Assignments

Discussion Board Prompts
Literature Review Assignment

Discussions, Assignments, & Activities Overview

Classwork is broken down into the following categories, along with the number of each that will be assigned over the semester.

  • DB=Discussion Board
    • 13 total
    • Discussion boards are intended for you to think critically about the weekly readings or topics, and to engage in conversation with your classmates (and myself) about the readings.
  • A=Assignment
    • 2 total
    • Assignments are are due directly to me via email.
  • RQ=Reading Quiz
    • 3 total
    • Reading quizzes are short quizzes based on the readings. You can take each quiz up to 3 times.

Discussion Board Guidelines

For each discussion, I will post a detailed prompt within the board. You can also see the DB prompts here.

For each DB, you are responsible for your own post that meets the guidelines set out in the rubric below. For most (but not all) discussions, you will also be responsible for writing a substantive response to at least two (2) of your classmates’ posts or responses. Your responses should serve to further or deepen the conversation.

Unless otherwise noted, DB posts are due by Wednesdays at midnight. Comments (on 2 classmate posts) are due by Saturdays at midnight.

As an alternative to a written post, you may choose to record up to two (2) posts as Flipgrid video responses if desired. Not all DB topics are eligable for Flipgrid responses. It will be noted in the instructions.

Discussion Board Rubric

  • Initial Post
    • Posted by due date & time.
    • Posting was responsive to the prompt and substantive. This means that the post was not a summary of the readings, but engaged with the relevant readings thoughtfully and critically, enhanced the discussion.
    • Posting showed ample evidence of having reviewed, or completed the relevant readings or assignments.
    • Posting was constructive and differences of opinion expressed in a collegial manner.
  • Response to classmate’s post
    • Posted by due date & time.
    • Posting provided evidence that the participant had thoughtfully read the peer’s posting.
    • Posting was responsive and substantive, posting comments or questions that enhanced the discussion, or helped move the conversation forward. These may have included follow up questions, examples, or new perspectives.
    • Posting showed ample evidence of having reviewed, or completed the relevant readings or assignments.
    • Posting was constructive and differences of opinion expressed in a collegial manner.

Technical Details

Here are the basics of how to create your initial post, and how to reply to your classmates.

For your initial post, reply directly to the DB prompt by scrolling to the bottom of the page and using the reply box.

image of how to reply

To reply to a classmate’s post, click Reply directly in their post, and your response will be threaded underneath them.

image of how to reply

Literature Review Assignment

A literature review is a descriptive summary of research on a topic that has previously been studied. The purpose of a literature review is to inform readers of the significant knowledge and ideas that have been established on a topic. Its purpose is to compare, contrast and/or connect findings that were identified when reviewing researchers’ work. Oftentimes, literature reviews are written to ground a study in a particular context of what is known about a subject in order to establish a foundation for the topic (or question) being researched.

The purpose of this assignment is to facilitate your abilities to research a topic of study so you can learn to (1) identify and formulate an inquiry question that defines what you’d like to learn, (2) apply your knowledge on reading research that you’ve learned in class, (3) analyze information found in a variety of sources, and (4) synthesize new knowledge into a written small-scale literature review.

Basic Description

For this assignment you are asked to complete a small-scale literature review on a topic of your choice. You are asked to locate at least 8 sources, 3 of which must be scholarly, peer reviewed articles on your topic and write a 1000-1200 word literature review on the articles you’ve selected.

Detailed instructions will be provided. The literature review is broken into four parts

  • Topic & inquiry question as a DB post, DB 6
  • Preliminary set of resources (articles) as a DB post, DB 10
  • Literature review rough draft
  • Literature review final draft