DISCUSSION BOARD FORUM 1–4 INSTRUCTIONS
Each discussion board will consist of 3 parts. All 3 parts
must be completed by the due dates to earn credit. If only 1 or 2 parts are
completed, no credit will be earned for the Discussion Board Forum. Parts 1 and
2 are due the first module/week of the assigned forum, and Part 3 is due the
second module/week of the assigned forum.
Part 1 (no word count)
As you read the chapters assigned to each module/week, you
will find some concepts more interesting and applicable to your personal or
work situation than others. Review the key terms listed in the assigned
chapters; then, submit a preliminary thread indicating the key term that you
wish to reserve for your thread for that module/week.
Check the discussion board area prior to submitting your
reservation to ensure no one else has chosen that key term. In the event the
key term you wish to explore is already reserved by someone else, simply move
on to another key term in your readings. Duplicate key terms will not earn
credit under any circumstance—this includes work submitted in a previous
course. Do not ask the instructor to accept a duplicate key term, as this is
not fair to those who followed these explicit directions.
Include the exact key term you selected in your thread’s
subject line.
Submit Part 1 to the Discussion Board Forum by 11:59 p.m.
(ET) on Tuesday of the first of the assigned modules/weeks.
Part 2 (800 words minimum)
After you have successfully reserved the key term that
interests you the most, research a minimum of 5 recent scholarly articles that
relate to the concept on which you wish to focus your research. Articles must
be found in reputable professional and/or scholarly journals and/or
informational venues that deal with the content of the course (i.e., not blogs,
Wikipedia, newspapers, etc.).
It is highly recommended that you use Liberty University’s
Jerry Falwell Library online resources. A librarian is available to assist you
in all matters pertaining to conducting your research, including what
constitutes a scholarly article. For more details on what constitutes a
scholarly journal (and what does not), visit Jerry Falwell Library’s
“Scholarly Journals – What Are They?” page.
After reading the articles, select the 1 article that you
wish to discuss.
Your thread must be placed in the Discussion Board Forum
textbox and adhere precisely to the following headings and format:
1. Key Term
and Why You Are Interested in It (100 words minimum)
After reading the textbook, specifically state why you are
interested in conducting further research on this key term (e.g., academic
curiosity, application to a current issue related to employment, or any other
professional rationale). Include a substantive reason, not simply a phrase.
2. Explanation
of the Key Term (100 words minimum)
Provide a clear and concise overview of the essentials
relevant to understanding this key term.
3. Major
Article Summary (300 words minimum)
Using your own words, provide a clear and concise summary of
the article, including the major points and conclusions.
4. Discussion
In your own words, discuss each of the following points:
a. How the
cited work relates to your above explanation AND how it relates specifically to
the content of the assigned module/week. This part of your thread provides
evidence that you have extended your understanding of this key term beyond the
textbook readings. (150 words minimum)
b. How the
cited work relates to the other 4 works you researched. This part of your
thread provides evidence that you have refined your research key term to a
coherent and specialized aspect of the key term, rather than a random selection
of works on the key term. The idea here is to prove that you have focused your
research and that all works cited are related in some manner to each other
rather than simply a collection of the first 5 results from your Internet
search. (150 words minimum)
5. References
A minimum of 5 recent scholarly articles (not textbooks,
Wikipedia, or other popular reading magazines), in current APA format, must be
included and must contain persistent links so others may have instant access.
In the event that formatting is lost or corrupted when submitting the thread,
attach the Microsoft Word document to your thread as evidence that your work
was completed in the proper format. Access the following URL from the Jerry
Falwell Library for instructions on creating persistent links: How to Create a
Persistent Link.
Submit Part 2 to the Discussion Board Forum by 11:59 p.m.
(ET) on Saturday of the first of the assigned modules/weeks.
Part 3 (150 words minimum, per reply)
Additionally, you will reply to a minimum of 2 other
classmates’ threads. Thus, you will have 1 written response concerning a
classmate’s key term and substantive written responses to a minimum of 2 other
classmates’ threads. Exceeding the threshold requirement (minimum required 2
substantive postings) will result in a higher score, while posting the minimum
number of required substantive postings (2) will result in a minimal passing
score. This means that if you post 2 good substantive responses you can expect
a grade of “B-” and if you post 3 or more quality substantive responses you can
earn up to an “A.”
Submit Part 3 to the Discussion Board Forum by 11:59 p.m.
(ET) on Saturday of the second of the assigned modules/weeks.
