My role in the discussions would to encourage the student by responding to their response and asking more questions about the discussion. I will monitor the discussion and keep the student focus on the discussion.
My role is to sitmulate conversation. Therefore, when I respond to my student's post I lead them into additional conversation by pointing out key points.
I believe that my role in the discussions, in part, will be to entice the students to want to continue to learn about that particular topic. If I tap into their interest, perhaps that will spark more relevant questions through the duration of the course. With the intended outcomes in mind on my part, I think the skills of the instructor facilitating the on-line course in a way that allows students of different learning styles to participate is a great start to a life (or course) full of learning.
It is important to engage the student in Discussions in order to demonstrate to them that you are reading the Post and Replies. If the instructor quires the student on the Post or Reply with additional questions, this will assist with "drawing the student out" into online verbiage with the instructor or other students. Ask questions! The student will often want to please the instructor with an answer (i.e. participation!)
Almost all students will supply the minimum acceptable, and many try to deliver below the minimum acceptable expectations on discussions. I find that in the first discussions of the course the students "feel out" the instructor's tolerance for discussion delivery content and completness of the answers. For example, even with Expectations clearly delineated, if the discussion expectations list 3 to 5 paragraphs, many students have become accustom to an A for 3 paragraphs, a B for two paragraphs, and a C for 1 paragraph. After the grades and feedback for the Module 1 discussions are received, a student will ask why his or her one or two paragraph response, given the superior quality of the post did not get the A it deserved? After the first Module discussion grades and feedback, the quality and content of the discussion responses goes up dramatically.
As we all know, the use of the discussion forums is predominantly student-driven communication with little instructor participation. The amount of participation by the instructor significantly reduces the impact that the instructor can have on the students, even though, discussion forums provide an opportunity for an instructor to interact with every student.
The fact is, instructor can guide, but cannot dominate the discussion in a discussion forums. However, you need to maintain an active presence when and establish student-to-teacher conversation when necessary when you see that a student or more will be satisfied with meeting the minimum requirement. Give such students opportunities to respond to you by asking them questions.
Research shows that students are more responsive to questions posed by other students, than to those posed by instructors. It is also clear that instructor feedback and participation provides a personalized interaction with students, so such feedback should be used in a way to boost students’ interest in continuing the discussion. Therefore, you may refer to their “student-to-student†interaction in your grading comments, which should show them that you value that in your grade. In addition, you can participate more in an encouraging role by posting affirmations and reinforcing summaries of student contributions, participating when necessary. This should encourage students’ participations when see that they can get recognitions for their contributions.
Zak Saleh
My role in that case is to have a one-on-one with eh disengaged student to see where the disconnect is and to get the student to do the maximum rather than the minimum.
This goes along with my expectations for my classrooms. In our first live chat together and I go over my expectations from them, I also make a statement about their discussion boards. I simply tell them that since their first discussion is due on Wednesdays each week - the least I can do is be in their classroom on Thursday morning to respond to those who posted on time. First... by saying this and following through - I have doubled the number of student responses (by deadline) within my classes. I respond to each one of my students so none feel left out. In doing so, I also throw out a challenge question to each of them that I encourage them to respond to and to research. This too, works extremely well.
Lisa,
I agree, when you ask open-ended questions the students have to think more and apply their knowledge to a problem or topic. Sometimes it is difficult to get students to continue in the discussion outside of an initial posting. It is also sometimes difficult for them to respond with the level of "detail" you might expect. How might you keep those students going in the discussion or get them to contribute more to the discussion?
Herbert Brown III
Asking open ended questions allows the student to think and then give their opinion or thoughts on the subject.
Responding to answers, asking open ended questions, and asking students to supply/provide examples is a great way to engage more discussion and participation from students.
It is very important to go back to discussion board forums and follow up on any questions asked to students. Failure to do so will show you don't care.
I find that a simple "grade" for a post can be helpful to encourage multiple entries. However, rather than pointing out grammatical/mechanical issues, I focus solely on content, logic and clarity. I also let students know that active involvement positively impacts their overall grade. This technique works for me in the majority of instances.
The key is to keep the threads/posts going. So, if the responses to the initial discussion questions are no longer keeping the board active, posting additional question(s) as it relates to the content of the topic can reactive the discussion , and encourage students to participate more.
Brian,
What are some things that you do in your courses to address procrastination? This is certainly a problem in all courses and even more so in online courses.
Herbert Brown III
I agree that this can be a problem, but most students are just procrastinating, work full time, family, or many other excuses. If they want to they will get it done. I let them know I care.
Hello Herbert,
I believe that my role in the discussion forum is to make sure that I keep the student engaged by asking open ended questions. Also, I believe that the responses should be spread out throughout the week to make sure that you are keeping the student engaged. sharing personal stories in reference to the subject matter also intrigues them to ask questions.
Genieve
Although I may respond to a students post with a probing question, in many instances if the student has completed the minimum requirement they do not check back and do not answer the question.
If that happens I will sometimes mention it during the grading session of the discussion and indicate that their grade could have been enhanced with a response to the question.
Hi everyone,
It is essential to get students involved in class discussion. It is also helpful to explain the value of their participation and what they can expect to get out of the experience. I find that it is worthwhile to take time to identify what is expected and how to listen to others, how to paraphrase, how to involve other members of the group. Students need to understand that they share the responsibility for making the discussion a worthwhile experience. This is a new idea for most of them. Assigning a specific topic to write about helps students prepare for the discussion. I also like to create a survey or questionnaire around common misconceptions of the online learning environment to debunk some of the myths.
Andrea,
Making content real and relevant for the students is so important. It ensures that students truly understand and connect with their learning. Instructor and student real world examples are extremely important toward this end.
Herbert Brown III
