Explain at the start of the course the https://talk-liv.com/ reason and value of the discussions, and outline the discussion methods you will use. If students perceive the value they will make them a priority. Thoughtful engagement truly enhances the learning experience for all.
Get others thinking (and writing) by making bold statements or including open-ended questions in your message. Those who post first are most often responded to and cited by others. Remember to check back and see if and how others have responded to your ideas. Review the Advanced Discussion methods in this chapter.
The online environment comes with many benefits, including learning from your peers in addition to your instructor. Use the time productively to hone lifelong skills and refine your ideas about the course content. Review the discussion guidelines for how long your posts should be. If length is not specified, write one to two meaningful paragraphs because long messages are difficult to read online. Another consideration is to make only one main point in each post, supported by evidence and/or an example. If you’re the first to post, strive to encourage discussion.
In fact, one of the advantages of online discussions, social media groups, and other collaboration tools is their versatility. The possibilities are endless when it comes to their eLearning applications. Students may submit their own questions in advance or provide commentary that can serve as a jumping-off point for discussion.
Openly Discuss How Virtual Discussions Feel Different Than In-person Discussions
It’s normal to feel intimidated by the amount of information to track during a virtual discussion. If you’re lucky enough to have a TA, they can help by monitoring the participants and chat window, bringing things to your attention at the right moment or preemptively responding to questions. If a class meeting involves a mix of lecture and discussion, cue that shift explicitly, set a time frame, and let students know the specific goals of the discussion at hand. For example, do you want them to interpret a dataset? Should they aim to get a sense of how the class reacted to a reading? Or, will students pitch and critique solutions to a problem they’ve explored?
- Give positive feedback to one another, use light humour, avoid comments that could be taken as insulting, use first names, respond promptly to each other, and offer assistance.
- International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 31(1), pp.21-31.
- Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is co-ordinated within the Office of Indigenous Relations.
- For all students, establishing these rules and sharing them at the beginning of each discussion will set the tone for your online learning.
As Viji Sathy and Kelley A. Hogan remind us, “All students appreciate and thrive from additional structure, and some benefit disproportionately,” (Hogan and Sathy 2020). Be kind with yourself and your students, and continue to provide opportunities for reflection on how the discussions are going and how they can better support students’ learning. Research based practices for improving the effectiveness of asynchronous online discussion boards.
More Relevant Reading
Anytime you have a group of people gathered in one place, even if it’s online, disagreements are bound to happen. Fortunately, you can minimize the impact of these disagreements by developing a conflict resolution strategy. If the online discussion escalates into an argument, it’s always best to intervene and stress the importance of mutual respect. You can also encourage online learners to discuss their point of view and look at things from a different perspective.
You can read more about how Abby structures and facilitates these online discussions HERE. Discussion forums have the potential to be the most valuable learning opportunity in online environments. Instructors can ignite discussions by requiring substantive posts, asking probing questions, inviting students to participate/share more, or sharing their expertise in the field. This discussion strategy can easily be modified to fit online formats. To modify the fishbowl discussion virtually, teachers can use this digital Socratic Seminar Google resource to help students engage in a meaningful, socially-distanced or Zoom classroom conversation.
Topics
Your contribution should help to make the discussion more productive for all involved. An informative title will help, but also consider including in your reply a quotation from the original message that you’re responding to. If the original message is lengthy, cut out what is not relevant to your response.