Online Discussion Board Instructions

Online Discussion Board Instructions
Some characteristics considered to be part of excellent discussion contributions are outlined below.
These characteristics will be considered when assessing the quality and level of student participation.
• The best discussion posts demonstrate an understanding of the course material and present a
cohesive argument with evidence to back it up.
• Posts and responses should be thorough, thoughtful, and based on reading/research. Just
posting an “I agree” or “Good ideas” and summarizing what a peer has posted does not meet
the discussion board qualifications. Support statements with examples, professional
experiences, readings, and references. Although shorter and narrower in focus than a traditional
essay, discussion posts should be as coherent and scholarly in tone. Think of these posts as a
mini essay (but less formal in structure), in which you want to have a single central argument
and clear evidence to support that argument. Keep in mind that fellow learners will be reading
and responding to you, too.
• Posts should be a minimum of 150 words and not exceed 300 words. It is best to make the
posts just long enough to make a strong point.
• Posts are a great way to demonstrate you have read and thought critically about course
readings.
• Make certain that all posts and responses address the question, problem, or situation as
presented for discussion. This does not mean you should not extend the topic, but do not stray
from the topic.
• Discussions occur when there is dialogue; therefore, you need to build upon the posts and
responses of other learners to create discussion threads. Make sure to revisit the discussion
forum and respond (if necessary) to what other learners have posted to your initial responses.
• Remember to always relate direct references to concepts you are learning about and establish
those connections with evidence from academic sources.
• Add to the discussion by including prior knowledge, professional or work experiences,
references, web sites, resources, etc. (applying APA).
• Contributions to the discussions (posts and responses) should be complete and free of
grammatical or structural errors.
Online Discussion Netiquette
Distance conveys a degree of anonymity, and as a result, many people feel less inhibited in
online situations than in their everyday lives. This lessening of inhibitions sometimes leads
people to drop their normal standards of decorum when communicating online. Become familiar
with the following guidelines regarding both online discussions and email messages.
• Use appropriate language. Excessive use of “chat” or “instant messaging” jargon is not
acceptable for online discussions.
• Read existing follow-up postings and do not repeat what has already been said.
• Discussion forums are electronic. They break. If for any reason you experience any
difficulty participating, please email, or otherwise inform your course professor or the
BlackBoard Help Desk of the issue so that it can be corrected as soon as possible.
• Cite Your Sources. This is another big must! If your contribution to the conversation
includes the intellectual property (authored material) of others, e.g., textbooks,
newspapers, or journal articles—online or in print—give the proper credit (APA).
• Do not use emoticons or texting language. Social networking and text messaging have
spawned a body of linguistic shortcuts that are not part of the academic dialogue. Please
refrain from 🙂 faces and c u l8r’s.
• Remember this is an academic discussion forum and not social media. Opinions can be
true and valid, but opinions can also be completely invalid, false, and untrue. In other
words, a valid opinion is a valid one when the perspective, the point of view, the
personal beliefs, and/or personal feelings are based on facts and when the data and
information that this opinion is based on is accurate, true, and verifiable with evidence.
Apply your course knowledge to date to validate your opinion. This is evidence-based
nursing that promotes positive patient outcomes.
• Please respect diversity. Be sensitive to the ethnically rich and diverse, multi-cultural
community in which we are participating. Please avoid any language that is—or that
could be construed to be—offensive toward others. Racist, sexist, and heterosexist
comments are unacceptable, as are derogatory and/or sarcastic comments and jokes
directed at religious beliefs, disabilities, and age.
• Do not use all caps in an online environment. Using bold upper-case letters is bad form.
It is the equivalent of stomping around and yelling at somebody (NOT TO MENTION
BEING HARD ON THE EYE).
• Use proper spelling, capitalization, grammar, usage, and punctuation. Utilize the Spell
Check feature.
• Remember that there are other people reading your postings, so treat everyone
professionally and with respect. Do not post anything you would not be willing to
communicate face to face.
Online Discussion Board Rubric
Scale Discussion Board Criteria
10 • Response goes beyond simply answering the prompt
• Attempts to stimulate further thought and discussion
• Construction of new meaning and insights are evident
• Strong, direct connections are made to 2 or more readings and/or other
course materials (lectures, media, resources, etc.) and are clearly stated
• Discussion posts are well written and with correct grammar, punctuation,
usage, APA, and spelling
• Meets word count
• Posts 1 thoughtful or meaningful response or ideas to peers that generates
new ideas and group discussion.
