Encouraging Interaction with the Forum
Many students are intimidated by the thought of interating with their peers within a discussion forum. What are techniques used to encourage interaction and eliminate intimidation with the forum?
I just received an email from a student thanking me for my interaction with the class during discussion threads. She said it seems like she is "learning from a friend".
Is that good?
I once met a lady who's husband had taken online courses. When I told her that I was an online instructor she almost fell off her chair. She did not realize that online instructors were real people. She thought the courses taught themselves (somehow)!
So putting up a picture and a short bio would help student know that they are dealing with a live person and not a computer program.
Should this question be asked at the END of the class or at the beginning? I teach economics and during the first week of class, students have no idea why they are taking the course (it is a requirement for most) or what the course will turn out to be about. It is after Week 1 when we go over a brief overview of the course that they begin to get a clearer picture of where the course is going. It is not until the end of the course that I ask them this type of question about how they will apply what they have learned to their work.
Careful thought needs to go into coming up with good open ended discussion questions. I was just reading an article yesterday about Person A that asked a question to Person B "Does your dog bite?" Person B said "No" and so Person A went ahead to pat the dog only to get bitten instantly. Person A shouted "I thought you said your dog does not bite" and person B answered, "That's not my dog." I thought that was hilarious. The initial question was wrong.
How should Person A have framed this particular question to get the correct response?
I have used additional forums where students can voice their opinions regarding any topic. It's not so formal and outlined. It also gives them freedom, and it's something they really appreciate.
Providing a profile of yourself is a great way for students to get to know you as a teacher as well as see you as a "real person" instead of the teacher behind the computer. I agree that it is also helpful for students to share some information about themselves as well.
In my initial Welcome Announcement, I direct students to go to the Participant list to read my profile. My Profile includes a photo, my educational background, my philosophy on the learning process, my history with our school and a little bit of personal information, such as hobbies.
I want my students to know a little bit about me and see me as a real person.
I also invite my students to post their own pictures and profile, so they can get to know each other.
It is always a good idea in any course to have the students discuss why what they are learning will help them in their chosen career field. So many times students struggle to make that connection, especially if it is a general education course.
You are right James. A good discussion topic is specific but also allows for rich dialogue.
Yes, that is a great idea. Thanks Kimberly.
For the first forum of any class I teach online I ask my students what they hope to learn and how can it be applied to their chosen career field. This allows for students who are in the same career field/major to connect. I also provide a rubric with an example for the forum so my students know exactly what I am looking for in a forum response.
Great idea James. It is great when students are able to identify similarities with each other.
Direction is essential whether the discussion is taking place in a classroom or online.
Designing a discussion topic that will be interesting and engaging is the first challenge that has to be met. I have seen some awful topics, such as "Discuss crime." That was it. Yikes!
I think that this is a helpful idea to post a light hearted topic to ease into the discussion posts. Students can then warm up their thought process in preparation to posting on their discussion forum assignments.
I have actually found that students are less intimidated sharing their thoughts on the discussion forum than in person during a residential class. But certainly providing students with specific direction on what you are expecting in a posting is very important.
I always start with a "meet and greet" discussion that's not graded or mandatory. It gives the students the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the platform, and to find something out about each other. Usually there are people who live close to each other, or work in similar jobs, or are military families, or have some similar connection that helps them feel included.
