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TOPICS FOR THESE ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE DETERMINED AS THE COURSE PROGRESSES.

This task will involve a threaded discussion on a case or topic assigned to your group. [Scroll down to see your group assignment.] A threaded discussion is a computer registered discussion, which allows students to make contributions to the task assigned to the group. It is somewhat like a "chat room" except that the participants do not have to be on line at the same time. You can either make a comment which starts a new thread or you can reply to a previous comment that continues the thread. The purpose of a threaded discussion is to keep the issues discussed in the course material before the minds of the students and to develop new insights and skills of reflective analysis related to the issues discussed in class.

This task gives students an opportunity to exchange insights into a problem, which has been an object of study in a particular examination period. Instead of each student writing an independent essay about the problem, the students can state their opinions and insights and enter into dialogue with other students about the various facets of the problem. Each exam will have a different problem to be addressed by all students. The groups will change through a process of random selection for each exam. These threaded discussion will be worth a possible 30 points (10 points for each contribution) and those points will be added to the possible 60 points for the essays (30 points for each essay). The total exam will be worth a possible 90 points.

1. Students will will be automatically identified when they make their contribution to the discussion.
2. Comments for the threaded discussion attached to exams should be at least 2 healthy paragraphs and they should be substantive. "I agree with X." is not a helpful comment unless some explanation of the reason for the agreement is given.
3. Students will contribute only to the group to which they are assigned. See below for group assignments.
4. Please note that the discussions are time-limited; this means that you may contribute to the discussion only during the time period designated for the discussion.
5. Students will be expected to make three comments to each threaded discussion. Each contribution is worth 10 points with a total of 30 points for each threaded discussion. Do try to make at least one comment early in the discussion period so that others will have something to which to respond.
6. Remember that even though this assignment is password protected, hackers are always a possibility and they might be able to what you say. This includes someone from Bangladesh, or the Vatican, or your parents, or your physician, or your boss, or your sixth grade teacher. Speak honestly but not offensively.
7. Contributions will be judged on the quality of the comments and the way they help to move the discussion forward.
8. In working with your cases or assignments, you will want to incorporate the topics, which we are discussing in the class periods into the discussion of the case or assignment on an on-going basis.
9. Remember that this is supposed to be a discussion. This means that there should be some interaction among the participants. Do not just sit in front of you computer and make 3 comments in a row --- this does not constitute participation in a discussion.
10. Be challenging to everyone in the group --- as well as to me!

Let me know immediately if you have any problems making contributions to the threaded discussions.

YOUR USERNAME AND PASSWORD ARE THE SAME USERNAME AND PASSWORD YOU USE TO CHECK YOUR LOTUS NOTES MAIL THROUGH THE INTERNET. IF YOU NEED HELP IN REMEMBERING THEM OR HAVE OTHER DIFFICULTIES WITH QUICKPLACE, CALL THE HELP DESK AT 229-3888

DIRECTIONS:
1. Go to
<http://quickplace.udayton.edu/QuickPlace/mba652_ulrich/Main.nsf>
2. Click on your "Case Discussion -
Team and number."
3. Click on your "Case Discussion -
Team and number."
4. To enter a new comment, click on
"new," select "Page" and click "next."
5. Enter a brief title in # 1 and type your comment(s) in #2 and then click
"publish".
6. If you wish to respond to a previous
comment, click on "respond" or point to and click on the title of the previous
comment or previous response, which
you wish to address.
7. Click on "respond" and enter your
comment in the contents box --- the title will already be filled in for you, then click "publish."
8. Click on "refresh" at the top of the
screen or discussion on the left of your
screen to see your comment.
9. The QuickPlace program only prints
the first 30 words of a comment on the
threaded discussion page. To view a full comment, click on the title of the
comment and the full comment will
appear. This is the same procedure you use to respond to a comment (see # 6 above).

There will be three rounds of threaded discussions throughout the term, one round attached to each set of essays. Each threaded discussion will be worth a maximum of thirty (30) points --- ten (10) points for each contribution. To contribute to your group's threaded discussion, consult the table below to find your group assignment. Then CLICK HERE to go to quickplace to make your contribution after you have read the guidelines in the table above for accessing the appropriate group's page.

The topics to be addressed will be found on the examination webpages: Exam 1; Exam 2; Exam 3.

Please note that the composition of the groups changes with each round of threaded discussions. [Membership in the groups is the result of random selection.]
Links to the discussion groups will be connected (and disconnected) at the appropriate times.

REMEMBER THAT THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE A DISCUSSION SO YOU SHOULD NOT JUST SIT AT YOUR COMPUTER AND MAKE A SERIES OF COMMENTS AT THE SAME TIME. SPACE YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS OVER THE PERIOD OF THE DISCUSSIONS.