Encouraging Participation in Discussions
Everyone wants to be heard. Providing feedback on posts encourages participation in discussion forums and lets the students know their instructor cares about what they post. What are other ways to encourage participation in discussion forums?
Lauren,
I out timelines out and they have to engage early or they do not get all the points for their posting. Deadline work for me,
Cally,
Glad you found something new to try in this forum. It's good to continue to learn from each other.
Thanks.
One of the major problems that I have faced is getting students to engage in discussions early in the week. It is always a couple students who respond and then the others wait till I give them feedback and then reword my responses. Any advice?
Lauren Dotson
That is a great way to get their attention and make them more likely to comment. I will try this in my next class, after all, humor always gets a reaction and makes discussions less of a drag.
Pamela,
When you bring in the real world, students (especially non-traditional) will have more of a connection. It's also good to summarize a discussion at the end of the week or module or whatever you are using. You can do that or have students do that.
Cathleen,
Good. Glad it makes sense to you. We do see a lot of repetition and we have to put it all together.
Thanks!
I like the idea of helping students to connect their content to the real world.
I also feel that it is import to include activities that help to build student engagement. A fundamental area to consider is the importance of building a learning community which further encourages student participation in the discussion threads.
That's a great idea. We require at least 1 post and at least 2 responses to other students each week. Sometimes I feel like I'm reading the same posts over and over. I'm going to use that technique. Thanks!
Randy,
Connecting content to the real world is important to all students, but especially non-traditional, older students. Keep up the good work.
I try to tie the lesson to a real world event. That way the student is not just getting theory, but can evaluate what they are learning against actual practices.
/Randy
Christopher,
Cool. So at what time will you provide a direct reply? Applying the information to real world examples is essential for adult learners. Thanks!
I like to make a pact with the students that if they post by a certain time, I will also post a direct reply. This helps to show strong interest in their work. I also make sure to apply the information to real-world examples to make the material more relevant and interesting.
LaFanya ,
Anything you can do to extend the conversation is excellent. Keep up the good work.
The instructor can refer one student to another student's post and ask a specific question concerning the post. This would extend the conversation and allow the student to give a different perspective on the topic being discussed.
Chelsea,
Good idea. Giving students more information may help them develop better discussions. Thanks for your input.
I like to post "supplemental" information in the DB and ask questions about it. Sometimes I post a video or an image and ask them to comment. Typically this is something funny that relates to our content, or even something controversial or "really cool." Seems to work well!
Ralph,
Ah - seems simple too doesn't it - just ask a good question. ;-) You are so right. We have to think carefully about what we ask because you get what you ask for. ;-)
There is no doubt in my mind the that most valuable tool to engage a student in an online discussion is the question. Following up on their post with a probing question seems to unlock more thoughts.
I also believe that the question should be based in the "real world" context to really engage a student.
Theoretical questions tend to be ignored or do not render and concrete thought.
Ben,
Yes, we want all students engaged in the discussion board, but we want to make sure those are substantial posts and not a simple "I agree" or "Yes." I use a simple rubric to show students what I am looking for in discussion board posts. They like to see examples of good and bad posts so they know what they need to be doing. Thanks!
