Throughout your time at the World Campus, you will be participating in discussions with your classmates and instructors. These discussions often occur weekly, are usually graded, and require preparation, care, and attention. Below are a few key points to keep in mind:

Discussions are conversations. In the virtual classroom, discussions take the place of conversations that occur in the physical classroom. These forums foster interactions among students and instructors. They provide a place for students to learn and instructors to teach.
Discussions help you apply what you’ve learned. If you spend time on a discussion post, you’ll master the material you’re studying and retain it more fully. For example, if your sociology instructor provides a discussion prompt asking you to define your culture, that prompt helps you to master the different definitions of culture that may be important in sociology.
Actively participate in discussions. If you actively participate in a discussion, you show your instructor that you are engaged in the course. In a resident classroom, you may raise your hand to ask a question or try out an idea. By posting to a discussion forum, you similarly invite the teacher to answer your question and help you learn.
Discussion posts are usually graded and can be a significant part of your total grade. For example, in an English class, your weekly discussion may total 20% of your final grade. If you do well in the discussions, your grade will likewise improve.
The grading may depend on the specificity and depth of your posts, as well as on the quality of the feedback you give to other students. Your instructor may have other expectations for your posts, which can be found in your syllabus or in the instructions for a specific discussion forum. For more information on using your course syllabi you can review the Using the Course Syllabus module in the World Campus Prepkit.

Make sure to follow any directions that your teacher gives you, especially regarding the type of post, the number of posts, and the due dates of posts and replies.