110 Website Article Reviews and Discussions

Overview of the Website Article Review assignment:

You will receive 2 grades for this assignment in each module:  The website review (50%) and the website review discussion forum (50%).

1. Using the Internet search engine of your choice (for example, Google), locate a web article on a topic introduced in the textbook that is relevent to the current module.
2. Write a review of the article:  include an overview of the main point(s) and your thoughts on the information
3. Submit your review to the turnitin drop box for an Originality Analysis.
4. Revise and resubmit your review if needed.  (Note – resubmits take 24 hours to process and are not accepted after the module discussions end.)
5. Your website review is graded within the turnitin drop box using the associated rubric.  You can see my feedback by accessing the graded rubric.
6. Paste your final review into the Website Discussion Forum for class discussion.  This is due within the first 3 days that the module is open.
7. Discuss your review – and at least 2 others – in the Website Discussion Forum.
8. Your grade on this discussion forum depends upon the quantity and quality of your posts.  Review the forum grading rubric below.
9. There is a penalty for posting on fewer than 6 different days in a website review discussion forum.

The purpose of this assignment is for each student to locate a website article that contains valid information relevant to the issues we will be discussing in this module, write an original review and analysis essay about the content of the website, and then lead a class discussion on the issue(s) covered in the website. Please note: Wikipedia, and similar “wiki-based” websites, are not acceptable sources. 

I want you to look over the textbook chapters assigned for the current module, select a topic that interests you, then use Google – or the Internet search engine of your choice – to find a “good” website article dealing with that issue, and the write a review of that article. (By “good” I mean one that seems to you to provide unbiased information on the issue).  After you submit the review to the turnitin dropbox (and, if needed, revise and resubmit) post it in the discussion forum for class discussion.

The acceptable window for submitting your website review to the class for discussion (Step 6 below) is within the first three days after the module officially opens. You may submit (and re-submit) your website review to the turnitin dropbox prior to the opening of the module.

Follow these instructions carefully. Once your assignment has been evaluated, you will not be permitted to make revisions.

Detailed Instructions:

Step 1 – Write an original review of the website article – minimum 500 original* words. See the definition of “original words” below.  You must include this number in your review to receive full credit!

Step 2 – Submit your essay to the turnitin dropbox. This will  generate an “Originality Report” which will:

•  indicate all non-original content in your essay
•  show the earliest web source for this content
• and display the total number of words in your review.

*Definition of “Original Words”:

This assignment has a “minimum of 500 original words” requirement. The turnitin service that is used at Herkimer County Community College analyzes your assignment and determines the % of your content that is essentially the same as content that already exists on the Internet.  This “similar content” – EVEN IF YOU DID NOT COPY IT FROM THE WEB / EVEN IF YOU MADE IT UP YOURSELF – does not count as your “original words.”

Determine the number of original words from your turnitin Originality Reports using the following calculation:

Original Words = Word Count minus Similarity Index %.

Example 1:

• Total word count = 600 (If your word processing application does not have a “word count” feature, use http://wordcounttool.com.)
• If your Similarity Index is 10%, then the calculation would be
• 600 – 10%, or 600 – 60 = 540 original words.

Include this number at the end of your review as follows: (original words = 540)

Example 2:

• Total word count = 600
• If your Similarity Index is 20%, then the calculation would be
• 600 – 20%, or 600 – 120 = 480 original words.

Include this number at the end of your review as follows: (original words = 480)

Step 3 – Use the turn-it-in Originality Report to edit (if needed) and resubmit your website review. All content identified by turnitin as non-original must either be re-written in your own words, or enclosed in quotes and cited with the source identified by turnitin. You may submit your assignment to the turnitin dropbox as many times as necessary. Please note: your first submission to the turn-it-in drop box is usually analyzed within a few minutes. Subsequent submissions take about 24 hours.

Step 4 – Once your review has been edited and complies with all of the requirements, paste it into the Web Review Discussion Forum (for class discussion). This assignment is due before the end of the 2nd. day, but will be accepted late with a penalty.

Step 5 – Discuss the Website Article Reviews in the Website Discussion Forum.

1. Use the Create Thread button to submit your web review for class discussion. (Copy it from the turn-it-in drop box and paste it into the discussion forum as a New Post.)
2. Facilitate the discussion of your website review in the same manner as the student led chapter discussions. When other students respond to your posting, respond back to them. Your job is to facilitate a discussion which explores the issues in the website and relates them to the textbook.
3. Read and discuss the Reviews submitted by at least 2 other students. Be an active participant in these threads. You may participate in as many review discussions as you want to – but the minimum is 2.