On-line Research Writing:  English 102 
Professor Gary Parks (gparks@shoreline.edu)
Shoreline Community College 
Shoreline, WA, USA 

Online Discussion Expectations

The forums in the Discussion Board (DB) are used to share insights about class readings and instructional topics. They help you develop the level of critical reading and thinking skills necessary for research-based composition. The Technopoly discussion forums are the most interactive part of the class, and they form a major portion of your grade (see syllabus for details).

Online discussion will be scored twice: at mid-term and then again at the end of the quarter. The long periods of time evaluated (five weeks for each grading in fall, winter, or spring, four weeks at a time in summer) allow the instructor to evaluate discussion skills using your entire profile (set, collection) of messages. Please don’t try to accomplish all of what is described below in each message or for each week of the course. Also note that the DB does not have a Thursday deadline like all other course work. You must participate to the degree specified and in the manner described each week, but not necessarily by Thursday.

• Participation --  Post a minimum of two messages per week in your discussion board forum (forums are identified alphabetically by last name). Never let more than 2-3 days go by without checking in at the online discussion. Be there! The best way to understand what is going on in the DB, and how to engage in it, is to "show up" and do the work of connecting with the discussion in some useful way by reading and discussing appropriately as described below.
  
  
• Reading Skills -- Keep up with assigned readings in Technopoly and let these readings inform your postings.  Most of your messages should be well-grounded in the reading, to the extent that most of your postings should mention specific quotes or paraphrases from Technopoly. Also, read your classmates' messages. Don't just show up at the DB, quickly post a few messages to boost your message count, then leave.  Taking part in the discussion involves reading the other postings (just like listening in face to face communication).
  
  
• Social Responsibility / Collaboration  -- Post messages that are responsive to comments already made and not repetitive.  Identify yourself by signing messages with at least a first name. It's O.K. to be social, but off-topic quips and shout-outs that are not about class topics don't count as participation. If you want to reply to a classmate and say, "I agree completely," explain why (and refer to Technopoly when possible). If you initiate a thread, be specific in naming it (it's named like a subject line), so that classmates can tell what you want to discuss. Don't use general thread names like "Chapter 2" or "Postman's Ideas." Also, before starting a new thread, read carefully to see if one already exists that will logically hold your contribution. If you post a redundant thread, it may be deleted (by instructor) and your message(s) lost. On the other hand, if you have a new topic direction, please do start a new specific thread.
  
  
• Focus -- If you have a lot more than your classmates to say about the topic, please don't barrage them by writing an essay-length message or posting numerous messages at once. Focus your comments and realize that you are one of many involved in the discussion. Over-posting, for whatever reason, is typically a negative contribution to the DB and will lower your score. It is never appropriate to post a whole bunch of messages at once in order to "catch up" or boost your posting average; this is not the idea in the sustained participation required. In general, post no more than two messages in any visit to the DB. If you are averaging more than 3-4 messages per week, they better be good, reflecting all other criteria including avoiding redundancy.

• Clarity -- Use details in your discussion. If a particular point from the reading is worth discussing, use quotes or paraphrases to initiate your comment. Explain and support points you are making clearly but briefly. Mechanics (grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, etc.) do not have to be perfect on postings, but do use capitals and sentences, and try to spell most words correctly.