Weekly Q&A Discussion Assignment

Weekly "Q&A" Assignment

GOALS:

Reading comprehension -- To deeply understand the information in each week's readings
Synthesis -- To synthesize information found in multiple sources
Critical thinking -- To see where you need clarification on concepts, and write good questions
Research -- To find reputable sources and research answers to questions
Contextualizing -- To put "book learning" about science into the context of society and daily life
Discussion -- To interact with your classmates about course concepts
Writing -- To practice writing clear, understandable prose with good grammar and spelling

This assignment is due each week.

To complete this assignment, you must first read and study all of the week's assigned readings -- the textbook chapters, my PowerPoints, plus any other readings due that week -- as listed on the week's Assignments & Lectures page. (This will help eliminate simple questions that are easily answered in the readings.)

Then, you will post your work to the specified locations, as relatively plain text in the Message Box of a discussion board post. (I won't be able to read fancy formatting or attachments; they don't "compile" well in Vista...Nor do attachments.)

Your grade will be based on completing the following activities and posting them correctly before the deadline. I'll be looking for substantive content in your writings, and a clear, professional style. Yes, spelling and grammar count!

Unless otherwise noted (for example, during Week 1), Part A is due each Tuesday. The related Part B is due the Saturday of the same week. (For example, for the Week 3 material, you will post your Part A by the Tuesday of Week 3, and your Part B by the Saturday of Week 3.)

Part A:

After reading all of the assigned material, post the following information in ONE COMBINED POST to the Discussion Board called "Week [#] Q&A Assignment". The subject line should be brief and should clearly state: (a) PART A and (b) YOUR NAME (to uniquely identify you).

(1) Summary & Analysis

Write the equivalent of at least 1 full page (typed, single-spaced, 8.5x11 equivalent; at least 600 words) -- probably more! -- summarizing the information in all of the week's readings. This should be a coherent, comprehensive synthesis of information from all the sources (textbook, PowerPoints, etc), in essay format.

As part of this, tell us briefly (in about 1 paragraph) what you found most interesting in the week's readings, and also how the week's readings were relevant to you.

(2) Four Questions

In the same post, write at least 4 substantive ("meaty") questions you have, based on the week's readings. Your questions must be from all of the assigned sources (that is, not just from the textbook or just from the PowerPoints or just from any additional readings).

These questions may concern specific facts or concepts, they may be questions about how multiple concepts relate to each other, and/or (occasionally) they may be related to cultural/ethical/social/political questions that arise from the reading. We will use these questions to generate discussion in Part B.

They should be real questions that occurred to you, which are potentially answerable by some research by one of your classmates in Part B. (That is, they should NOT be along the lines of "How can people think that it's okay to ____?"

Start each question with a question number. Each question needs to be in a separate paragraph (separated by line breaks).

Remember, the answers to your questions must NOT be directly found in the week's readings; instead they should add further insight into the topic. However, if you are "stuck" on a particular concept, you may post a question about it, by saying (for example), "This is my understanding of the Coriolis Effect: [a few sentences of summary]. What is unclear to me is: [pose question]." -- In Part B, your classmate would then try to clarify and expand on the concept, after additional research from other sources. Alternatively, you are welcome to post individual questions about direct textbook concepts to the other discussion boards, so you can get an answer before the week's quiz/exam and lab are due.

Don't make us wonder where your summary & analysis ends and your questions begin. Separate them with line breaks. Remember to make a numbered list of your questions.

Part B:

Read the summary and questions posted by your classmates and then select ONE classmate's post to respond to. Post the following information in ONE COMBINED POST to the "Week [#] Q&A Assignment" Discussion Board. The subject line should be brief and should clearly state: (a) PART B and (b) YOUR NAME (to uniquely identify you) and (c) THE QUESTION TOPIC (see below). Reply directly to your classmate's original post (thereby creating a threaded discussion).

(1) Answer One Question

Read your classmate's questions, and provide a researched answer to one of the 4+ questions posed in his or her Part A. Most of these will be factual questions, and some may require also providing your educated opinion. In any case, I expect you to do in-depth research before replying, and cite your sources!

Your answer should be substantial* and cannot answer a question someone else has already addressed. (You may, however, supply clarification if you disagree with someone else's answer.) You also cannot answer your own question. Do yourself a favor and pick a substantive question to answer, or greatly expand on a "minimalist" question.

Provide your answer by replying directly to the posted questions (thereby creating a threaded discussion). Change the subject line by including (adding) the TOPIC OF THE QUESTION you're answering (for example, "RE: Beth Crockett's Part A - Will California fall into the Pacific?"). This can be slightly abbreviated so it fits in the subject line, if you wish.

In the text box of your post, start your answer with the original question number and the original question itself (for example, "Question #3: I've read that California might fall into the Pacific Ocean. Is this true?") These do not count toward the minimum answer length.

Cite all of your research sources! Be sure that your sources seem to be reputable. Use 3 or more GOOD** sources per answer (each URL must be complete and must start with http://).

* By "substantial", I mean that your question's answer should be at least 1/2 page (typed, single-spaced, 8.5x11 equivalent; at least 300 words), not including the question nor the required references list -- Probably longer!

** By "good sources", I mean reputable sources that are NOT wikis, encyclopedias, dictionaries, facts-on-file, our textbook/PPTs, etc. You can use such sources as starting points for your research, but they are not sufficient for "actual sources" and thus will not count toward your 3+ "good sources". Therefore, if you use them, you will end up with a references list that contains more than 3 sources. Also be careful about ".com" websites; check them out to see whether or not they are reliable/credible/"GOOD". Actually, that also holds true for ".org" and ".edu" sites (for example, a high school student's webpage would not be as credible as a college professor's).

(2) Discuss Summary & Analysis

You are welcome to also (in the same Part B post) comment on the same classmate's summary & analysis. This is optional, but highly encouraged! So long as the discussion remains polite and professional, feel free to keep discussing back and forth for as long as you wish.

You are welcome to eventually pipe in on any classmate's Part A post, once someone has officially posted an official Part B reply to it.

I hope to see lots of good discussion generated by these Q&A's. Interacting multiple times with the readings -- and with your classmates -- increases your chances to learn the material fully, find relevance in it, see other people's perspectives, and feel part of a group endeavor! :-)

Reserve the post you wish to use for Part B. -- To ensure that there is no duplication of responses in Part B, and that each student gets one of their questions answered, please "RESERVE" THE ENTIRE POST you want to respond to as soon as you select it. (To reserve a Part A post: Reply-threaded to the post, changing the subject line to include "Post RESERVED by [your name]".) This also helps ensure that you don't get "scooped". "First come, first served"! As a courtesy, if you see that someone else has selected a classmate's post that you've already officially reserved, please tell them (nicely), so they can choose another post.
If you didn't do Part A, can you do Part B? -- A qualified yes. There can be only one Part B response per Part A post, so if you didn't do Part A of this assignment, you'll need to post it (late) if you would like to do Part B. Post at least the 4 questions (preferably also the summary synthesis) by Sunday night. Then you may reserve a classmate's Part A and do Part B for credit.
Um, where did it go? -- Always check that each post went where you intended it to go (to the right Discussion Board, and that you threaded it to the right classmate's original post). Re-post correctly if necessary.
Wow, that's interesting! -- Examine the comments posted by your classmates. Some of the discussions generated may provide good ideas for quiz questions.