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How to Access and Write Discussion Board Postings
An Overview of Discussion Boards
Table of Contents
An Overview of Discussion Boards
General Discussion Board Guidelines
How to Access the Discussion Board
How to Write and Cite a Discussion
Board
Scenario: Discussion Board Prompt
Sample: Discussion Board Response
Move beyond the Obvious or Vague
References
The discussion board is a very important component of any
online learning environment. The discussion board is a place
where students and instructors interact on a regular basis
and pertinent course concepts are discussed. Typically, in a
Kaplan University course, there is a discussion board activity
in each unit. The discussion board activity will address a
course concept that is relevant to the current unit’s
objectives.
Below is a screenshot of a Unit 1 discussion board in a
course at Kaplan University. The heading in this discussion
board activity is “Introduce Yourself,” and the questions
under the heading indicate what should be included in the initial discussion post. As you will see below,
under the heading, there are two questions. For this discussion board posting, you would answer
Questions 1 and 2 in an initial post. The initial post can be completed by clicking on “respond” and then
typing out your response.
KUWC Resource Library  Discussion Boards by Christine Cerra Gautreaux and Michaella Hammond  May 2011  Page 1
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How to Access and Write Discussion Board Postings
General Discussion Board Guidelines
1. Each week in the discussion board (DB), you will be asked to respond to a question or
questions and interact with your peers. Be sure to include answers to all of the
questions in the DB in your initial response. Please respond to the following questions in
at least 1-2 well thought out paragraphs of 5-7 sentences each.
2. For each question, you must respond to a minimum of two peers. For additional
information on discussion requirements, please see the discussion rubric in the syllabus.
Because professional presentation of writing is critical to your success, please compose
all discussion posts and responses to peers in Microsoft™ Word even if you are asked
to cut/copy and paste rather than attach.
3. At a minimum, you must run grammar and spelling check before submitting all work.
You should also proof carefully for typos and other noticeable mistakes. Please see the
KU Writing Center Resources on Spellcheckers and Proofreading for more tips on
reviewing your discussion board posting before submitting.
4. You also must employ a formal, professional writing style. Do not use chat lingo. For
example, do not use "i" for "I,” capitalize the first letter of each sentence, and do not
use abbreviations like IMHO, TY, etc. For more information, see the Writing Center
Resource on Formal vs. Informal Writing.
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How to Access and Write Discussion Board Postings
How to Access the Discussion Board
1. To access the discussion board, you will need to log onto your Kaplan University course.
Once you have accessed the course, you will click on the current unit to expand the
contents of the unit. Then, click on Discussion to see the discussion topic for the week.
2. Click on the current unit to expand the contents of the unit.
KUWC Resource Library  Discussion Boards by Christine Cerra Gautreaux and Michaella Hammond  May 2011  Page 3
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How to Access and Write Discussion Board Postings
3. Click on Discussion under the current unit to see the requirements for the week’s
discussion board.
KUWC Resource Library  Discussion Boards by Christine Cerra Gautreaux and Michaella Hammond  May 2011  Page 4
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How to Access and Write Discussion Board Postings
4. To type a response to the question, click on Respond.
KUWC Resource Library  Discussion Boards by Christine Cerra Gautreaux and Michaella Hammond  May 2011  Page 5
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How to Access and Write Discussion Board Postings
5. Place your cursor in the text box and begin typing. Please be sure to edit and proofread
each response very carefully. Also remember to always use spell check by clicking on
Check Spelling.
KUWC Resource Library  Discussion Boards by Christine Cerra Gautreaux and Michaella Hammond  May 2011  Page 6
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How to Access and Write Discussion Board Postings
6. To respond to a classmate, click on their discussion post, and then click on Respond. You
will see a blank text box appear, and you can type your response to a classmate in that
textbox. As always, please be sure to edit, proofread and run spell check before you post
every response.
KUWC Resource Library  Discussion Boards by Christine Cerra Gautreaux and Michaella Hammond  May 2011  Page 7
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How to Access and Write Discussion Board Postings
Now that you have become familiar with discussion boards, you can review these guidelines
and implement the ideas into your postings.
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Post early and often! Each unit typically ends on Tuesday (check with your professor
and course syllabus to be certain), so it is wise to post well before the unit ends. It is
difficult to have a meaningful discussion if a response is posted the day of or the day
before the unit ends.
Carefully read the question before posting.
Ask clarifying questions if you do not understand.
Contribute to the discussion by staying on topic and posting pertinent comments and
questions.
Use spell check before posting.
Always strive to be respectful, courteous, and thoughtful in each post.
Read every reply to your posts.
How to Write and Cite a Discussion Board
The second part of this tutorial highlights an example of a formal discussion board response
from a fictitious graduate student named Jack Richfield. Jack’s audience for this discussion
board post includes his business professor and fellow MBA classmates.
Keep in mind that most discussion board posts written for academic, or formal, audiences are
evaluated on the following criteria:
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Focus on the question or topic at hand
Organization of ideas and thoughts
Critical thinking evident in responses
Correlations of contributions to assigned readings
Use of outside sources and influences
Thoughtfulness in discussion board interactions
Listening and responding to others
Grammar and mechanics
Timeliness of post per class policy (“Sample #1,” n.d.)
