Discussions: Tips for Effective Online Discussions

Basic Tips for Instructors

Post a code of conduct for online discusussion and suggestions for effective student participation. See below for suggested text.

Start students off with an ungraded discussion, perhaps an ice-breaker, in order to identify and resolve any potential problems.⁵

Set up a specific forum for course management questions. For example, have a topic for students to post questions about the course rather than emailing you directly. You can also provide topics where students can help each other or ask technical questions, as well as a topic for casual conversation.

Create a forum for "Weekly Discussions" and then a separate topic for each week. This will help everyone avoid being overwhelmed by too many messages in a single topic.

Construct meaningful discussion tasks. Carefully frame topics that promote active discussion.³

Keep discussion focused; reframe questions if the discussion goes off topic.³

Set deadlines for responses. Be sure to allow students time to reflect, formulate ideas, and give thoughtful responses.⁴

To foster a lively online discussion, pose effective questions and encourage thoughtful and timely participation.²

Keep conversational groups small (15-20 people at most). The Groups tool will help you set up a private Discussion topics for each group.
Set up the topics with clear, structured, but open-ended questions.
Provide guidance about what you expect from students (length, formality, connection to course materials).
Require students to respond to each other. Set deadlines for initial posts and follow-up posts. Keep your responses strategic (redirection, general summary of good ideas).
Reward thoughtful participation and interaction as well as mastery of content.

Assignment & Activity Suggestions

Assign private discussion space to small groups of 3 to 7 students. Share group achievements with the whole class.
Invite a guest expert to join the discussion for a short time.

Assign a weekly learning journal for students to share their reflections on lessons and readings. Encourage students to respond to one another. Questions might include:

What was the most important thing you took away from our readings this week?
What was the most beneficial learning outcome you achieved through class activities this week? And what best helped you reach that outcome?
What concept or other issue are you struggling with most?
How could this lesson be better delivered to next quarter's class?

Create a discussion forum called “Share” with topics for key themes in your course where students can post links relevant to the course. Ask them to briefly describe how their submissions are relevant and to rate the credibility and quality of presentation.

Use forums to facilitate student peer review of draft papers. Encourage constructive criticism and graceful acceptance of suggestions.

Assign collaborative projects to small groups and ask them to use private group discussions to manage their efforts and ideas. Assign roles such as moderator or summarizer. Have the groups post their finished work in an open discussion forum for other groups to see. (Another assignment could be evaluating other groups' finished projects.)

Use private group discussions to help teams of students prepare for in-class debates for or against an issue.

Use discussions for role-playing exercises. For example:

Ask students to choose a historical person to research and then participate in a discussion as that person. Students studying the Byzantine Empire might choose a historical figure from that period and then answer questions from a reporter for BNN (Byzantine News Network) about their role in the event, such as who they blamed/credited and how they would have done things differently. After students’ responses are posted, they became reporters who ask follow-up questions of their classmates

Suggestions for Students

Participate. In the online environment, it's not enough to show up! Instructors need to "hear" your voices to feel your presence.

Be persistent. If you run into any difficulties, don't wait to submit a report! Contact the Help desk (carmen@osu.edu or 688-HELP). Document what went wrong so that the technical staff can try to replicate and solve the problem. If the Help desk can’t immediately resolve the problem, inform the instructor.

Share tips, helps, and questions. For many of us, online discussion is a new experience. There are no dumb questions, and even if a solution seems obvious, please share it with classmates!

Think twice before pushing the Send button. Make sure to say just what you meant. How will the person on the other end interpret a message? While no one can anticipate all reactions, read over each message before sending.

Remember that we can't see expressions each others' faces. When someone makes a sarcastic comment, others online can't decipher if the person is serious or not. Avoid writing in ways that may be misinterpreted. If someone’s message could be interpreted positively or negatively, assume positive intent.

Don't use typing shortcuts and abbreviations. Since this is a course activity, use more formal language. Explain ideas fully and clearly.

Remember that there is a person reading your message. Ask for feedback if you're not sure how your ideas and comments were construed. If others disagree with what someone has said, "flaming," or ranting is unacceptable; it's the equivalent of having a tantrum, something most of us wouldn't do in a traditional classroom setting.

Online Discussion Code of Conduct

Electronic communications conducted in the course of a class are "public" communications in the same way that classroom exchanges are public. The instructor and other students are bound by the same principles of respect, professionalism, and concern, as in any interaction in one of the University's classrooms or offices. If a student feels that these principles have been compromised in some way, the student should discuss this directly with the instructor.

Stalking and derogatory comments are inappropriate. Stalking someone, or making any derogatory or inappropriate comments or jokes regarding race, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, are unacceptable and subject to the same disciplinary action that they would receive if they occurred in the physical classroom. If students have concerns about something that has been said to or about themselves or other classmates, they should let the instructor know.

Plagiarism, cheating, and other violations are inappropriate. Plagiarism, cheating, and other violations of ethical student behavior are serious actions in a learning community. Just like derogatory comments, this behavior is subject to the same disciplinary action that they would receive if the behavior occurred in the physical classroom.

References

¹ Using Online Discussions to Enhance Face-to-Face Classes. Compiled by Andrea Saltzman Martin, saltzman@sandiego.edu. Retrieved March 14, 2007 from http://www.sandiego.edu/soetech/onlinediscussions/

² Centre for the Support of Teaching (2004). Techniques for Effectively Structuring Online Discussion Groups: Lessons Learned from Experience! Retrieved March 14, 2007 from http://www.yorku.ca/cst/ideas/resources/owston_discuss.html

³ Lim, C.P. (2004). Engaging Learners in Online Learning Environments. TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning, 48(4).

⁴ Peters, K.M. (2004). Creative Use of Threaded Discussion Areas. Retrieved March 14, 2007 from http://www.webct.com/OTL/ViewContent?contentID=898084

⁵ Waterford Institute for Technology (2004). WebCT Discussions Tool: Guide for Designers. Retrieved March 14, 2007 from http://www.wit.ie/library/webct/guides/Discussions_Tool/index.htm