In
Online classes, attendance and participation are not the same
thing. You can meet the attendance requirements, but still not
meet the participation requirements of the course.
To
be in attendance
in an online class, you must post at least one
message on two different days during each week
(for a total of two messages per week), using your OLS email address,
to any of the class newsgroups. The Online week begins on Thursday
and ends on the following Wednesday.
If
you are out of attendance for two weeks (consecutively or not)
during an Online class, you will automatically be withdrawn from
the class and will not be eligible for a grade. Please note that
the posting of any message (regardless of content) will be counted
toward the attendance.
Participation
is 20% of your grade. You do not automatically earn the points
each week for participation by occasionally replying to notes.
Participation is very important online. You will be expected to
participate four days a week in several different
discussions and to contribute at least two substantive
discussion messages on each of those four days. Note that this
is a new (and reduced) requirement. But it is a required part
of your grade.
Participation
consists of notes you send above and beyond graded assignments.
This generally means the messages you send as replies to messages
from your classmates and me. Participation
will be counted only in the Main newsgroup. Messages posted in
the Assignments, Chat Room, or in the Learning Team newsgroups
will not count towards your class participation score.
Please
note that both quantity and quality are important considerations
when it comes to participation. A message which says simply, "I
agree," for example, would not constitute participation since
it does not add anything of substance to the discussion.
In
order to earn full participation points, you must add something
of substance to the discussion at least four out of seven
days per week. This would consist of new ideas, your
perspectives, pointed follow-up questions, etc. For this reason,
you will receive 2 pts per week if you meet the quantity requirement
of posting 2 posts on 4 days of the week, but the other 2 pts
are awarded at my discretion based on the quality of your posts.
Unlike
your formal written assignments, I do not require
that your discussion question responses adhere to specific formatting
requirements (APA). However, please make sure to proofread carefully.
Grammar and spelling errors may impact the grading.
I expect your discussion question responses to reflect critical
thought. Whenever possible, please try to relate the course content
to real-world applications from your work experience.
NOTE:
There is no participation requirement during the final week of
the class. This is a week for you to work on your final projects.
However, please note that you still need to meet attendance
requirements, so be sure to post at least one message
to a course newsgroup on two different days during the week. Posting
your assignments will satisfy attendance requirements. There will
also be a Questions thread in Week 6 for you to post questions
and responses.
To
earn a 100% participation grade, you must meet the following expectations:
You are expected to participate four days out of seven days per
week during Weeks 1 – 5.
Post one substantive message each of those four days.
You are expected to contribute to the class discussions in meaningful
ways. That means:
- Contributing
new and relevant information to the course discussion and from
readings of the textbooks
- Commenting
in a positive manner
- Building
on the remarks of your fellow students
- Posing
questions of your fellow students; and sharing quotes, web sites,
and other supplementary information
- Demonstrating
practical application of the week's key concepts from your professional/personal
experience
Your grade also will be determined by:
- the
quality of your responses
- the
timeliness of your response
- the
ability of your comments to motivate others in a collaborative
effort
The
following items do not count toward participation:
Written assignments, individual or group
Your
initial response to the discussion questions (however, comments
to classmates about their answers do count as participation)
Messages
in your small group meetings (these count toward small group project
grades, but not toward overall participation in the course)
Notes
sent to your instructor's personal mailbox
Academic
honesty is highly valued at the University of Phoenix. You must
always submit work that represents your original words or ideas.
If any words or ideas used in a class posting or assignment submission
do not represent your original words or ideas, you must cite all
relevant sources and make clear the extent to which such sources
were used. Words or ideas that require citation include, but are
not limited to, all hard copy or electronic publications, whether
copyrighted or not, and all verbal or visual communication when
the content of such communication clearly originates from an identifiable
source. Please see the University of Phoenix Catalog for more
information about academic honesty, including consequences of
academic dishonesty.
Privacy and
Confidentiality in the Online Classroom. One of the highlights
of the University of Phoenix academic experience is that students
can draw on the wealth of examples from their organizations in
class discussions and in their written work. However, it is imperative
that students not share information that is confidential, privileged,
or proprietary in nature. Students must be mindful of any contracts
they have agreed to with their companies.
