Discussion Blogs

Create a Blog Post Link

You are required to participate in blogs on selected topics each week. Posting to the blog is an extension of the learning community where students can share ideas and learn from one another. Your contributions to the blog will be graded based on the criteria in the Blog Evaluation Rubric.

Weekly Topic's Posts:
Your weekly blogs should be posted no later than Sunday at 11:59 pm of each week. It's important that you do not repeat what others have already said. As stated in the rubric, your post should reflect your own ideas that contribute meaningful thought to the discussion. You will want to remember that the expectations are academic, therefore I expect careful attention to grammar, punctuation, spelling, and word choice.

Posts Guidelines:

  • Posts Length: no less than 500 no more than 1000 words. Your goal what should be approximately three to four paragraphs of thoughtfully prepared information based on assignments for each week.

  • Images & Videos: You should have 3 images/videos embedded in your post. They should show your visual understanding of the content.

  • Sources & Links: You should have at least 5 sources/link references related to the topic. These can be link to websites, artists or scientists profiles, labs, media etc. You should use the resources available in the topic content.

  • Citation: Every time you add text, images, video to your post you need to write  the title and where it came from. Post the citations at the end of your post in a MLA format. Use the Most Recent Edition of the MLA Style Manual.

Response to Classmates: You are expected to post at least one response to a classmate by Monday midnight. Your responses will need to show an understanding of your classmate's ideas, and may include questions for clarification or for further discussion.

Closing Dates and Late Submissions:

  • Your weekly blog should be posted no later than by Sunday at 11:59 pm of each week.

  • Responses to your classmates should be posted no later than Monday midnight.

  • Late submissions will be accepted with a valid excuse and have to be submitted no later than one week late.

Helpful Tip: Prepare your message in your word processing program first, and then paste it into the message box. Content/learning management systems can be very temperamental and this will avoid the frustration of losing your work.

Blogging Guidelines:

  • Review in detail the Blog and Writing Rubrics to understand your responsibilities for weekly contributions.

  • Posts should be written in your own words; do not paraphrase from websites, textbooks, lectures, or other outside resource.

  • While you are not being asked to write a formal essay, you are expected to develop a thoughtful and clear thesis as well as a comprehensive analysis based on the week's assignment and resources.

  • Posts should reflect Independent research to enhance your thesis as well as to present new examples of work (artwork or/and science research projects) in the field.

Instructor Feedback: Faculty will monitor blogs to ensure that students are grasping course content, and to provide guidance.

Grading: Your blogs will be evaluated based on your understanding and insights of weekly topics, level of participation, quality of contributions, and the criteria found in the Blog Evaluation Rubric next.