Using an appropriate discussion post template is an integral component of online learning experiences. But professors and instructors rarely explain the rules of engagement regarding the formatting of online discussion posts. So if you’re looking for assistance in structuring and formatting your posts, then read on!
Discussion Post Template: What are Discussion Board Assignments
In online classrooms, discussion board assignments are innovative solutions for the delivery of meaningful learning experiences. These solutions harness digital technology to create virtual classrooms that connect instructors and students. Thus, students access non-threatening environments for participating in learning activities.
Although instructors attach less weight to the grading of discussion assignments, they are an increasingly vital component of contemporary learning institutions.
Discussion Post Template: How To Write a Discussion Post
If you are wondering, how do you write a discussion for a college post? Then, you’re in the right place! Note that discussion posts differ based on academic level, subject, and instructions. At Kessays.com, we understand the challenge you face in deciding which discussion post template to use. This difficulty is especially crucial given the variations in discussion post formats. Here are a few points to follow when writing discussion posts.
Start early [Discussion Post Template]: the earlier you begin composing your posts, the better. Immediately you receive a notification, open the email, and read the discussion prompt.
Ask questions [Discussion Post Template]: sometimes, you might find that a discussion board response prompt is unclear. Or you may experience difficulties formulating a post because you lack an appropriate discussion post template. What do you do? Email your instructor immediately to receive a timely response. Doing so ensures that you have enough time to prepare posts.
Read all required materials [Discussion Post Template]: after obtaining clarification, ensure you have access to the relevant reading materials. These materials may include articles, books, and classmates’ posts. Read them carefully and highlight the content you’ll use in a post.
Reference your ideas [Discussion Post Template]: when you identify interesting ideas or concepts, reference them suitably. In this way, you won’t forget the key ideas when writing. Also, you save lots of time used for searching and locating authoritative sources.
Write and edit your post [Discussion Post Template]: get comfortable with your favorite word processor. Use it to edit posts, correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling mistakes. Check your post for plagiarism before uploading it to the discussion portal. If you find any, rework highlighted text and format it using an appropriate discussion post template.
Discussion Post Template: Discussion Board Response Prompts
As an online student, it is your responsibility to participate in discussions. But how do you respond to someone’s discussion post? Use the guide below in responding to posts from others.
- Read your classmates’ posts with an open mind. Select the most provocative as the basis of your critical response.
- Then, include your peer’s name and a description of the points that appealed to you.
- Whether you agree or disagree with a peer, use clear and credible evidence to support your views.
- Caveat! Desist from using personal opinions, generalization, or offensive language.
- If you disagree, keep your posts respectful and use the proper academic tone.
- Ask probing questions to facilitate meaningful conversations between you and fellow students.
- Above all else, retain an encouraging, enthusiastic, interested, thoughtful, and inquisitive attitude.
- Also, adhere to the format provided by the discussion post template for APA posts.
Discussion Post Template: Discussion Post Format
As discussion board posts are semi-formal learning experiences, you don’t need to adhere to APA formatting requirements for margin, indents, and spacing. So, how do you write a discussion in APA format? Simply adhere to APA guidelines when citing and referencing your sources. For this reason, acquaint yourself with APA’s citation style guidelines and use the discussion post template.
Although citing resources is tedious at first, you’ll gain competency the more you practice. Remember that APA discussion posts use a professional writing style and tone. Besides, you must acknowledge and cite any research sources you consulted. Always provide a list of references in APA format at the end of your posts. This way, you increase the credibility of your posts.
Below are samples of an initial post and its reply in APA format. Review it to gain a better understanding of how to format and reference posts in APA.
A typical discussion post template contains the following parts. o, make sure you include the following parts of a discussion post.
- A claim or direct answer to the discussion question
- Evidence supporting or refuting a peer’s viewpoint and;
- An explanation linking presented content to the context of the discussion prompt
Here is an example of the first post from a student. Next is a sample of a student’s reply to a peer’s initial post.
Discussion Post Template: Initial Post
After reviewing the discussion prompt, utilize the discussion post template to craft a good initial response.
Prompt [Discussion Post Template]: Respond to the question: Do you think that brain size matters. Using evidence from the material we covered in class, explain why you agree or disagree.
