EM SC 240N
Energy and Sustainability in Contemporary Culture

Introduction to Yellowdig

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As noted in the Orientation, you will be using a discussion board application called Yellowdig. For a review of these activities, see the syllabus. You should start posting to the discussion board this week!

Description of how Yellowdig will be used in EM SC 240N

  • You will be making posts throughout the entire semester. I will periodically post prompts that you must follow, but you can make other comments, as long as they are relevant to the course content. The prompts will focus on the content for that week or lesson. This ongoing assignment (which is worth 25% of your grade!) serves a few purposes: First, thinking and writing about the content helps you internalize it better than reading about it. Second, it helps you learn to communicate these important sustainability issues to others. Third, it gives you an opportunity to have authentic interactions with fellow students.

  • Some of your posts will be graded using a specific rubric, but most of them are auto-graded by Yellowdig.

  • Yellowdig is a points-based discussion board app. The app automatically assigns points for length, frequency, commenting on other posts, others commenting on your post, and a few other things. As you accomplish these things, your points go up. The app automatically divides the assignment into "periods," each about a week long. You can always view how many points you have out of your target points that period.
  • There is no set amount of posts per se, but more substantive posts, more substantive responses to others' posts, and more frequency of posts all earn you more points. You also get points for others commenting on your post, so make it interesting!
  • Please note that Yellowdig keeps a running total of points out of your target points for that period. If you are running low on points, you can bring your score up until the last commenting period is over. The end of the last commenting period is the last day of the semester. 
  • Each time you make a post you need to add at least one topic. (It forces you to do this, so I won't explain how to add them.) I have pre-loaded topics, all of which match up with the Lesson content.
  • At the end of the semester, your score will be your grade. For example, if you get 9,000 out of 12,000 points, that is a 75%. Thus, you would get 75% of the 25% on your Canvas course grade (0.75 x 25% = 18.75%).

I hope you find this engaging, and who knows, maybe even fun! It's a great way to interact with your fellow students.

Please go to the Yellowdig discussion board link in the Lesson 1 Canvas module to read more details about how Yellowdig works.

All interactions on this discussion board and any other personal course interaction must follow the ESP Peer-to-Peer Participation Policy, which can be accessed Course Website. I will be monitoring the board to make sure you adhere to these.