responses to questions will be evaluated based in part on the following 6 criteria:
   1. Is your answer correct?
   2. Is your answer thorough?
   3. Is your answer focused - to the point?
   4. Is your answer well-organized?
   5. Is your answer well-written?
   6. Is your answer original?

In this course, each student is responsible for leading a discussion on each chapter of the textbook. The quality of your discussion thread can be influenced by the feedback you give to the students who post to it.  Two things determine the quality of a discussion thread:

1. The quality of the initial discussion question you ask.  I have given some specific guidelines above.
2. The quality of the response posts. Some students will make thoughtful and informative posts to your discussion, and some will give minimal responses.  You should provide feedback to students.  If a student posts a high-quality response, you should tell them.  And, if a student posts a low quality response, you should tell them.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON STUDENT LED DISCUSSIONS

What is a low quality post?  A low quality response does not teach us anything, or contribute anything positive or substantial to the discussion.  Examples of low quality responses: any response which is biased, prejudicial, off topic, or is unsubstantiated / any response which is carelessly typed, poorly thought-out, grammatically incorrect or confusing / any response which is disrespectful of another student or any other person, etc.  

What is a high quality post?  A high quality response teaches us something, or adds something positive and/or substantial to the discussion.  It contains information from the textbook or another valid source, or applies a concept from the text or a legitimate website in a meaningful way, or facilitates understanding of the course material.  The best posts not only introduce new ideas or knowledge, but help us relate it to what we are studying in the module.

Discussions are the heart and soul of this course.  There are areas in each module where you are supposed to lead and/or participate in discussions. For example, in the Student Led Discussions, every student is required to ask one question from each chapter of the text book, and then to lead the discussion on that question.  The question you ask should require thoughtful responses, and should address important and/or controversial issues introduced in the text.  No two questions should be on the same issue - so read the other questions before posting your own.  The sooner you post your question the better.  Additionally, when another student responds to your question, you should respond back to them right away.  Your job is to facilitate the discussion in your discussion thread, so you should probe for additional information and ask additional questions in order to fully explore the topic you have asked about.

After you post your question, you are required to respond to no fewer than three other student questions. You may respond to as many questions as you want to - but three is the minimum. You are expected to be an active participant in at least these three discussion threads, plus your own.

The Student Led Discussions are the major learning activities in this course.  I will evaluate your participation carefully.  You must demonstrate knowledge of the material - not just your opinions.  Each contribution you make to any of the discussion threads should add something of value to the discussion.  Always ask yourself the following question: Will the people reading this response learn anything of significance to this course?  Unless the answer is "Yes", don't submit the response.