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5.3 Posting on a Class Discussion Board

• If you want to include information in your post from an online source rather than
paraphrase, it is usually best to briefly summarize it and then provide the URL
(web address) or other source information so others can read it for themselves. For
example, you might write something like this: “I found a great website that provides
tips for new college students about how to write academic papers. You might want
to check it out at https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/683/01.”

For more tips for effective discussion posts, check out Strategies for Success: Sharing Diverse
Viewpoints and Disagreeing With Others.

Strategies for Success: Sharing Diverse Viewpoints
and Disagreeing With Others

A class discussion is just that: a discussion. Everyone is expected to share his or her point of
view, which is certainly not expected to be the same as everyone else’s opinions. In fact, if your
entire class had the same opinion about everything, the discussion could be relatively short and
boring. You shouldn’t be afraid to disagree with someone else’s post, but it is very important
that you do so respectfully.
When Chantal and her classmates review one another’s work and make comments, Chantal
always chooses her words carefully and tries to imagine what it would feel like to be on the
receiving end of the feedback she is about to give. Though she might be tempted to make
comments like “You’re wrong about this” or “Fix this,” she realizes that these comments are curt
and may not be received well. Instead, she revises them to be more considerate and might say,
“I encountered a situation like this in the past myself. I learned, though, that this statement may
not always be accurate. Consider rewording this sentence in this way.. . .”
Here are some other tips for writing respectful posts during class discussions:

• Most of the discussion topics are designed to help you explore issues from different
perspectives. Your task is to state what you believe to be the best answer and then
to support your answer using information you learned in the weekly reading and
other assignments. The best answer is the one you can best support. It is okay to have
opinions that are different from others, but you must support your opinions with clear
explanations of why you believe as you do and include information from your reading,
research, or past experiences to back up those opinions. This is a key component of
critical thinking.
• You can challenge another person’s idea, but never attack the person. When you
challenge an idea, be sure to disagree, respectfully, about the argument the person has
made.
• Most of us hold strong religious and political views. In professional forums, the
discussions are not an appropriate place to share these views and beliefs, unless they
directly relate to the topic being discussed.
Reflection Question

1. Have you ever written a post online or even made a comment to someone in person
and received a response you felt was inappropriate or tactless? Try to identify what
was offensive about these comments and posts. How would you revise them to say the
same thing, but in a more respectful way?

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