You are responsible for completing the following deliverables this semester.
Engagement
Success in this course will require you to do more than simply appear in class twice a week and answer an occasional question. I expect that all of my students will be prepared to actively participate in our in class, and digital, discussions since that is a key way to learn as much as possible.
This is not a course that will focus primarily on a lecture format. We will focus on assigned cases using the Socratic method to engage with, and learn, the course material. That will require you to you complete the Before Class assignments found in the Course Schedule. Assessment of your preparedness and engagement will include your performance on unscheduled content quizzes.
Please review the Engagement Rubric in the Engagement page of the Course Policies section of this site.
Success Plan
You will complete this deliverable by posting your plan to the #success channel in Slack.
Your first deliverable will be the development of a plan describing the steps you believe are necessary for success in this course. Your plan must also describe how you will execute your plan to achieve success. Your submission, in a minimum of 750 words, should address the suggestions for success described here. Remember that you are using a digital platform to complete this deliverable so be sure to review my advice on writing on digital platforms. Never post a Word or Google doc.
Course Blog
You will post your comments in the Course Blog that I maintain for my courses.
I post items of interest that are relevant to the material covered in my courses. The materials in the posts will be discussed over the course of the semester in class and on-line. You are responsible for keeping current on the posts to the blog and providing comments. The submission schedule is included in the Course Schedule. My goal is to encourage an active discussion between and among all of my students related to the events of the day. And remember … it is a public blog … be certain that your comments comport with the etiquette requirements described in the Etiquette section of the Communication page.
I will evaluate the following factors when I assess your blog comments:
- A thoughtful, substantive and well-reasoned summary/response to the blog post you have chosen – approximately 350 words per comment; and
- Your comments should not simply regurgitate the article you have reviewed. I have no interest in reading a “book report” version of the article that you have chosen. I am, however, interested in comments that provide your insight into the relevance of the article in question, and
- Evidence in your blog comments in that you have read and are specifically and thoughtfully responding to the points raised by the author and/or if responding to someone’s prior comments on a post.
Please refer to the Course Schedule and calendar for details about the blog comments submission schedule. Don’t be late … you know my policy on accepting late submissions!
Click here to subscribe to the course blog’s Twitter feed.
Topic/Issue Discussions
You will complete this deliverable by posting your contributions to the appropriate TID channel in Slack.
A discussion is defined as “an act or instance of discussing” and “consideration or examination by argument, comment, etc.“. You will engage in a topic/issue discussion in each Module of the course. Each TID will begin with an article, video, podcast and/or question. Your initial response, in a minimum of 750 words, to the TID is your answer to the question(s) posed and issues raised, a reflection of your consideration of the issues that flow from those materials. The post function in Slack provides you great flexibility when preparing and posting your initial response to the TID.
I fully expect that you will rely on sources in support of your position … whether in your initial response to the TID or during the continuing conversation. When you do refer to a source you should create a hyperlink to the additional materials that help explain or support your position. The post function in Slack also allows for adding comments to a specific post.
That said, our continuing discussion is an important part of the TID exercise. You will note that there is a comment period available in each TID cycle. As I have noted elsewhere, you should engage your classmates “… with commentary, reaction and/or analysis of their TID posts …” during the comment period. The point of the exercise is to generate a robust conversation about the issue(s) at hand. These discussions, your engagement, are essential to create the atmosphere of active learning and critical thinking that is an integral part of this course. All students must express their own opinions and engage with other students in the process.
Our TID discussions are ongoing so simply posting your initial response to the TID will not be sufficient. You must engage your classmates with commentary, reaction and/or analysis of their TID posts (see the comment period in each TID cycle). Remember, discussion is defined as “an act or instance of discussing” and “consideration or examination by argument, comment, etc.“. The good news is that Slack will allow us to engage in either synchronous or asynchronous written exchanges that will stand in for conversations.
Your initial response (a minimum of 750 words) and discussion posts (a minimum of 5 such posts) must satisfy the Writing and Reseach requirements described in the Course Policies Deliverables page. Never post a Word or Google doc.
I will evaluate your level of engagement, the clarity of your writing, spelling and grammar, your success in writing on a digital platform, appearance and satisfaction of form requirements; articulation of all potential issues presented and the quality and depth of analysis when assessing your submissions.
Please refer to the Course Schedule and Calendar for details about the TID submission schedule. Don’t be late … you know my policy on accepting late submissions!
Final Exam
You will complete this assignment by visiting the Final Exam folder in Blackboard.
The final exam will be a writing assignment requiring each student to define, interpret, and analyze a topic or topics related to the course materials. Never post a Word or Google doc.
Grading
Grades on each assignment will be posted to the My Grades folder in Blackboard. The following weights will be assigned to each component of your final grade:
- Engagement (20%)
- Course Blog (10%)
- TIDs (60%)
- Final Exam (10%)