What is expected of students: Try to stay on the topic of the discussion This is a very formal learning space. This is not the space for social chat or exchanging opinions (the students' forum is for this purpose). Post short messages Students are expected to use correct referencing and use critical thinking to provide in depth answers to the discussion questions that demonstrate understanding of the issues and relate to the resources in the Topic You should answer the question asked as closely as possible. You may be critiqued by other students or tutors if you haven't answered the question clearly. It is expected that you will respond to at least two other student's posts and will respond considerately even if you disagree. Don't copy and paste large quantities of text onto the discussion forum.  What the tutor's role is: The tutors are not there to lead the discussion... The tutors will not post very often and you will be expected as students to provide the majority of the discussion. The tutors may also ask you to clarify things you have written, or critique your referencing. They may also ask you to continue a discussion in the student's lounge if you have gone too far off topic.

Contributions are an important part of the educational process and as you see in 'Criteria for a Pass' you are expected to contirbute to the discussions in order to gain academic credit. Here are thhe assessment criteria for discussion posts: You will be assessed on the quality of your posts and you will be required to submit satisfactory and complete responses on at least three of the topics to pass the module. A complete response requires you to post your own opinion and at least one other post commenting on another participant’s response. It is important that your responses reflect your understanding of the provided resources. Also, your comment on another participant’s response must be insightful i.e, show that you have reflected on their response. Please note: as in the assignments, it is important that you acknowledge any items you use in the discussions that are taken from the work of others. If you copy and paste from another source, you must acknowledge the source and reference it. It is always better to use your own words anyway!

 

	Own opinion	Response to others
Completed response	Comments show reflection and critical thought one’s experiences and understanding of relevant literature	Comments reveal that the responder has reflected on the other participant’s comments
Incomplete response	The participant’s response consists of only superficial and unsubstantiated statements.	Responder makes an unsubstantiated comment like ‘Great answer’ or ‘I agree’ with no further elaboration and no critical thought