While your instructor will discuss key ideas and raise important issues, parts of this course will be guided by dialogue, discussion and inquiry. Think about this course as a guided conversation that begins on the first day we meet and ends on the last scheduled day of class. In order for this learning experience to be beneficial and worthwhile to everyone, it is imperative that you read the assigned material, contribute to the discussions, and participate in all class activities. Conversations and ideas develop best when everyone has read the assigned material, reflected on their relevance and meaning, and/or contributed to the class discussions and blogs. Participation should be thoughtful, meaningful, timely, and relevant. Participation should also provide active support to the learning community, by attempting to motivate contributions, acknowledging alternative viewpoints, and supporting others.

In responding to your colleagues, you should feel free to suggest that they explore appropriate websites or resources to expand the discussion to a deeper level. However, please do ensure to provide explanations on why such resources are relevant and interesting to the rest of the class and provide an accurate reference to the resource. For example, the response “In the document that I am attaching, Joe Scholar gives examples of cases where technology brings people closer together and argues that empathy matters more than technology” is a much better response than “Please see the attached document for a different perspective.”

In responding to others, strive to work towards a culture that is collaborative, respectful, encouraging, and supportive. You should be receptive to change and use conflict resolution techniques when required. Posts that show evidence of ongoing negative behavior, that impede the flow of discussion, and seem unaware of or uninterested in responding to others without being prompted degrade the learning experience and do not advance opportunities for everyone to learn from each other. Also, please consider how your contribution will advance and extend the discussion. For example, in your response, you can

• draw from the assigned readings, concepts and perspectives introduced in the course, and outside open and peer reviewed readings/resources (e.g., videos)
• pose constructive questions,
• reflect back to your own experiences,
• connect to a course reading/assignment,
• ask for clarification,
• build connections between your thoughts and other students’ perspectives, and/or
• offer alternative perspectives

When responding to your classmates, you are expected to respect others’ values, perspectives and experiences. Use good netiquette and care. And review the provided rubric.

Weight: 10%

In this course, the contribution and participation grade is instructor assessed based on evidence provided by your blogs and your comments on others blogs. Please see Contribution Rubric below for guidance.

Contribution to the Learning Community Rubric