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Welcome to ES 250. Discussion posts will be an important part of this course and each will count toward your total grade. You are expected to treat these posts as brief essays. They should be well-written, spell-checked, and use appropriate grammar/punctuation. Several of my previous students had composed their posts using standard word processing software and then pasted the item onto the Discussion Board.

The information below will sound as if I want you to write perfectly. I want you to make an effort because your writing is the only way anyone else can understand your thoughts. If you follow the “Tips” below and and “Hints” Announcement you will do very well in my course.

Reminder: You will not see any of your classmates’ posts until you have posted your discussion. You will only be graded on your first post.

11 Tips for Discussion Posts:

Posts have several criteria for grading:

[Remember: The better you write, the easier it is to understand you.]

1. Your post must be well-written to receive maximum points.

2. It must be at least four fully developed and specific sentences. Hint – Use an example to better clarify any point.

3. Writing a really long post does not improve your grade. An excessively long post that is poorly written might actually lose points.

4. Capitalization and punctuation matter. These two items help the reader follow your thoughts.

5. Always capitalize the first word of every sentence and end each sentence with a period (.), not ellipses (…) or a comma (,).

6. Always capitalize the letter “i” when referring to yourself (e.g. I, I’ve, I’m).

7. Contractions must have punctuation (e.g. cant – can’t, dont – don’t).

8. Do not cram too much into one sentence. Each sentence should be a separate thought. Run-on sentences can cause the reader to misunderstand your point.

9. Before you submit a post – read it aloud.

• Did you capitalize the first word?
• Did you miss any words?
• Is any sentence so long that you have to take a breath while reading it?
• Do your own words confuse you?
• Did I end the sentence with appropriate punctuation (e.g. period, question mark, exclamation point)
• Do not use ellipses (…) to end a sentence.

10. If necessary, re-write your post. If I cannot understand your post, you will lose points.

11. A post must be your own original words. I read all posts. If you copy someone else’s work or copy from the internet you will receive zero points and may be dropped from the class.

Assignment Part 1:

Your first Discussion Board post on each assignment is the only one that will be graded. You must create a new thread to see other students’ posts. If you create a “false post” and then submit a second, you will receive no credit.

Let us get to know each other. Click “Reply” at the bottom of the posted assignment. The first post is an ice-breaker, answer each of the following items completely in your post. Brief posts may not achieve full point value.

20 points for your post:

1. Please introduce yourself (name).
2. What is your major? Why did you pick that major?
3. How long have you been attending college?
4. How experienced are you in taking a fully online course?
5. Have you read the “ES 250 Helpful Hints” Announcement? If not, include another post after you have read it that simply says “Yes, I have read the “Hints Announcement”. It is required.