Discussion Board

The Discussion Board (DB) is part of the core of online learning. Classroom discussion in an online environment requires the active participation of students and the instructor to create robust interaction and dialogue. Every student is expected to create an original response to the open-ended DB question as well as engage in dialogue by responding to posts created by others throughout the week. At the end of each unit, DB participation will be assessed based on both level of engagement and the quality of the contribution to the discussion.

At a minimum, each student will be expected to post an original and thoughtful response to the DB question and contribute to the weekly dialogue by responding to at least two other posts from students. The first contribution must be posted before midnight (Central Time) on Friday of each week. Two additional responses are required after Friday of each week. Students are highly encouraged to engage on the Discussion Board early and often, as that is the primary way the university tracks class attendance and participation.

The purpose of the Discussion Board is to allow students to learn through sharing ideas and experiences as they relate to course content and the DB question. Because it is not possible to engage in two-way dialogue after a conversation has ended, no posts to the DB will be accepted after the end of each unit.

Assignment Details

Step 1

Information technology (IT) solutions are often dependent upon the application of the discrete mathematics, probability, and statistical methods that you have been introduced to in this course. Click here to refer to an example about how an IT performance problem would be addressed using these techniques.

Note: This example includes advanced topics, and you are not expected to understand the article fully. It is offered here simply as an example of how these techniques may be employed to solve IT problems.

Step 2

Using the AIU library's full-text database (refer to the LibGuide), identify a problem in an IT-related system where statistical methods could be used to analyze, evaluate, and recommend performance improvements for the system.

Summarize the problem, and discuss how you would use the discrete mathematics, probability, and statistical methods from this course to analyze the associated data, present the information, and draw inferences to develop a solution that would improve system performance. Explain your reasoning.

Feel free to reflect on the example referenced in Step 1, and discuss your thoughts about it with the class and your instructor.