• Extends meaningful discussion by building on previous posts that includes
current readings and/or other course materials
6 • Response provides most of the content required by the prompt but does not
require further analysis of the subject
• Viewpoint is supported with evidence and/or examples
• Some direct connections are made to 1 of the readings and/or other course
materials (lectures, media, resources, etc.) and are clearly stated for the
most part
• Discussion posts show average writing style that is largely free of
grammatical, spelling, APA, or punctuation errors
• The post meets or exceeds the required word count
• Posts a minimal or vague response to peers that does not motivate a
response (e.g., “I agree with you!”)
4 • Response provides obvious information without analysis of the concept
• Lacks depth of knowledge or reasoning
• Rehashes or summarizes ideas with limited analysis, original thought, and/or
supported viewpoints
• Minimal direct connections are made to 1 of the readings and/or other course
materials (lectures, media, resources, etc.)
• Connections are largely inferred and somewhat unclear at times
• Posts show an average and/or casual writing style that includes some
grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors that distract the reader
• The post meets or exceeds the required word count
• Does not post a response and/or does not reply to peers
2 • Response does not adequately address the prompt, rambling and/or are
irrelevant, off-topic, and/or confusing to follow
• Viewpoint, if given, is not supported with evidence or examples
• No connections are made to readings or other course materials (lectures,
media, resources, etc.), and/or if made, are not clearly stated and are largely
personal opinions
• Response contains numerous grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors
• The style of writing does not facilitate effective communication and does not
meet word count
• Does not post a response and/or does not reply to peers
0 • No responses provided to the prompt within the required timeframe
QUESTION FOR DISCUSSION BOARD
PART A:
Choose one of the articles that were discussed in the lecture, how does this
issue relate to nursing ethics? What is your professional stand on this political
issue in relation to ethics? Use evidence based practice and critical thinking to
explain you answer. Use at least 2 scholarly sources to back up your
professional stand as a nurse.150-300 words
Chosen Article: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebecatikamekw-joliette-1.5743449
PART B
Respond to this discussion board (agree or disagree, or provide comment)
50-150 words
This issue violated multiple nursing ethical values including client well-being, respect for life, privacy
and confidentiality, and maintaining commitments.
My professional stand on this political issue in relation to ethics is the patient should have been
assisted to the right hospital epartment and the staff should have major disciplinary actions.
This issue violated four ethical values a nurse should practice. First was the violation of the ethical
value client well-being.Nurses should be “facilitating he client’s health and welfare, and preventing
or removing harm” (CNO, 2019). Though the client was expressing his concerns and in evident pain,
he was ignored and not assisted by the hospital staff. He was judged and mistreated as the hospital
staff thought it was all in his head.
Second was the respect for life. Nurses should be aware that “human life is precious and needs to
be respected, protected, and treated with consideration” (Keyserlingk, 1979). The hospital showed
no respect or consideration for this man and his condition. They should have put themselves in his
shoes instead of assuming his pain and concerns were due to his mental issues. The hospital staff
had no empathy as they told him to leave the hospital and instead for digging deeper into what was
bothering him, they let him crawl out of the hospital in pain.
Third violated ethical value was the privacy and confidentiality. “Nurses need to provide care that
maintains the dignity and privacy of clients” (CNO, 2019). The hospital staff threw this patient’s
dignity out of the window as they made him crawl to the exit in twenty minutes with no assistance.
They embarassed this man because of their own assumptions.
Fourth violation made was against maintaining commitments. “Maintaining commitments means
keeping promises, being honest and meeting implicit or explicit obligations toward their clients”
(CNO, 2019). The hospital staff did not maintain any commitments or uphold their obligations to the
patient. They told him to leave in pain and in an embarassing manner. They did not advocate for this
man’s needs, and did not even make an effort to ensure his safety.
In conclusion, the hospital staff violated four important nursing ethical values to make sure they
provide proper care to patients. They should be disciplined accordingly and be reminded of not only
ethical values of nursing but ethical values as a human.