BSNS 2113 Small Business Management Syllabus H01 Summer 2026

Discussion forum description, recommendations, timetables, and rubric
For the Discussion Forums, your initial posting should include substantive comments and answers to questions noted.
Citation of pertinent sources from your readings or additional sources should be listed when required. You are expected to
think critically and express your opinion in a scholarly manner; however, everyone has an opinion to express regardless of
educational experience. The objective with each initial posting and response is to facilitate multiple channels for the
communication of ideas. The more you participate in the discussion the richer and more involved the class will be.
Your peer replies (comments on your peers original posts) should contain substantive comments and can include:
• A scholarly challenge to a classmate's posting (e.g., My understanding is different from your position. I understood
this to mean.......)
• Support for a classmate's posting with further explanation or data (e.g., I agree, based on ...... research,
I believe........)
• A substantive comment is a comment that contains an idea relevant to the issue and the topic and facilitates
others to express their relevant ideas. For example:
o Person 1: I totally agree (not a substantive comment because it fails to express an idea).
o Person 2: Yea, I tried that and didn't have much success (not a substantive comment because it
expressed an idea or opinion but did not facilitate others to express relevant ideas on the topic).
o Person 3: I totally agree from what I've seen in our school. Many teachers don't feel comfortable working
with ELL students because they feel they lack experience to teach such a diverse group of students.
Garner (2003)* suggests a variety of strategies teachers can use to improve their interactions when
working with ELL students, such as........Has anyone tried any of these? (substantive comment
because the response relates to the topic and the statement expresses a relevant idea and invites
others to comment).
*Citation would be listed at the end of the post.
You are expected to minimally post two times (more posts=more discussion) to our weekly discussion threads with your
initial post occurring no later than Wednesday, followed by at least one peer reply to a peer's original post by the end of
the week (Friday). Please feel free to post earlier than Wednesday so we can get a dialogue going that will last the entire
week. Your first post of the week will be your answer to topic question for the week, NOT starting with a reply to a
peer's post.
Your weekly thread grade will be affected if you don't follow the recommended weekly timetable:
Before Wednesday 11:59pm - Your initial post on the weekly topic.
Before Friday 11:59pm - Your peer replies (the earlier the better; more time = more discussion).
Sunday 11:59pm - Follow-up posts and answers to all direct questions.
As a reminder, you are always expected to respond to inquiries directed to you, even if your response spills into
Monday of the next week.
Each discussion thread will be graded out of a possible 20 points (10 points for the original post and follow-ups,
and 10 points for peer replies). The rubric for grading original posts is as follows:
Points Discussion Posting Grading Rubric
5
For excellent writing, a posting will thoughtfully consider and respond to the question (or classmate's
post), using sound argumentation and clear prose. This is a stellar posting that will contain virtually no
grammatical errors or typos. Not only will such a post engage with the ongoing conversation in a
rhetorically suitable fashion, it will foster further discussion on the topic, perhaps exploring new lines of
argument or different perspectives from a conceptual and applied angle. The five-point grade isn't just a
response; it's proof that you are facilitating learning both for yourself and your fellow students. This posting
should be approximately 200 words in length.
4
This posting is a competent response to the subject, It's 100 words long, more or less, it addresses the
question, without going into much detail, and it contributes to the overall conversation as another voice on
the subject.
3 This posting reflects a ‘satisfactory’ level of response with adequate engagement with the subject. It does
little to advance the discussion underway.
2
This posting reflects a 'less-than-adequate' engagement with the subject, or is noticeably under the
required word count. It does very little to advance the discussion underway, may even detract from it, and
does not demonstrate a sufficient understanding of subject under discussion.
0 No posting, late posting, or a post that is but the briefest nod toward a response. (zero percent)
Initial posts should be 200+ words to be "A" eligible and should be posted by Wednesday night. Always reply to direct
questions to your posts, even if a late post requires a Monday answer.
Peer replies are when you reply to a peer's ORIGINAL post. They should be posted before Friday night and should
be 100+ words (with at least one of your peer replies). All other posts (including responding to questions posed to you by
others) can continue through the weekend.
Written assignment due dates
Written assignment will always be due Sunday night of the week they are assigned. For example, if our course opens on
Monday, January 12th, any week 1 written assignment would be due Sunday night, January 18th. All written assignments
should be submitted through Canvas.
Course Policies
Since the majority of this course is based online, please login into the course via Canvas often. Once a day may be too
optimistic but you shouldn’t be away from the course for more than two consecutive days.
There will be a 10% late penalty for each day a written assignment (or discussion post) is submitted late, even with
instructor approval. No written assignment will be accepted AFTER 7 days late. It is expected that IF you submit a late
written assignment, you will send an email to me so I know to go back and grade it for you.
Make-ups for the mid-term and final exams may be arranged for particularly unusual circumstances. Please arrange for
these ahead of time if at all possible.