Threaded discussion is the primary opportunity for students to speak in an online class. Therefore, participation is vital to the success of weekly discussions. As in any class, your writing quality will be noticed and evaluated accordingly. Submissions will usually take the form of answers to discussion questions raised by the instructor.
Submissions tend to be more formal because they directly respond to the instructor-led question.
Additionally, submissions should follow APA guidelines for citation of sources and be basically free of writing errors. Responses are the comments students make in reply to other students or the instructor as the thread evolves. Responses may be shorter and a bit less formal or more conversational than submissions. Students should read everyone else's postings, and the instructor replies to them. These postings are part of the course reading requirement.