Facilitating without taking over
I am finding that I should be more present in the course forums. I think by gently guiding the students they may start to participate more thoughtfully and pay more attention to guidelines.
Agnes,
The can be. Have you tried making students be in charge of the forum discussion? You still have to monitor or facilitate but they are in charge of leading the discussion and providing a wrap up. I find it works.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I am not keen on structured forum discussions. Specifically, when forum questions are pre-set. The guidelines are so specific they are limiting.
Just trying to meet the minimum forum requirements takes a lot of effort and time, and this means students do not really get involved, as much as they could if the forum guidelines were less structured and more flexible.
Lisa,
What would be your expectations? Do you require students to post a certain way?
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I would recommend having the students work as a team and provide feedback to each others posts.
Genieve,
True, how do you help students engage with each other? I want students to understand the role of the learning community; what is your strategy(ies)?
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Dr. Kelly,
I agree with your strategy. I strongly play the role to encourage students to take the role in discussions by asking thought provoking questions within my online classroom. As you know sometimes there are challenges with having the student interact with one another.
Genieve
kelia,
I think that is a great strategy. You want to nudge not overtake. It can be a challenge. I often have students lead the discussion as a group.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
