Tips for Improving Online Discussions

Assisting students in holding a productive discussion; managing student behavior on the discussion board

Giving students guidelines to respond to peers productively

Whether you are teaching an online or blended course or supplementing one of your on-campus courses using Blackboard, the Discussion board can be an area vital for student learning.

Challenges when using the discussion board are manifold. Professors often ask instructional designers how they better utilize the discussion board.

Respond appropriately to students without feeling overwhelmed (manage workload)
Keep discussion activities engaging for students
Assist students in holding a productive discussion
Manage student behavior on the discussion board
Write engaging prompts
Use Socratic inquiry and discussion moderation techniques to develop prompts and facilitate discussions.

These issues will be addressed during the remainder of this resource.

Responding Appropriately to Students

When working with online discussions, the focus shifts from a traditional classroom where you are at the center. In online courses, your role is a facilitator. In this new role, balance is essential. It is not necessary to respond to every student. Doing so may overwhelm students and inhibit their thought processes. They do not need to contribute if they can always count on their professor to direct their thinking with elegant insights. However, you still need to maintain a presence in the online discussions. Students need to know that the professor is active and interested in the discussion topic and will intervene if the discussion strays off course.

Managing your Workload

Here are some ways of managing the Discussion Board workload:

Create an icebreaker activity for the first week of the course: Do not expect robust discussions during the first week of your online course. Allow students to learn how to navigate the discussion board and assist them if necessary. Make it clear that after the ice breaker activity, there will be regular discussion as a part of their required grade. This minimizes technical excuses when you begin discussing weightier topics.
Commit to specific times to read the discussion board: These are the times you will read and respond to the discussion board. Reviewing the discussion board for each new post throughout the day can be exhausting. Agree to specific windows of time where you will review and respond to student discussions. Block that time out on your calendar and then stick to it. By committing to specific times to review discussions, you will maintain an active presence in the online course that your students will notice. In addition, specific time frames will keep you from feeling overwhelmed with the demands of the discussion board.
Manage student expectations: Since you are committing to specific times when you will read and respond, you have the freedom to manage student expectations regarding when you will be reviewing the discussion boards, indicating that you read posts daily except for Saturdays, noting the times when you regularly check the board, and so on.
Develop a Q&A form: Develop a Q&A forum for your students. Set up the Q&A forum so that students can create individual threads. Offer extra credit to students for answering the questions of their peers. Ask the student to post the question in the Q&A forum if you feel other students could benefit from the response. If a student asks you a question that is covered in the Q&A either on the discussion board or via email, kindly direct their attention to the appropriate Q&A thread. This minimizes the number of redundant responses you must provide.
Anticipate their questions: After you have taught an online, blended, or face-to-face course for a semester or more, you can anticipate some of the questions your students may have. You may choose to develop a Frequently Asked Questions page and link to that within your Start Here module. You may also create announcements for specific weeks of the course that you may reuse semester after semester, which answers the more anticipated questions. Thus, you do not have to repeat the answers to these FAQs semester after semester via the discussion board, or email.

Assisting Students in Holding a Productive Discussion; Managing Student Behavior on the Discussion Board

Establish Netiquette Behavior: You need clear guidelines about what is appropriate on the discussion board. You can find advice about netiquette guidelines online using the google phrase “online classroom discussion board etiquette” or by looking at various resources.

Typically, netiquette behavior addresses being polite to students of varying backgrounds, refraining from inflammatory posts, using proper grammar, and being a good steward in promoting an atmosphere of learning.

For assistance in establishing policies for your Online, Blended, or supplemental blackboard course, see the Educause article, The Importance of Policies in E-Learning Instruction.

Provide clear standards regarding discussion board participation:

Students may be technically fluent on the discussion board, but they often know little about what the standards are for participating in a discussion board in a manner that enhances their classroom learning.

To assist with this, you must guide students on the quality of the posts you expect students to make. Provide clear guidelines by addressing all your discussion expectations.

Length of the message: Is message length important to you? Are there some other criteria you will use to ensure that students are not answering your discussion prompts with one-sentence responses that do little to further the learning of your group?

Tone: What is the desired level of formality for the discussion board? Many instructors like the discussion board to function at an informal level, with clarity of thought and readability being the goals. In this case, you may see the Discussion board as an online discussion of practitioners within your field or discipline.

