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5.3 Posting on a Class Discussion Board

you keep track of when discussion posts and other assignments are due and that you
post by the due date—or earlier, if possible. Posting before the due date has some
great advantages:
• The instructor usually has more time to give you thoughtful feedback than on the
day the assignment is due, when everyone else posts to make the deadline.
• Your classmates are more likely to give you feedback and engage with you in useful
discussions if your post is made early.
• Making your initial post early gives you time to respond to other students’ posts.
• Make sure you respond to other students’ posts as well as posting your own
response. You must do both to get full credit for an assignment.
• Make sure you go back and read what others have written in response to your initial
post. Respond to questions asked by your instructor and your classmates.
• Use your critical-thinking skills and write a thoughtful and respectful response to
classmates’ posts. Posting only “I agree” or “You make a good point” is not sufficient.
Go a step further and explain why you agree or why a classmate’s point is important.
You might also suggest some other issues your classmate might consider, ask a
question, share similar experiences you have had in the past, or give helpful tips you
think might assist your classmate.
• Remember that your posts are graded on quality as well as on content, so make sure
your posts are professionally written and presented. It is usually best to type your
post first on a blank page in your word processing program—not in the discussion
assignment area. Save the file, revise it, run the spell-checker, and ensure that the
post is appropriate for a professional environment. Then copy and paste it into the
discussion forum. For help in this area, don’t hesitate to submit your discussions to
the Ashford Writing Center for feedback prior to posting.
• Recall from our plagiarism discussion in Module 4 that it is never appropriate to
copy information from other sources like other posts, the web, books, or other docu-
ments. When you include ideas in your post that are not your own, paraphrase—or
put those ideas into your own words—and be sure to give credit to the author of
the original ideas. Check with your course instructor for the right information to
include and the proper way to
format these sources. Ashford
University uses the style of
the American Psychological
Association (APA) for format-
ting formal written papers and
giving credit to your sources,
which you will learn in a
future class. The Ashford Writ-
ing Center contains resources
to help you with APA style,
as well as many tutorials and
other assistance with your
college writing. When you log DragonImages/iStock/Thinkstock
in to your Student Portal, click The online classroom is a tool with which you can
“Learning Tools” on the left share thoughts or questions, provide feedback on
navigation menu for the link course assignments, and interact with classmates
to the writing center. easily and conveniently.

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