Good questions effectively open new vistas, provide new perspectives, and challenge our most basic assumptions. Good questions are those that the questioner cannot answer. They are used to initiate a dialogue where answers begin to crystallize and shape themselves, provoking still other questions and answers. The premise here is that people learn and absorb more when they have a sincere curiosity to know and make the effort themselves to discover knowledge. In addition, the teacher is not an encyclopedia of knowledge. When students have questions the teacher and course materials cannot answer, students can work together to find answers. Objective(s): Through this learning activity, students will:  learn to ask questions seeking to understand issues beyond what is addressed in a text book and/or other standard course materials learn to seek out answers to their own and other's questions, using Web based resources (discovery) challenge classmates to think about the content by asking questions seeking their personal perspective on the issues: use “deep thinking skills” to ask questions eliciting from others their own informed understanding, interpretation, analysis, synthesis and evaluation of issues (higher order thinking skills) use “deep thinking skills” to answer questions, expressing their own understanding, interpretation, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of issues related to course content  In a nutshell: there are four kinds of posts and you need at least three of each kind over the course of the semester: ask fact seeking questions answer fact seeking questions (with research sources cited) ask questions seeking personal perspective (open-ended, thought provoking questions) answer questions seeking personal perspective Your three best posts per quarter (or four per third in the case of REL 232) are what I count toward your grade, with a semester limit of three for each kind noted above. Procedures: This activity uses a course discussion board such as that found on the Blackboard CMS.  Each student is to ask at least three fact seeking questions regarding at least three different units of study (one question for each of three major topics studied in the course).  Each student should seek out answers to at least three of these questions using Internet (or other) sources. Sources (URL addresses) must be cited along with a synopsis of the answer found at the source (students should summarize in their own words but may use direct quotes sparingly). Note: When you answer a question that asks for factual information, you should be getting your information from researching the question. Do not merely offer your own guess or what you think the answer may be - verify and expand on what you know through research. You of course need to cite your source to get credited with doing the research. Using the text and other course materials (such as my online lecture notes) does not constitute "research". The web is the most commonly used and even preferred place to find more extensive answers to the questions being asked. Each student should also ask at least three thought provoking questions for discussion related to at least three different units of study (one question for each of unit). These would be questions seeking personal perspective (opinions or insights) of classmates rather than questions that require research to gather factual information.  Each student should respond to at least three researched answers and/or discussion questions with their own personal commentary and/or additional observations, regarding the answers given. research questions researched answers personal questions personal answers need 1 for each religion/unit of study (3 total) need 3 total related to at least 2 different religions/units of study need 1 for each religion/unit of study (3 total) need 3 total related to at least 2 different religions/units of study Use this tracking sheet to help you keep track of your progress in discussion Note: number of questions, answers, and units of study required may vary from course to course. Specific additional or alternative directives may be provided within the context of your course. Assessment: The more questions and answers you contribute - even beyond the minimum required - I will count the best for each category. Quantity and distribution of contributions: at least 3 research questions, 3 “deep thinking” questions, 3 researched answers, 3 “deep thinking” well distributed amongst three or more units of study as well as throughout the time-frame of the course (i.e. do not wait until the end of the semester to make most of your contributions to discussion). Quality: Individual student contributions of each question and answer are evaluated for quality:  clarity: Is the question worded clearly? relevance: Is it a question directly related to content of the unit being studied that has not already been asked by another student (review posted questions before asking your own)? reasonable: Is it a question that students can reasonably be expected to answer at this level of study? sincerity: Do not go looking for questions to ask, ask your own questions out of personal curiosity. Is the question one of sincere curiosity and not more along the lines of a “test” question asked merely for the sake of asking or to test their classmate’s knowledge? relevance & depth: Do researched answers directly address the question asked, being neither too terse nor too wordy? (a suitable length message for an answer would be several sentences to a paragraph/screen length in size.) A single line answer to a question is not really the best quality. Even if the question is rather simple and really does not call for more than that, it should still be possible to go into more depth of thought with such responses - offer more information than the question seeks. citations: Is the resource for researched answers cited? (students will not get credit for researching a question until they cite the source their answers come from) credibility & reliability: Is the resource used credible and reliable? (avoid using discussion boards or personal blogs where the author has given no credentials to attest to his or her knowledge of the issue. Be aware of biased sources. Sources should go beyond standard course materials such as your text book and other materials provided to all by your instructor - The point of researching an answer is to get additional information about a topic beyond what the course materials provide) accuracy: Is the student’s synopsis of the researched answer fairly accurate? Has the student, in fact, offered their own synopsis rather than merely quoting from their source? (do not merely guess at a question seeking facts - even if you think you know the answer, research it anyway to verify what you are telling us and to learn a bit more) quotes: Does the student clearly distinguish between quoted material (using quote marks) and their own synopsis? substance: Is an answer more than superficial? Does an answer provide something new, constructive and substantive to the discussion, beyond what anyone else may have already contributed? (additional researched answers should come from different sources than those already referenced by others) original & provocative?:  Does a thought provoking question or answer seek/offer a unique or creative perspective on or interpretation of the issue addressed? Does it give us something new to think about? have potential to generate lively discussion? (as with a provocative statement, a perspective different from the norm, a thought provoking question or comment) respectful: Are comments void of malice – overt or covert, intended or not – toward the perspectives of others with whom they may disagree?   Examples of good and poor questions and answers   Notes:  A response that says little more than "I agree" or "thank you" will not count and will be removed from the board to make room for more substantial comments. You may certainly tell someone that you agree but go on to add something new to the discussion. Duplicate questions will not count and will be removed from the board Duplicate answers, referencing sources already cited by others, will not count and will be removed from the board Engagement: Active:                Students are actively engaged with both the course content and each other by asking and answering questions of personal curiosity. Relevant:            Questions are generated by the students, based on their own interests and curiosity about the course content. Challenging:       Students are encouraged to do their own thinking about the course content and to share this with others Student-focused: Students have “ownership” of the course discussion board as it becomes a collection of their own questions and answers. Organized:          Students are expected to contribute to these Q&A discussions on an on-going basis through the course of the semester. For the most effective learning, questions and answers for each unit of study are posted as the student is working through material on that unit of study. While students need not contribute to discussions on every unit of study, their contributions should be fairly well distributed across at least two thirds of the course content as well as being a well-distributed combination of the two types of questions (research and deep thinking) and two types of answers. Feedback-rich:    While the instructor will stay out of it as much as possible (to keep the activity student-focused), The instructor may step in only occasionally when it appears that a given question or answer may need additional clarification or if information posted may be misleading. Individualized:   Since questions reflect the personal concerns and interests of students, the activity naturally allows for individual differences in interest. Answers may come from a variety of sources, usually but not limited to resources found on the Web. Students may draw from text or multimedia based resources, thus allowing for differences in learning styles. Anchored:          The questions may reflect the student’s current level of familiarity with the material while the answers add to their prior knowledge or correct, clarify, or deepen prior knowledge, misunderstandings or misperceptions. “Deep thinking” questions that seek personal insights from students may involve students relating course content to their own life experiences in both past, present and future.