Required Resources: Are students to review a textbook chapter, an article, a Films on Demand Clip, or a YouTube video? If so, link to these resources and define clear guidelines for resource citation. It also helps students if you help them connect the use of these resources to the Student Learning Outcomes. In other words, how will watching the video resource help them meet their goals for the week and what will they learn as a result of engaging with the material?

Grading Criteria: How are you planning to grade student participation? One of the best ways to grade student discussion participation is to use a rubric. A rubric can address the length of the message, tone, whether students used the required resources, grammar, and other points.

Giving Students Guidelines to Respond to Peers Productively

Here are some sample guidelines to choose from, which you can include in your description of discussion activities in your course syllabus:

Participate: We can all learn from each other. Since you may find that you learn a lot from your classmates’ posts, allow them to learn from you as well, by actively participating.
Be Brief: You want others to read what you have to say and for time on the discussion board to be productive, so be concise.
Use your writing skills: Use correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar and avoid “text” speak, such as u, 2, and J in your responses to your peers so that everyone reading the discussion board can understand you.
Respect differences: College classrooms are diverse places. Refrain from using language that is or could be inferred as racist, sexist, or homophobic. Jokes and inflammatory language regarding these topics are not tolerated.
RESIST YELLING: Text written in all caps is perceived as yelling.
Don’t upset others: In the spirit of academic inquiry, critiques are expected; however, you must do so in an articulate and non-inflammatory manner. Refrain from ranting, tantrums, and name-calling when giving comments to peers. Remember, advice and criticism should be constructive.
Pause and think before you hit submit: Once you send a communication, you cannot take it back. While you may be able to go back and edit a posting, depending on the forum’s settings, when you post something, it is immediately viewable by others. Thus, be sure that you can stand behind what you write and feel comfortable with the tone. Stop and consider the post for a minute or two before you hit submit.

Writing Good Discussion Prompts

When writing discussion prompts, try to isolate the most important thing you want students to know or understand about the topic. All your questions should be written with that goal in mind. Try to avoid yes-no questions.

Blooms An effective way to formulate discussion questions is to tie all discussion prompts back to your Learning Objectives; this makes the activity meaningful. Students can see how the discussion helps them with mastery of the concepts covered that week and throughout the course. You should also think about the level of learning and comprehension you are trying to elicit from your students with the discussion topic.

A helpful way to think about this is by reviewing this flipped model of Bloom’s Taxonomy, featured on the Me and My Laptop Blog.

This model is useful because it inverts the traditional model, where the higher-level thinking skills are located at the bottom of the pyramid. Ultimately, the instructor’s goal, especially on the discussion board, is to get students to display higher-level thinking skills, which is why this inverted model is a useful way of thinking about formulating online student posts. The further you move students toward a higher level of thinking, the more productive your discussions will be. While there is a place for the lower-level thinking skills (Understanding and Remembering), there is likely a better place to engage these rote skills, such as automatically scoring multiple-choice quizzes or study guides.

Use the models below as your guide to selecting action verbs that capture the higher-level thinking skills you want students to display on the discussion board.

Level

Definition

Sample Verbs

Create

The student is creating something new. This may involve integrating or combining an idea or process to create something entirely new for the student. Or it might involve proposing another solution to a pre-existing situation.

· Create

· Construct

· Design

· Develop

· Devise

· Explain

· Formulate

· Generate

· Invent

· Plan

· Revise

· Rewrite

· Write

Sample Discussion Prompt (Education Course)

“During our recent reading about learning styles, we discussed the importance of learning styles when presenting information to students. Tailoring your lessons to reach audiences with multiple learning styles can make the material more meaningful for students.

Create a mini-lesson plan that demonstrates how you would encourage students to utilize four of the seven learning styles we discussed this week. Post your mini-lesson plan by Thursday at 11:59 p.m. to give your peers adequate time to review your posts and provide comments and feedback.

Next, review the lesson plans of two of your peers. Do you feel that they are effectively utilizing the various learning styles? Why or why not?” To receive credit for peer responses, they must be posted to the discussion board by Sunday at 11:59 p.m.

Refer to the attached rubric for the grading criteria for this week’s discussion. Remember to post any questions you have about this discussion board posting to the FAQ’s topic.

What makes this a good discussion prompt? The above discussion prompt references the recent reading on which the discussion will be based. The students are given information about how this discussion board post is relevant to the content they are learning that week, and this makes the material more meaningful to the students. They are given clear directives for the discussion (create a mini-lesson plan), along with a rubric to align expectations for the quality of their discussion board posts.

