Participation in a discussion involves two distinct activities: an initial contribution and subsequent commentary. While the mentor for the course may provide specific information regarding the length of the initial contribution, as a general guide we suggest a discussion of no more and no less than one screen (we estimate 22 lines and approximately 8–10 words per line, or 200 words).

Involvement in the second discussion takes place after everyone has made an initial contribution and permits each student to comment freely on contributions of other students and the mentor.

Because the mentor will assign a grade for the discussion requirement of your course, quality of comment (both initial and subsequent) is critical. (You may wish to consider composing your comments in a separate file and then copying and pasting them—or even attaching the file—to the discussion.)

When participating in online discussions, please use upper- and lowercase letters when writing, as the use of all capital letters online customarily signifies SHOUTING.

QUICK JUMPS

Use the following links to go directly to the principal sections of the Handbook:

• Introduction
  
  
• Contacting Your Mentor
  
  
• Course Materials
  
  
• Doing the Work of the Course
  
  
• Preparing and Submitting Assignments
  
  
• Examinations
  
  
• Online Discussions
  
  
• Extensions
  
  
• Academic Integrity
  
  
• Academic Standards