Reply [Discussion Post Template]: I think that brain size does matter. Two 2019 studies provide credible evidence demonstrating the relationship between brain size and the acquisition of intelligence. Collins et al. (2019), found that “alterations in white matter microstructure, and more specifically lower neurite density, are associated with poorer mathematics performance in 13-year-old VPT and FT children.” Huber et al. (2018) used a longitudinal interaction approach to inveterate the impact of white matter in developing effective reading skills in grade school students.
These findings prove that the brain’s anatomical composition affects a child’s ability to learn advanced reading skills. Accordingly, findings from both studies offer critical insights into the role brain size plays in cognitive development. Brain size impacts cognitive functions, but the size of its anatomical components also affects the quality of that functionality.
References
Collins, S. E., Spencer-Smith, M., Mürner-Lavanchy, I., Kelly, C. E., Pyman, P., Pascoe, L., Cheong, J., Doyle, L. W., Thompson, D. K., & Anderson, P. J. (2019). White matter microstructure correlates with mathematics but not word reading performance in 13-year-old children born very preterm and full-term. NeuroImage: Clinical, 24, 101944.
Huber, E., Donnelly, P. M., Rokem, A., & Yeatman, J. D. (2018). Rapid and widespread white matter plasticity during an intensive reading intervention. Nature Communications, 9(1).
Assuming you read this post to the end, it’s your time to hit the ground running. So, integrate the tips and the suggested discussion post template to compose compelling responses.
Example of a Discussion Post Response
Here is an example of an effective discussion post template.
I concur with Lisa’s viewpoint that brain size affects cognitive development processes. However, I do not fully agree with findings from Huber et al. (2018) as the research employed a limited sample of participants in investigating the variations of myelin over time. Moreover, Huber et al. (2018) study differ with findings from DeCasien & Higham, (2019) study indicating the role that evolutionary forces play in the development of human “sensory and cognitive specializations.” The latter study notes that communal species and high-quality diets result in the emergence of advanced olfactory and visual systems.
On the other hand, DeCasien & Higham (2019) study demonstrates the role of isolation and nutrient deficiencies in developing spatial memory and other cognitive attributes in primates. Even though brain size matters, cognitive expertise development depends on selective evolutionary forces present in a species or individual’s social and ecological environment.
References
DeCasien, A. R., & Higham, J. P. (2019). Primate mosaic brain evolution reflects selection on sensory and cognitive specialization. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 3(10), 1483-1493.
[Sample Discussion Post Template]
W2 Discussion Trends in Healthcare
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
One of the most prominent recommendations of the Institute of Medicine is at least 80 percent of the nurses working in the state to have a bachelor’s degree, something that is yet to be achieved in New York State, as only 37 percent of the registered nurses have attained the credentials (Guttormson et al., 2019). The Future of Nursing New York State Action Coalition is working to achieve this and include a diverse range of stakeholders who can help create a healthy community, with the nurses playing a central role.
This driving force is in line with four recommendations of (Shalala et al., 2011) in “The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health,” which focus on gearing nursing educations to ensure accessibility, quality, and value of the role of nurses in enhancing the general quality of life.
The Future of Nursing New York State Action Coalition has acknowledged that regulation is one of the barriers to providing nursing services, which is evident with the state-to-state differences in the nursing regulatory roles. The action coalition ensures that all nurses can offer their services to their training and education’s full potential.
The Campaign for Action in the State of New York has also acknowledged that patient care is becoming more involved with time; thus, the need for better-educated nurses. To achieve this, the Campaign for Action ensures that all the nurses can go for further studies in universities community colleges at an accelerated pace, thus encouraging more nurses to go for other studies.
The New York State Action Coalition is also ensuring that nurses’ status is enhanced as per the recommendation of (Guttormson et al., 2019) by making them full partners with other health officials, including physicians. It is also improving the information infrastructure to ensure that the policies made are well informed by healthcare organizations’ real-time data, especially the hospitals (Campaign for Action, 2020).
References
Campaign for Action. (2020). The Future of Nursing New York State Action Coalition. Retrieved 8 December 2020, from
Guttormson, J. L., Chlan, L., Tracy, M. F., Hetland, B., & Mandrekar, J. (2019). Nurses’ Attitudes and Practices Related to Sedation: A National Survey. American Journal of Critical Care, 28(4), 255-263.
Shalala, D., Bolton, L. B., Bleich, M. R., Brennan, T. A., Campbell, R. E., & Devlin, L. (2011). The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health. Washington DC: The National Academy Press. doi, 10, 12956.
