Introductory Discussion

This discussion has three purposes:

1. To introduce yourself.  In online classes, it’s easy to feel isolated.  This gives you a chance to “meet” other people from our class, at least in cyberspace!

2. To show that you’re attending our class.  Your post tells me that you’re actively engaged, and planning to participate in class. 

3. To navigate in our class, and practice submitting work.  For those new to online classes (or new to MGA), it can be stressful to locate class materials in the beginning.  If that’s you, relax!  It gets easier, and very quickly.  This discussion is a chance to find things, poke around in class, and discover how I organize materials before beginning the first graded assignment. 

BONUS:  This is one of the few opportunities in my class to earn extra credit – keep reading!

How to Submit

Your Introductory Discussion is submitted in Brightspace/D2L.  

From inside our class, click “Course Tools” at the top of the page, and choose “Discussions.” You’ll see a forum called “Getting Started.” Scroll down and click on the topic called “Introductory Discussion.” Next, click “Start a New Thread” for a screen to type your subject and message.  Type or paste your message into the thread and click “post” to submit.

Everyone in class can see your post, so be careful not to reveal anything you wish to keep private.  Also, if you write about another person, get his/her permission before revealing names or other identifying information.  Or you can refer to the person by initials (not name).  

Instructions

Part 1:  Original Post (worth up to 7 points of extra credit)

1. Write a paragraph about yourself.  Tell us at least three things about you – for example, your major, a reason for taking this class, something about your pet, your favorite food, your hobby, or the favorite place you’ve visited.  Include your preferred first name, if it’s different from what appears on the official class list. 

2. Next, pick three topics from our textbook that sound interesting.  Share your list, and tell why you chose at least one of the topics. 

Part 2:  Reply (worth up to 3 points of extra credit)

Respond to a classmate’s post.  Comment on at least one of the facts in that person’s post.  Try to find something in common with the person (as though you’re meeting a new acquaintance face-to-face).  For example, maybe you share the same major or like the same foods.  This includes the textbook topics that person chose.  So, your “thing in common” could be that you chose one of the same topics, for the same reason or a different reason.

Extra Credit - Grading Criteria

I don’t give much extra credit, so take advantage of this opportunity!  You can earn up to 10 points of extra credit on Lesson 1 for this discussion.  To get the points, meet these criteria:

1. Original post is 150 words minimum and it includes at least three facts about yourself.  Also, it includes three textbook topics with a reason for choosing at least one of them.

2. Reply is 100 words minimum and explains at least one thing you have in common with the person you’re answering.