Level

Definition

Sample Verbs

Evaluate

The student is assessing, evaluating, or critiquing content based on a set of criteria.

· Appraise

· Argue

· Assess

· Choose

· Compare

· Conclude

· Contrast

· Defend

· Describe

· Estimate

· Evaluate

· Explain

· Judge

· Justify

· Interpret

· Relate

· Predict

· Rate

· Select

· Summarize

· Support

· Value

Sample Discussion Prompt (Music Appreciation Course) by Jay Crowder, Montgomery College Professor of Music

Music is emotion transformed into sound. Music touches us EMOTIONALLY in a very personal way- no one else experiences music exactly the way that YOU do.

When you click on the discussion link, it will take you to my post where I shared a video that made a great impression on me, and I give reasons why I like the video, and the performance, in general.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT: Choose a song that speaks strongly to you and give four reasons why. Use my example as a template for your submission. Please post your initial response by Thursday at 11:59 PM. Post a response to one of your colleagues by Sunday at 11:59 PM.

Jay’s Example Post:

I enjoy SO many types of music. I love it all. But, if I had to identify one pop song that “speaks to me” more than many others, it would be the song “Both Sides Now,” written by Joni Mitchell. Many artists have covered this song.

My favorite cover is by Measha Brueggergosman (who is a worldwide sensation as an opera singer). The elements that come together to make this so devastating to me are:

1) the sheer beauty of the voice that does such a wonderful job conveying the emotion of the lyrics;

2) the lush orchestral arrangements featuring strings and guitar;

3) the slower pace of the arrangement;

4) the innovative playing of the instruments and the arrangement as a whole 5) the emotional, soaring climax at the peak of the song. Here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wofcmB_3oJM

Click the link to begin our discussion of emotion and music.

What makes this a good discussion prompt? The preceding discussion prompt references the criteria for evaluation (choosing a song) and the criteria by which they are evaluating the song (provide four reasons why the song speaks strongly to you). The student is given a model post that demonstrates the

level of detail that the instructor is seeking.

Level

Definition

Sample Verbs

Analyze

The student breaks down an object or idea into simpler parts to find evidence to support their viewpoint.

· Analyze

· Appraise

· Breakdown

· Calculate

· Categorize

· Compare

· Contrast

· Criticize

· Diagram

· Differentiate

· Discriminate

· Distinguish

· Examine

· Experiment

· Identify

· Illustrate

· Infer

· Model

· Question

· Relate

· Select

· Test

Sample Discussion Prompt

Your text this week focused on the three theories surrounding the way humans learn: behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism. Review this short video that explains the way humans learn. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YOqgXjynd0.

Compare and Contrast each of these theories. Select the theory that you believe best describes the way humans learn. Why do you believe this theory best describes the way that humans learn?

Do you feel that integrating these various learning theories as you develop lessons would help a student, or should an instructor stick to the theory that they believe best represents the way humans learn? Defend your answer.

Please post your response by Thursday at 11:59 p.m.

Next, review the responses of two of your peers. Do you feel that they are accurate with their assessments of how humans learn? Why or why not?”

To receive credit for peer responses, they must be posted to the discussion board by Sunday at 11:59 PM.

What makes this a good discussion prompt? The preceding discussion prompt references the criteria to be analyzed (compare and contrast) and what the student is to analyze (select the theory that best describes how people learn). Students are given clear instructions on the requirements of the post (defend your answer). Next, they are given instructions on how to provide feedback to their peers (are they accurate in their assessment, why or why not)?

Level

Definition

Sample Verbs

Applying

The student is applying their knowledge to actual situations.

· Apply

· Change

· Choose

· Compute

· Demonstrate

· Discover

· Employ

· Illustrate

· Interpret

· Manipulate

· Modify

· Operate

· Practice

· Predict

· Prepare

· Produce

· Relate

· Show

· Solve

· Use

· Write

Sample Discussion Prompt (Computer Applications)

You are doing consulting work for a telemarketing client who is using Microsoft Excel to store records and complete tasks where they should be using a database software package such as Microsoft Access or Oracle. The client does not want to spend the money on an additional software package and is having trouble understanding why they need to use a database rather than Excel for record-keeping, because “Excel has the rows and columns that they need.”

Using your information in the text, or APA-cited online resources, write a memo to your client that outlines three reasons why they need to move their record-keeping from Excel into an Access or oracle database. Be sure to illustrate how the new system will benefit the client, along with the outcome if they continue with their current record-keeping strategy. Please post your response by Thursday at 11:59 p.m.

