1. Select a topic to research from one of the chapters in the textbook. Read all existing posts in this discussion forum first, and make sure that no other student has already selected the topic you want to research. (The sooner you select your topic and post it to the Part 1 discussion, the better your chances of getting the topic you want to research.)
2. Click on the Create Thread link and post your topic in this discussion forum. You will be the discussion leader for this thread.
3. Read and respond to the initial post of the students whose topics you find most interesting. Take an active role in helping at least 3 students develop their topics.
4. This discussion forum will be graded using the same grading scale as the chapter forums.

As a discussion leader, your role is to develop the organization for your research paper and to explore sources for content. You need to work on these issues with the other students who will assist you. It is required that you use the information you get in this discussion, and cite the students who assist you, in your final paper.

As an active participant, your role is to assist the leader in organizing her/his topic, clarifying the salient issues, and locating appropriate and sufficient information to write the final paper. Expect to be cited as a resource in each of the papers you help to develop.

Remember that when you write your paper (Part 2 of this assignment) you must quote and cite a minimum of 3 students in your paper. These quotes should come from this discussion forum and other relevant discussion forums in this course.

Part 1 begins when the course starts, and ends when the Module 2 chapter discussions end.

Part 2 – Write a research paper using APA style.  Specific instructions follow…

Write and submit your paper. You may submit your paper to the turnitin dropbox as many times as necessary until the due date. However, be aware that your first submission is analyzed quickly, but repeat submissions can take up to 24 hours to be analyzed. Your final submission to the turnitin dropbox is the one you must copy/paste to submit to the Part 3 Discussion Forum for class discussion. Part 2 starts when the module 3 chapter discussions start and ends when the module 4 chapter discussions end.

Write your research papers using the style manual of the American Psychological Association.  You can find many helpful resources on the Internet, but here is one to start with:  http://http://owl.excelsior.edu/research-and-citations/documenting/apa-style/.

I will evaluate your paper using the grading rubric below.

1. Submit your paper within the Module 4 submission window.

2. The minimum acceptable length of your paper is 2500 original words. The number of original words is determined from your SafeAssign Originality Report as follows:

total word count – similarity % = original words (Remember to also deduct the quoted text from other students.)

3. The content of your paper will be evaluated using three criteria:

Have you addressed the significant issues?

Have you added significant teaching value to the course?

Have you included and discussed contributions from other students? (See #5 below)

4. Include a Works Cited page:

Use the textbook as one of your resources and specifically reference the pages used in your paper.

Use a minimum of 5 websites as resources and include a working link to each website in your paper.

List the students whose contributions you used – including a citation of the discussion forum where the comment appeared.

5. Use and cite a minimum of 3 specific student comments from the Part 1 discussion forum and/or other class discussions in the course.

Part 3 – Discussion of all presentations:

Submit your paper or presentation to the Part 3 Discussion forum as a New Thread. Read and discuss the papers/presentations you find most interesting and valuable. You are expected to provide constructive criticism and insightful teaching presence for the papers/presentations you select, and respond to most of the students who comment on your paper. You need to logon and be an active participant in the Part 3 discussions often throughout Modules 4 and 5.

Part 3 starts when module 4 starts, and ends when the module 5 discussions end.  This discussion forum will be graded using the same grading scale as the chapter forums.

Part 2 – Project Grading Rubric