Overview
Posting/Discussion Requirements: Important Please ReadPosting/Discussion Requirements: Important Please Read
Posting/Discussion Requirements: Important Please Read
Discussions
Active participation is a must in this course. Each week one or more key discussion questions, activities, debates, etc. will be posted. Generally, you will be required to respond to the main discussion and then also make comments on the responses of others in the course. Please note that the quantity of responses is not as important as the quality of the responses.
A running dialog about course topics will be maintained via the Moodle discussion forums. It is expected that you will fully participate in the online discussions. This means posting your own thoughts about the weekly topics and properly cited as appropriate, commenting on others’ ideas, and responding to questions about your own postings. Class participation points will be based more on quality than quantity. While it is relatively easy to post numerous, non-substantive comments, it takes more thought and effort to post intelligent, meaningful comments that move the discussion forward. For example, a meaningful post tends to:
- Provide concrete examples, perhaps from your own experience or cited from the reading
- Identify consequences or implications
- Challenge something that has been posted – perhaps by playing devil’s advocate in a professional way
- Pose a related question or issue
- Suggest a different perspective or interpretation
- Pull in related information from other sources with proper citations – books, articles, websites, courses, etc.
Consider your time commitment to our online discussions to be critical to your success as a learner, as well as to the success of the course. Because ongoing participation in discussion forums is expected, points will be assigned to each activity. Participation scores will be based on three primary criteria:
- Frequency and timeliness of postings;
- Content of your discussion forum postings (the thoughtfulness/reflection that goes into your responses and the extent to which they address the topic for the week, including the assigned readings); and
- Adherence to the online protocol (see rubric on the course website).
Discussions will run from Monday to Sunday, after which discussion postings will not count for grades. You are expected to participate throughout the week in the discussions. Do not clump them all together on one day (especially at the end of the week).
Discussion (24%)
For each Module, topics for discussion will be found in the discussion area of the course. An in-depth discussion is an essential part of online learning and is also an important factor in your grade as well.
A minimum of TWO (2) posts is required for each Module.
- One (1) Main post
- One (1) response to any of your classmates’ main posts.
Each post is required to be a significant post. Just agreeing or disagreeing with a student is not a post. Neither is asking a question.
One (1) Main Post: Your main post must be at least 450 words to be considered significant. The significant main post requires information from the text, academically reviewed papers, significant commentary that requires knowledge of the subject matter, and a web link to an article or other source to be accepted.
One (1) Response to your classmates’ main post: Your one (1) response must be at least 200 to be considered significant. Your comments must be in direct response to your classmate’s post. Simply agreeing or disagreeing with your classmates does not constitute a significant post. In addition to what your classmate said in his/her main post, you need to provide additional analytical insight to support or disagree with what was already said. Your comments must demonstrate a clear understanding of discussion concepts and sound reasoning.
Provide appropriate APA in-text citations and references.
You must participate in all discussion topics.
Point Distribution of Discussion Posts
- Main Post: 20 points
- One Response: 10 points
The instructor will determine if a post meets the criteria of a significant post.
Cutting and pasting an article is not a significant post.
Each module stands on its own. Thus, you cannot make up points from the previous week. Please make every effort to participate in all discussions
Week 5 Discussion ForumWrite an analytical summary of your learning outcomes from chapters 9 and 10. In addition to your analytical summary, address the following:
1. As a manager, discuss how you would use or have used the concepts presented in chapters 9 and 10.
2. Why might managers find a flexible-budget analysis more informative than static-budget analysis?
3. How might a manager gain insight into the causes of flexible-budget variances for direct materials, labor, and overhead? Provide at least one numerical example to support your thoughts.
Required:
1. Post your original discussion no later than Sunday, May 18. Read and respond to one (1) of your classmates’ posts. See the class syllabus for posting requirements.
2. Be sure to support your work with specific citations using APA format
3. Read a selection of your colleagues' postings using one or more of the following ways:
· Share an insight from reading your colleagues' postings, synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives.
· Offer and support an alternative perspective using readings from the class materials or from your own research.
· Validate an idea with your own experience and additional research.
· Make a suggestion based on additional evidence drawn from readings or after synthesizing multiple postings.
· Expand on your colleagues' postings by providing additional insights or contrasting perspectives based on readings and evidence.
· Return to this Discussion several times to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what you have learned and/or any insights you have gained as a result of the comments your colleagues made.
NOTE: PLEASE NOTE THAT I WILL SHARE AND ATTACH ALL THE LEARNING MATERIAL FROM CHAPTERS 9 AND 10, RESPECTIVELY, TO THE TUTOR THAT WORKS WITH ME ON THIS DISCUSSION FORUM.