Discussion Tutorial
Tutorial: Graded Discussions at ACE – This video shows how to participate in graded discussion in your courses.
APA Example
Click here for a discussion post with example APA.

Discussion Guidelines

Create an original post and reply to the posts of at least two peers to move the discussion forward.

  • APA citations are required only for the original post unless stated otherwise.
  • Some discussions are designed to generate a free flow of ideas and do not require an APA citation in the original post if you are merely sharing your opinion and experience. However, if you introduce outside information and research, cite it in APA format.
  • You are not required to cite sources in your replies to peers unless you are sharing outside information or research.

Due Dates


  • The original post is due by Thursday at 11:59 PM PT.
  • The first and second comments on peers’ posts are due by Saturday 11:59 PM PT.

Note: ACE students must obtain proof of the creator’s permission before posting any YouTube videos within their course. Additionally, TED Talks videos are not permitted to be posted as they require specific licensing agreements.

Sample References

Presentation From an ACE Course

American College of Education. (2020). LEAD5073 The art of decision-making: Module 3 [Part 2 presentation]. Canvas. https://ace.instructure.com/courses/1730170/external_tools/118428

Scholarly Journal Article

Hughes, E. S., Bradford, J., & Likens C. (2018). Facilitating collaboration, communication, and critical thinking skills in physical therapy education through technology-enhanced instruction: A case study. TechTrends, 62(3), 296–302. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-018-0259-8

Notes:

  1. Students are not required to use hanging indents in the discussions.
  2. If your source has a doi (digital object identifier), include it in the citation as a hyperlinked URL.

Web Resources

The web has many resources about APA; confirm that a source is referencing the 7th edition.

  • APA Instructional Aids
    Website offers free tutorials, each about 20 minutes.
  • ACE Writing Center
    The ACE Writing Center in Student Commons has resources and guides that reflect the APA 7 guidelines.
  • Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)
    The Purdue OWL provides a wealth of resources for writing according to APA 7 guidelines and scholarly writing in general.
  • APA Style Blog
    The official blog of the APA includes discussion on the purpose of some of the changes for APA 7. The “Style and Grammar Guidelines” tab at the top of the blog webpage also provides guides on formatting in APA.