[Sample Discussion Post Template] Relationship Issues Taught to Elementary or Middle School Age Students
Students’ Name
Institutional Affiliation
One of the relationship issues that should be addressed with middle and elementary school-age learners is the interaction with the middle school. This is due to the evolution of the self-centered nature to interdependence with other children. They spend more time and energy on their energy as they grow towards their teenage years.
Family structure is another issue that ought to be addressed at elementary and middle school. This is meant to ensure that the changing nature of the family structure is addressed, for example, the rise of single-parent households. There has been a high divorce rate, which means that the nuclear family dynamic is no longer the norm. The educators have to ensure that the learners are well exposed to the variety of the aspects they are likely to deal with in life (Langford et al., 2017).
A sex-role stereotype is a concept that refers to the preconceptions or general views about the characteristics or attributes being appropriate for males and females. This is harmful because it limits the individual’s capacity to develop abilities that may be of critical importance to them and the rest of society.
Hostility often arises between men and women, leading to inequality. To try and minimize sex-role stereotyping, the educators can address the learners equally with the use of terms like “students” or “friends” rather than “boys and girls.” Therefore, they should avoid separating the learners based on their gender and ensure that the group activities have boys and girls equally (Ingham & Hirst, 2010).
The educators can also address the learners as individuals rather than mere members of their respective genders. The three key points teachers should emphasize when teaching about family include LGBTQ, divorce rate, and half-siblings. This is to address the changing structure of the family dynamic.
References
Ingham, R., & Hirst, J. (2010). Promoting sexual health. In Promoting health and wellbeing through schools (pp. 111-130). Routledge.
Langford, R., Bonell, C., Komro, K., Murphy, S., Magnus, D., Waters, E., … & Campbell, R. (2017). The health promoting schools framework: known unknowns and an agenda for future research. Health Education & Behavior, 44(3), 463-475.
[Sample Discussion Post Template] Evidence-Based Decision-Making Model
Students Name
Institutional Affiliation
The evidence-based decision-making model (EBDM) facilitates the making of the best possible decision based on the available evidence and the relevant facts. This means avoiding making decisions based on instincts, intuition, and mere gut feelings (Mazzucca et al., 2019).
Having worked in the airline, real estate, and military industries, I realized that this model is applied and reinforced in varying proportions. Various individuals in the respective organizations take part in the gathering, interpretation and application of evidence.
I realized that this decision-making model tends to slow the decision making as the decisions have to be based on the data collected within and outside the organization. I am currently a real estate agent and I apply the decision-making model to determine the prices of the various properties. This means the consideration of the various factors of the property prices and the degree of their impact.
Having served in the military, I realize that the decision-making model is greater relative to the real estate and the airline industry. This can be attributed to the weight of the consequences of making the wrong decision. Therefore, the model is used to mitigate the risk of making decisions that may have more severe consequences (Mazzucca et al., 2019).
For example, there was a protocol used in the decision making, and each of the officers would deviate from the protocol at their peril. The model has also standardized the decision-making process, thus making the decisions more predictable by reducing the overall impact of individuality.
However, I have realized that the more the EBDM is enforced, the more it tends to suppress creativity. This leads to the loss of opportunity to achieve impeccable results. In the same way, it reduces the risk of making the wrong decisions; the more it reduces positive supernormal results.
Reference
Mazzucca, S., Parks, R. G., Tabak, R. G., Allen, P., Dobbins, M., Stamatakis, K. A., & Brownson, R. C. (2019). Research Full Report: Assessing Organizational Supports for Evidence-Based Decision Making in Local Public Health Departments in the United States: Development and Psychometric Properties of a New Measure. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 25(5), 454.
Chipidza, F. E., & Stern, T. A. (2015). Impact of the Doctor-Patient Relationship. The primary care companion for CNS disorders, 17(5), 10.4088/PCC.15f01840.
Singh, H., & Schiff, G. D. (2017). The global burden of diagnostic errors in primary care. BMJ Quality & Safety.
Final Thoughts
Feel free to apply the discussion post template in this piece. Even so, you can always reach out to us for discussion post help. Kessays.com team of writers will devote its expertise, tools, and time in composing astounding initial and follow up responses. This way, you increase your chance of excelling both academically and professionally as well.
