10 Instructions for the Research and Discuss Assignments

Overview of the Research and Discuss assignments:

The purpose of this assignment is for each student to locate Internet resources that contain valid information relevant to the issues we will be discussing, write original and thoughtful analysis reviews about the content of the resources, and then lead class discussions on the issues.

Submit one Internet Resource review for each dropbox and discussion forum.  You will receive 2 grades for each forum: the written review (50%) and your participation in the discussion forum (50%).

1. Using the Internet search engine of your choice (for example, Google or GoogleScholar), locate a Internet resource on your topic.  Internet resources include articles, YouTube videos, Ted Talks, etc. Once a topic has been selected by another student you may not select it for yourself.
2. Write a review of your topic following the guidelines below.  Include an overview of the main point(s) and your thoughts on the information.
3. Include a link to the resource at the bottom of your review.
4. Submit your review to the appropriate SafeAssign drop box for an Originality Analysis and for my evaluation.
5. Revise and resubmit your review if needed.
6. Your website review is graded within the SafeAssign drop box using the rubric below.  Once graded, you can see my feedback by accessing the rubric via the “My Grades” link.
7. Paste your review into the Discussion Forum for class discussion.  To receive full credit, you must submit your review within the first 3 days that the module is active.
8. In the discussion forum, discuss your review – and at least 2 others – with your classmates.
9. Your grade on the discussion forum will depend on the quantity, spacing, and quality of your posts.
10. Study the grading rubric carefully so that you are aware of how your work will be graded.
11. I grade your work – and update your discussion forum rubric – every day.

Begin this assignment by selecting a topic for the discussion forum.  Then use the Internet search engine of your choice to a “good” resource dealing with the topic.  Then, for each issue, write a review of the resource and submit it for grading (to the SafeAssign drop box) and discussion (to the discussion forum.  By “good resource” I mean a resource that seems to you to provide accurate, relevant and unbiased information on the topic.

Detailed Instructions for each review:

Step 1 – Write an original review of the Internet resource – minimum 500 original* words. See the definition of “original words” below.  Include a working link to the resource at the end of your review, and put the original word count (as determined following the instructions below) at the very bottom of your review.  (e.g. “673 original words”)

Step 2 – Submit your review to the SafeAssign dropbox. If there are plagiarism issues, correct them by either re-wording the passage or putting it in quotes and citing the source.  I will evaluate your review in the dropbox using the rubric below. 

*Definition of “Original Words”:

This assignment has a “minimum of 500 original words” requirement for an “A”, but if you want to earn an “A+” then the minimum is 750 original words.  See row 3 of the rubric for word-count details. . The SafeAssign dropbox analyzes your assignment and highlights plagiarized or “essentially the same” passages that already exists on the Internet.  This “similar content” – EVEN IF YOU DID NOT COPY IT FROM THE WEB / EVEN IF YOU MADE IT UP YOURSELF – does not count as your “original words.”  All “siimilar” passages should be enclosed in quotes and the source cited.

Correct all of these issues before you submit your review to the class for discussion.

Step 3 – submit your review to the discussion forum.  The discussion of the Internet resources will continue until the module ends.  Review the grading rubric carefully so you can earn the forum grade you want.

Step 4 – Discuss your topic and at least 2 others which you select from reviews submitted by your classmates

1. Use the Create Thread button to submit your review for class discussion.
2. Facilitate the discussion of your review. When other students respond to your posting, respond back to them. Your job is to facilitate a discussion which explores the issues you have presented in your review.You are the “teacher.”
   
3. Read and discuss the reviews submitted by at least 2 other classmates. Be an active participant in these threads. (An “active participant” does more than reply once and not continue in the conversation.) You may participate in as many review discussions as you want to – but the minimum is 2.
4. I will evaluate a maximum of 3 discussion posts submitted to the same discussion forum during any 24 hour period.  For example, if you submit 3 discussion posts to the same forum between noon and 1:00 pm, you should wait until 1:00 pm the following day to submit your next post.  This rule is designed to give other students a chance to respond to your posts, so that you can then reply back to them. This also means that if you wait until the last day or 2 to submit lots of posts, I will only evaluate the first 3 each day.

You will earn a high grade on the discussion forum if you:

• Submit an acceptable review which satisfies all of the guidelines above to the SafeAssign dropbox and to the Discussion Forum during the first 3 days that the module is active.
• Submit 10 acceptable reply posts (Posts that comply with both of the Cardinal Rules.)
• Participate in the forum on 10 different days while the module is active.
• Remember that you won’t get credit for more than 3 posts submitted during any 24 hour period.

The Internet Resource Review Grading Rubric: