Posting to Discussion Boards
When you reply to a post on the discussion board or add a new thread you will see a text editing box with an icon that looks like the one pictured here.
This allows you to spell check your posts before submitting. However, spell check may not catch grammatical errors which you need to address. If your post contains such errors I will reply to your post and underline your errors. You need to correct these (for reasons I state in the Importance of Proofreading Post). This is a college level class and I require college level discourse which includes proper English spelling and grammar. If your posts continue to contain errors that remain uncorrected I will remove them and you will not earn credit for your posts.
Here are some very common mistakes that occur as grammatical or spelling errors:
to/too: Many seem to be confusing these two words. If you want to say that something is "too" big, "too" difficult, etc. use "too." Please do not use "to" for this purpose! It is incorrect!
Would of: This is one of the worst offenses I see in submissions. The correct expression is "would've" which is the contraction of "would have." "Would of" though it sounds correct is not correct and is simply nonsense. Please do not use this or related expressions such as: could of, should of, etc.
are/our: Again a problem here with how these sound. If you want to indicate possession use "our," as in: Our philosophy class. Please do not use "are" (a form of the verb to be) to indicate such possession.
Their/there: Another problem with the distinction between the possessive use here due to the sameness of sound. "Their" is the possessive, not "there." If you want to indicate possessive (as in something that is "theirs") do not use "there."
know/no: Another confusion based on similar sound. This one is not as common as some of those listed above but I have seen it and it is a glaring error!
Many may think this harsh since this is not an English class. However, grammar and spelling count for something outside of English class as well (this is why they are taught in English class!).
What you say in your assignments and discussion board posts is important. But, it is also important to be aware of how you say what you say. Be sure to read the essay posted under More Resources titled The Importance of Grammar and Spelling. And, please proofread your documents before you submit them!
ATTENTION: Do not respond to a post with grammatical or spelling errors (unless it is to encourage the person to proofread!). If I delete the post all responses to the post will also be deleted and you will not earn credit for them.
Also, please remember that the point of the discussion boards in the class is to foster active dialogue. This cannot be done if you make all your posts on one day and never return to see what responses your comments generated or respond to them. Also, waiting until the last day to make all of your posts is not a way of fostering active dialogue. Who has a chance to respond to these last minute posts? If you are only motivated by doing the minimum required to earn points you will not gain as much out of the discussion boards and you will not earn full credit for the discussion board. Doing the least amount of work possible is not a strategy for success in this class or in other pursuits.
You can meaningfully contribute to the discussions in this class by:
Graded discussion boards CANNOT be made up. It is your responsibility to login regularly and make substantive contributions.
DO NOT procrastinate and make your posts at the last minute. The purpose of the discussion boards is to promote discussion. If you post at the last minute, with the obvious intention of doing the bare minimum to satisfy a requirement, I will not consider your posts to be of the same value as those which are posted in a timely manner and which promote genuine dialogue about philosophy. Discussion posts made at the last minute (i.e. on the last day the board is available) WILL be penalized and not receive full credit.
1. It is important that you use a good anti-virus program. A virus may not only crash your system, but could spread to others as well.
2. Complete all assigned readings before you participate in on-line discussions.
3. Respect each other's ideas, feelings and experience. While honesty and directness are encouraged, at the same time comments should be courteous and considerate.
4. All discourse will be civil. Under no circumstances will racial, ethnic or sexual slurs be tolerated. Everyone should feel welcome and good about participating in on-line discussions.
5. Make every effort to be clear in your communication. On-line communication lacks the nonverbal cues we often use for interpretation of language. I would suggest that you read your message at least twice (once aloud) before sending. This also includes checking for correct grammar and spelling. Posts with excessive grammatical and spelling errors WILL BE REMOVED!
6. When you post messages and replies, please do not use all capital letters. This makes the message not only hard to read, but it also MAKES IT APPEAR AS IF YOU ARE SHOUTING!
7. Break up large blocks of text into paragraphs and space between paragraphs. In order to reduce the risk of losing longer messages, you may want to type your message in WORD and then cut and paste it into the Discussion Board. This will also prevent you from inadvertently sending a message before it is completed.
8. Please create an original title for your message so it is easily distinguishable from those of other students. When responding to a message from a classmate, please add the words "Reply to" in the subject line.
9. Remember that your on-line discussions are a portion of your grade. Please review and edit accordingly. Your grade for the Discussion Board will ultimately be determined by the following criteria:
Relevance to the questions posed
Demonstration of an understanding of the topics under discussion
Clarity of expression
Frequency & timeliness of responses
Substantive contributions
This allows you to spell check your posts before submitting. However, spell check may not catch grammatical errors which you need to address. If your post contains such errors I will reply to your post and underline your errors. You need to correct these (for reasons I state in the Importance of Proofreading Post). This is a college level class and I require college level discourse which includes proper English spelling and grammar. If your posts continue to contain errors that remain uncorrected I will remove them and you will not earn credit for your posts.
