Andrea,
All great ideas. There are times that discussions seem to die off too soon. Have you experienced this? Have you found any strategies to get the discussion back on track?
Herbert Brown III
Andrea Millazzo
Forum 3 - Engaging Learners in Discussion
What will be your role in discussions? How will you encourage substantive participation? What strategies will you use to extend learner’s thinking and keep the discussion focused on the intended outcomes?
As instructor, my role in discussions is to foster a creative learning environment promoting review of unit concepts, while incorporating with personal every day professional examples.
To complete active participation daily, I comment to student comments on the discussion board, while also posing questions for further discussion.
Encouraging a positive discussion board with students is key from day one of any online course. In addition, posting of weekly reminders to the discussion forum -- one main posting to the assignment question and two responses on classmate or instructor postings is required for participation. In courses which require a first posting by a certain day of the week, I send out a reminder via email, while posting reminder announcements in the discussion forum, as well as in the main classroom.
Lindsey:
I think having future discussion posts worth more points will encourage students to respond more frequently
Andrea: Hi Lindsey! In my courses, discussion board questions are usually 50 points or less per week. I agree some discussions should be worth more, to push students in participating. After all, in the workforce they will need to either 'sink or swim' so to say and need to learn to be active in discussions.
Alison: Getting them to venture outside of their own world is very gratifying.
Andrea: Hi Alison! This is exactly correct. Students need to feel it is okay to step outside the box in relating unit concepts to everyday experiences. It also provides discussion board confidence.
Keith,
Personal experiences from both the student and the instructor makes the content real and relevant for the students. Incorporating these experiences in the discussion helps to motivate the students to participate and share. Good points.
Herbert Brown III
I find that real life experiences help in conveying the topic of discussion. It also provides a break point in the lecture. We note that as a state change. I allows for students to interject what has happen to them as well. I have had many discussions spur from these experiences and they have added to the course.
My role as a facilitator in discussions is to make certain students stay engage. To do so, I try to make the first initial post to set the tone of the discussion. Asking open ended or thought provoking questions helps to extend the dialogue of the subject matter.
Also, I find when I make the scenario personal, (Ex: "Think about a time when you....." or "What if your family member was in need of a kidney transplant...." students are more likely to stay engaged in the discussion.
ANTHONY,
Do you also require a certain level of depth in the response or just that the students respond to 2 other posts?
Herbert Brown III
One effective approach is to require, in addition to a primary response to the DQs, that students respond to other students in the class. I typically require that a reply be made to a minimum of two other students.
Anthony J Matias
I always encourage the students to follow the requirements of the discussion assignment. When they provide an incomplete response, I tell them to go back to the reading and the question and provide more information. Other times I help them focus on what the assignment is asking.
I think having future discussion posts worth more points will encourage students to respond more frequently. Also, I agree with the other threads in responding to students and encouraging them to go deeper and develop their thoughts and responses.
My strategy is on-going communication. I respect and compliment their thought process; while encouraging them to go beyond their norms. Getting them to venture outside of their own world is very gratifying.
I believe that my role should be inclusive of not only managing the discussion, but also to assure that all course participants benefit from the exercise.
In my current courses, I do set criteria requiring the students to answer the discussion question, and also to assess and add to at least one of their classmates' posts.
I have had some student paste-in text from a website. In those cases, I usually ask the students to distill the posting for the class and relate it to the discussion question at hand.
It is a lot of work! In my courses the students are cohorted for a one-year program, and I have found that if I establish a some sound expectations for forum discussions in the beginning, then the work is a bit easier as we progress through the program.
To encourage ongoing student participation in discussion forums, I usually make a comment to their post that includes a follow-up question. I specifically target the students that either did not meet the discussion requirement (by failing to answer all parts of the discussion question) or those that only met the minimum requirement. I also encourage students to subscribe to the forum so that they are notified when others comment on their post.
Tiffany,
You are right, communication is the key to engaging students and also ensuring they feel your presence in the online classroom.
Herbert Brown III
I always ask follow up questions to students and try to get them to think about the topics either in a different way or with a real-world application. I will also send personal e-mails to students letting them know they did an excellent post that week. This type of encouragement will build their confidence and cause them to continue to participate at a high level or increase their participation. You could do the same for students that meet all of the requirements and never come back for the week. Send that student an e-mail with a short message asking them to respond to your question or another student's post. Constant communication is key with online students and showing that you are paying attention to what a student is or is not doing in the classroom.
Detailed responses with good questions that cause the student to think critically seems to be the best way to keep them engaged in the topic and discussion. Then, continue to respond. If as an instructor I as a question to keep them involved in the discussion, I need to respond to them when they answer the questions. I also feel that it is so important as the instructor to stay engaged each day in the discussion board. I have talked with others who say that they don't want to weigh in too early - but my personal feeling is that it is important for the students to see me engaged in the discussion from the start.
Romanda,
It does sometimes take more questions after they post to continue the discussion. Add personal experiences can also help engage the students deeper in the content and may encourage them to post related personal experiences as well.
Herbert Brown III
John,
Anytime we can make the learning experience more real and relevant for the learner we are doing things right. Personal experiences both yours and the student's help the learner connect with the course material. Do you find this is enough to keep the discussion going, or do you have to ask more questions and "lead" them where you want the discussion to go?
Herbert Brown III
Another way that I try to achieve instructor presence in the classroom is by replying to student Discussion Board posts each week. In my replies, I try to add my own practitioner experience when it's appropriate. If I can find an external link (a website, current event, YouTube video) that is valuable, I'll post that in my reply. I believe that bringing in my own experiences as well as other supplemental materials helps engage the class in a more meaningful way.
Best Wishes,
John Theodore
