Discussion Board Posts
Misunderstandings are more common with email than other communication methods. In helping students to communicate effectively online I always tell them to double check what for grammatical errors by typing their discussion boards in a word document before submitting. In general, do you think that student discussion board messages should be short and to the point or do you think that students should post a reasonable response?
Sean ,
You bring up a very good point. I use a rubric for discussion board posts and provide examples of excellent and poor posts in the syllabus. That's helpful. Thanks for your input.
A reasonable response certainly, it should be substantive. In other words the post should have meaning. I should be able to grasp to some extent how the student feels, thinks, or believes about a topic. The "I agree" post should be an extrapolation of further information that supports why you agree. Tell me more, how do you really feel. The discussion board in my opinion is an ongoing conversation. With that understanding when do we ever provide short limited responses and answers during a conversation that we want to participate. It is simply not the basis of how we communicate.
Doris,
Misunderstandings can occur. It's important to keep emails clear and concise to help avoid as many misunderstandings as possible. As for the discussion board, I think it depends on the purpose of the discussion. Some can be short/concise and some may need more information and a substantial response. Thanks!