KUWC Resource Library  Discussion Boards by Christine Cerra Gautreaux and Michaella Hammond  May 2011  Page 8
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How to Access and Write Discussion Board Postings
Scenario: Discussion Board Prompt
How does economic globalization affect the role of American business in the 21st Century?
Please answer this question by referring to the class readings and discussions, outside sources,
and by writing a 500-word response. Use APA style for in-text citations and by including a
references section. Lastly, please respond to at least two (2) other classmates’ postings by the
specified deadline.
Sample discussion board response with APA in-text citations and references:
Without a doubt, economic globalization has consistently influenced the way Americans
do business, both in the past, present, and in the future. In fact, economic globalization
serves as the bedrock of the American economy and history. The American fur trade in
the 18th Century – beaver pelts, sea otter and buffalo hides – opened up the western
expansion of the United States and trade with Europe and Asia (“America’s Frontier Fur
Rush,” 2010).
In contemporary times, the expansion of world trade has produced many
benefits to the American economy (among others) beyond beaver pelts; according to
the International Monetary Fund website, “…as countries ‘globalize’ their citizens
benefit, in the form of access to a wider variety of goods and services, lower prices,
more and better-paying jobs, improved health, and higher overall living standards”
(“Globalization: A Brief Overview,” 2008). However, with all of these benefits, we have
seen in this past year (2010), how inextricably linked global economies are and how that
interdependence can create far-reaching financial crises in Ireland and Greece (not to
mention potential bailouts of Spain and Portugal) and the implementation of austerity
measures in the United Kingdom and throughout Europe.
Currently, the global economy’s hard times, according to Eichengreen, Mody,
Nedeljkovic, and Sarno, can be directly attributed to the subprime mortgage crisis that
occurred in the United States in the summer of 2007 (2009). The devastating impact of
the United States’ banking crisis was triggered “after Lehman’s failure, *so+ the prospect
of *a+ global recession became imminent, auguring the further deterioration of banks’
loan portfolios. At this point the entire global financial system had become infected”
(Eichengreen et al., 2009, p. 1). Since America has, for the most part, moved beyond
isolationist trading practices (tariffs, we have learned firsthand how co-dependent our
economic actions are on other nations, and vice versa.
Take, for example, China’s devaluation of the yuan during the global economic
crisis. U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke “chastised China for propping up
its currency” at a conference of central bankers in Frankfurt, Germany in November
2010 (“Ben Bernanke,” 2010). What other nations do directly affects the United States
as
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How to Access and Write Discussion Board Postings
well; the devaluation of the yuan, according to President Barack Obama and his
administration, “hurts American companies and workers amid high unemployment
rates” (“U.S. house votes,” 2010).
Thankfully, there are glimmers of hope in the global economy, which means that
the United States and other trading partners and nations may slowly but surely rebound
from this economic quagmire in 2011. In Time magazine, reporter Fareed Zakaria
reminds his readers that the United States’ economy remains the world’s biggest at $15
trillion, which is still three times as large as China’s, and is expected to grow by 2 to 3
percent in 2011 (2010). Zakaria also writes that Europe and the euro will survive, but not
before the European Union member nations pitch in and help struggling economies. So,
while economic globalization may sometimes have distinct disadvantages as seen by the
still turbulent international economy, perhaps the United States should remember the
rallying call of Alexandre Dumas’ Three Musketeers – “One for all, all for one.” At this
point in the game, the United States’ economy needs its trading partners and consumer
nations as much as they need us.
References
Ashbrook, T. (Host). (2010, July 19). America’s frontier fur rush. On point with Tom Ashbrook, WBUR
Boston [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from http://www.onpointradio.org/2010/07/frontier-fur
“Ben Bernanke.” (2010, November 19). The New York Times. Retrieved from
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/b/ben_s_bernanke/index.html
Eichengreen, B., Mody, A., Nedeljkovic, M., and Sarno, L. (2009, August). How the subprime crisis went
global: Evidence from bank credit default swap spreads. NBER Working Paper No. 14904.
Retrieved from
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.172.9571&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Globalization: A brief overview. (2008, May). International Monetary Fund. Retrieved from
http://www.imf.org/external/np/exr/ib/2008/053008.htm
Sample #1 grading discussion boards. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://frank.mtsu.edu/~webctsup/faculty/manual/WebCT_DiscussionBoardRubrics.pdf
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How to Access and Write Discussion Board Postings
“US house votes to force China prop up currency value.” (2010, September 20). IB Times FX: Global
Forex trading portal. Retrieved from http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/67206/20100930/us-billto-slap-tariffs-on-chinese-goods-china-currency-revalue-yuan-revalue.htm
Zakaria, F. (2010, December 28). Why 2011 will be a happier new year. Time. Retrieved from
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2039884,00.html
Tip: Move beyond the Obvious or Vague
After writing your discussion board response, please make sure you proofread your work
carefully before posting and then read and respond to your peers’ posts as well. Most
discussion board assignments specify how many other students you should respond to and how
to respond thoughtfully (for instance, moving beyond vague or useless phrases like, “Good
job!” or “I liked reading your post”). Effective discussion board responses include specific
reactions and/or polite disagreements to other students’ posts.
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