Here are some very common mistakes that occur as grammatical or spelling errors:
to/too: Many seem to be confusing these two words. If you want to say that something is "too" big, "too" difficult, etc. use "too." Please do not use "to" for this purpose! It is incorrect!
Would of: This is one of the worst offenses I see in submissions. The correct expression is "would've" which is the contraction of "would have." "Would of" though it sounds correct is not correct and is simply nonsense. Please do not use this or related expressions such as: could of, should of, etc.
are/our: Again a problem here with how these sound. If you want to indicate possession use "our," as in: Our philosophy class. Please do not use "are" (a form of the verb to be) to indicate such possession.
Their/there: Another problem with the distinction between the possessive use here due to the sameness of sound. "Their" is the possessive, not "there." If you want to indicate possessive (as in something that is "theirs") do not use "there."
know/no: Another confusion based on similar sound. This one is not as common as some of those listed above but I have seen it and it is a glaring error!
Many may think this harsh since this is not an English class. However, grammar and spelling count for something outside of English class as well (this is why they are taught in English class!).
What you say in your assignments and discussion board posts is important. But, it is also important to be aware of how you say what you say. Be sure to read the essay posted under More Resources titled The Importance of Grammar and Spelling. And, please proofread your documents before you submit them!
ATTENTION: Do not respond to a post with grammatical or spelling errors (unless it is to encourage the person to proofread!). If I delete the post all responses to the post will also be deleted and you will not earn credit for them.
Also, please remember that the point of the discussion boards in the class is to foster active dialogue. This cannot be done if you make all your posts on one day and never return to see what responses your comments generated or respond to them. Also, waiting until the last day to make all of your posts is not a way of fostering active dialogue. Who has a chance to respond to these last minute posts? If you are only motivated by doing the minimum required to earn points you will not gain as much out of the discussion boards and you will not earn full credit for the discussion board. Doing the least amount of work possible is not a strategy for success in this class or in other pursuits.
You can meaningfully contribute to the discussions in this class by:
- taking a position
- making a relevant comment based on others' responses
- supporting a position with evidence
- presenting factual information
- drawing other people into the discussion
- helping to move the discussion along
- recognizing contradictions in other people's arguments
- recognizing others' irrelevant comments
- making an analogy
- asking clarifying questions
Graded discussion boards CANNOT be made up. It is your responsibility to login regularly and make substantive contributions.
DO NOT procrastinate and make your posts at the last minute. The purpose of the discussion boards is to promote discussion. If you post at the last minute, with the obvious intention of doing the bare minimum to satisfy a requirement, I will not consider your posts to be of the same value as those which are posted in a timely manner and which promote genuine dialogue about philosophy. Discussion posts made at the last minute (i.e. on the last day the board is available) WILL be penalized and not receive full credit.
1. It is important that you use a good anti-virus program. A virus may not only crash your system, but could spread to others as well.
2. Complete all assigned readings before you participate in on-line discussions.
3. Respect each other's ideas, feelings and experience. While honesty and directness are encouraged, at the same time comments should be courteous and considerate.
4. All discourse will be civil. Under no circumstances will racial, ethnic or sexual slurs be tolerated. Everyone should feel welcome and good about participating in on-line discussions.
5. Make every effort to be clear in your communication. On-line communication lacks the nonverbal cues we often use for interpretation of language. I would suggest that you read your message at least twice (once aloud) before sending. This also includes checking for correct grammar and spelling. Posts with excessive grammatical and spelling errors WILL BE REMOVED!
6. When you post messages and replies, please do not use all capital letters. This makes the message not only hard to read, but it also MAKES IT APPEAR AS IF YOU ARE SHOUTING!
7. Break up large blocks of text into paragraphs and space between paragraphs. In order to reduce the risk of losing longer messages, you may want to type your message in WORD and then cut and paste it into the Discussion Board. This will also prevent you from inadvertently sending a message before it is completed.
8. Please create an original title for your message so it is easily distinguishable from those of other students. When responding to a message from a classmate, please add the words "Reply to" in the subject line.
9. Remember that your on-line discussions are a portion of your grade. Please review and edit accordingly. Your grade for the Discussion Board will ultimately be determined by the following criteria:
Relevance to the questions posed
Demonstration of an understanding of the topics under discussion
Clarity of expression
Frequency & timeliness of responses
Substantive contributions