Next, review the proposal of two of your classmates. Did they do a good job “selling” the use of proper database software to the client? Would you switch to using database software after reading this proposal? Why or why not?

What makes this a good discussion prompt? It references how the students will apply their knowledge to an actual situation. They are directed to write a memo and given clear instructions on the posting requirements. Students are to illustrate how the new system will benefit the client and describe the outcome if they continue with their current record-keeping strategy.

Socratic Method

Another way to develop discussion questions or a discussion moderation style is to utilize the Socratic method. This method allows you to moderate discussions from the sidelines, functioning as a “guide on the side” to help your students learn. This approach also helps formulate discussion posts in which there is no clear right or wrong answer to stimulate student thinking.

You can utilize the following Socratic techniques to moderate the discussion board.

Intervene only as necessary to clarify discussion purpose and expectation or to minimalize off-topic discussion
Compose clear communication by following the discussion guidelines you identified for students, thereby serving as a best practice model
Highlight additional perspectives that students may be overlooking.
Enforce standards for maintaining a climate of mutual respect for students and intolerance for flaming
Encourage the participation of students who may be reluctant to share viewpoints or provide constructive feedback to their peers.
Provide a working summary of the discussion that is taking place between students

Developing Questions that encourage critical thought

Another important Socratic technique is asking questions that require critical thought. These are questions for which a simple yes/no answer is impossible. It requires students to go beyond the reading and provide their thinking skills and reasoning powers to engage with the material and come up with a response or a solution. These types of questions typically open up more avenues of discussion between students.

Examples

Emily Rosado Socratic Method Example: ENGL 190

In her ENGL 190 Introduction to Literature course, Montgomery College instructor Professor Emily Rosado has students read “The Red Convertible” by Louise Erdrich.

To understand the requirements of Emily’s discussion board post, please read the following story synopsis. The professor does not provide this to the students, who would have read the work mentioned below.

Synopsis: “The Red Convertible” is a short story about two brothers, one of whom was drafted during the Vietnam War. When the brother who was drafted returns, he is now exhibiting symptoms of PSTD, which is not a known illness in his Native American Community.

The brothers are beginning to bond again when the Veteran walks into the lake to cool off one night. He realizes that the current is taking him away, but doesn’t fight it and ends up drowning.

Discussion question for students:

This discussion response focuses on Louise Erdrich’s “The Red Convertible.” Answer the following questions in your discussion response.

Why did Henry walk into the river?
Was his drowning an accident or a suicide?
Discuss relevant events of the story to support your response.

Why does Emily like using this discussion question for students? “I like this question because there are no right or wrong answers, and students can defend their opinions several ways using the text from the story to support their opinions.”

What makes this a good discussion board post?

Since there is no clear right or wrong answer, students need to bring their critical thinking skills to the discussion board to respond appropriately. This is a clear example of using the Socratic Technique when formulating discussion board posts.

Carrie Fitzgerald Socratic Method Example: ASTR 101

Carrie Fitzgerald teaches an entry-level Astronomy course at Montgomery College. Professor Fitzgerald shares her favorite discussion question that she uses with her students.

Discussion question for students:

It’s not uncommon for some folks to confuse astronomy with astrology. Many people read their horoscopes and believe there is something to it.

Why do you think this is?
How has astrology managed to remain so popular?
Is it a harmless, fun thing?
Should a belief in astrology be discouraged?
Why or why not?”

Why does Carrie like using this discussion question with students? “My goal for the forum is to be a place for the students to interact and get a chance to feel camaraderie with their peers while discussing science. To me, this is the most important aspect of using the discussion board.”

What makes this a good discussion board post?

This discussion board post works well because students need to bring their critical thinking skills to the discussion to answer the question about why people tend to get astrology and astronomy confused. The prompt achieves the goal of facilitating camaraderie and promotes an open exchange of ideas.

Conclusion

You can use many methods to create and moderate rich discussions with your students. These ideas have either solidified your reasons for using your current approach on the discussion board or have given your ideas for new ways to try discussions with your students.

If you have questions about developing discussions for an online, blended, or supplemental course site, contact the ELITE instructional designer on your campus for further information or support.

MC faculty examples provided by:

Jay Crowder, MUSC 136: Music Appreciation

Emily Rosado, ENGL 190: Intro to literature

Carrie Fitzgerald, ASTR 101: Astronomy