I feel that in order for students to become fully engaged in the classroom, the instructor would needs a presence in the classroom. Therefore, the instructor should also be active and visible in the classrom. This type of activity shows that the instructor is engaged, and thus, the student should also be engaged in the classroom.
I agree with your statement overall. When conducting my chats I try to stress a two way communication with the students. I will ask them to share their thoughts with the class on a topic and give practical example related to the topic to promote additional dialog.
Being involved in the classroom and the virtual world is essential to keep the students engaged. Having previously taken an online course with physical classroom requirements I believe it's very important to keep the students' attention by providing quality feedback and encouraging questions.
The trick to the discussion board is making it a a discussion--not just one student talking, but a discussion between students and instructor. One of the ways to make it a discussion is to do what you suggested which is asking follow-up questions and letting the students know you are engaged in the discussion along with them.
I could not agree more. If we expect students to be actively involved in class discussions, we as instructors must be actively involved in these discussions. We must "walk the talk"!
Mark McMullen
I am total agreement that instructors must be actively involved in classroom discussions. This shows that we care - and helps motivate a higher level of student response and participation in class discussions. I regularly post follow up questions to the class in Discussion Board forums basing my questions on points discussed in student posts. I ask the class to further consider certain points that students are making and answer my questions relating to these points directly providing rationale to defend their responses!
Mark McMullen
I agree that participating in the discussions is a great way to show students you really care about their learning. And it is a great way to set an example for your students. Thanks for sharing Debra.
Hello All,
In my discussion forums, I often post follow-up questions that probe students to think further. My questions are related to the original question. Students are encouraged to review the follow-up questions and provide a reponse to remain actively engaged in the course throughout the week. At best, I try to make the questions interesting...and related to current business world practices, etc. Additionally, it breaks the routine of reviewing peer postings to the same question.
To model the appropriate behavior, I have my own attendance policy to participate at least 4 days per week in each graded thread. Some schools require as many as 5 day responses without missing 2 consecutive days in a row. When students see me actively engaged in the course, they know that I am actually "watching" and "reading" their replies as opposed to just mandating participation.
Thus far, I've had good participation in the threads with these practices.
Debra
I agree John. It is hard to expect our students to engage in their learning when we are not modeling the behavior!
