Just Tuesday??? Isn't it Friday yet?

Good morning all! I hope none of you are feeling as rough as I am this morning--my usual start-of-the-semester head cold is killing me!

Please take a few minutes and really read today's announcements because they directly pertain to all of you!

1. Inadequate Response? Who me? Ok, I sent many of you emails last night informing you that you lost points due to one or more inadequate responses to your peers' posts. What does this mean? It does not mean that I took points off for length--if I did that, I would have said that (and for some of you, I did). ALTHOUGH MANY OF YOU DID NOT GET EMAILS OR POINTS DEDUCTED, THIS STILL PERTAINS TO YOU: I really had to scrounge to find "substantive" material in some of your responses!

By inadequate I mean that you did not add something new to the conversation: "It is not enough to say simply "nice job", "I liked that", "I feel the same", "I disagree" etc. The goal is to thoughtfully add something else interesting and new related to the content of the original post."

Can you think of a stimulating question to ask your classmate about the article that (s)he read? Can you suggest some other application of the research in the article? Or can you hypothesize a mechanism behind the science in the article? Do you have a personal experience that relates to the post? These are all things you should be considering and responding to in your posts (although, many of your peers also appreciate a pat on the back or a reminder about their assignment IN ADDITION to substantive comments).

Below I have included an example of a quality discussion board response and an inadequate one.

• Here's an example of a great reply: "Hi John, This was an interesting read. It always scares the crap out of me when I hear stories that relate to me very directly as this one does. I drank quite a bit in when I was younger, so as soon as I hear a claim like this one I am emotionally involved with what I am hearing, often to a point of momentary irrationality. Your guest mentioned that the great thing about science is that findings can be further scrutinized and are not absolute. I would offer that the fact they are not absolute gives a level of optimism to people who are the object of studies like these, and I think keeping that in mind is crucial for individual peace of mind. [Good job, Evan]
• Here's an example of an inadequate reply: "Great job. I really like that show and I think your characters were realistic. Your story was hilarious too and I could totally see that as an episode of your show." [I just made this one up based on some of the replies I saw during week 2.]

2. Which brings me to my second point.....William Bigbie goes by Evan and I'm pretty sure he's sick of reminding people. Please pay attention to the "I like to be called....." forum before you respond.

3. Grading: I spent several hours last night reading your Freelance Writer posts, and I must say, they were great! You can find your grades and my comments in the gradebook in D2L. As a general comment, next time I'd like to see all of you incorporate more details from your news article into your post.

4. What's due tonight? Starting Assumptions and 2 substantive responses to your peers. I'll be keeping an eye out on those responses!

That's it for now! Please let me know if you have questions or concerns about anything!

Heather