06-09-2017, 11:38 AM
In the online instructional environment, discussion questions, messages and responses are the blood of the course. Although writing formal documents and completing exams are typical components of online courses, the gateway to new learning occurs within discussion forums. The discussion forum expands and contracts, or breathes with the relevance of the question to the course, current events and experiences of the faculty and students. Developing engaging conversation questions and statements can be as easy as watching the news, reading current articles or reviewing news sites on the Internet, and then relating the content to the course. The faculty should use their imagination to connect current events with course related material. Questions should not be answered from the textbook lists or regurgitation of the evaluation content of the current unit.
In a traditional classroom setting, discussions can sometimes take on a life of their own and are often dominated by the same handful of students. In an online course, answers are generally required by all students; therefore, conversations should be very engaging and shared throughout the class. The challenge facing the faculty is how to create discussion questions or topics of the statement that keep the students involved and engaged.
The following suggestions can help increase the level of student participation in your online speech:
• Discussion topics should be relevant to the content of the course, but broad enough to apply personal and professional experiences. New learning occurs when students recognize the applicability of the concept to their current job, organization, or future career aspirations.
• Discussion topics should relate to current events, where possible.
• Discussion topics should awaken the interests and concerns of students within their field of study.
• Discussion topics should be based on one another, unit by unit, or week by week.
• Responses / discussion messages should require critical thinking without undue research. Although students need to be motivated to go beyond responding with simplistic opinions; allowing fluent and topically relevant conversations to flourish creates a comfortable learning environment.
• Responses and discussion messages should be free of excessive requirements and restrictions. The quantity could be a requirement, however, the focus should be put on quality. Putting a strong pen on a well-conceived, well-written post that is a couple of words out of the minimal amount of words is a demotivator.
• Discussion responses / faculty messages should encourage further discussion without additional requirements. Attentive students recognize the course requirements and discussion. As instructors, we can ask follow-up questions to elicit a deeper response or to drive new learning, but we should not overburden students to the point of frustration.
• Teachers' discussion responses should facilitate, however, not dominate the discussion.
In a traditional classroom setting, discussions can sometimes take on a life of their own and are often dominated by the same handful of students. In an online course, answers are generally required by all students; therefore, conversations should be very engaging and shared throughout the class. The challenge facing the faculty is how to create discussion questions or topics of the statement that keep the students involved and engaged.
The following suggestions can help increase the level of student participation in your online speech:
• Discussion topics should be relevant to the content of the course, but broad enough to apply personal and professional experiences. New learning occurs when students recognize the applicability of the concept to their current job, organization, or future career aspirations.
• Discussion topics should relate to current events, where possible.
• Discussion topics should awaken the interests and concerns of students within their field of study.
• Discussion topics should be based on one another, unit by unit, or week by week.
• Responses / discussion messages should require critical thinking without undue research. Although students need to be motivated to go beyond responding with simplistic opinions; allowing fluent and topically relevant conversations to flourish creates a comfortable learning environment.
• Responses and discussion messages should be free of excessive requirements and restrictions. The quantity could be a requirement, however, the focus should be put on quality. Putting a strong pen on a well-conceived, well-written post that is a couple of words out of the minimal amount of words is a demotivator.
• Discussion responses / faculty messages should encourage further discussion without additional requirements. Attentive students recognize the course requirements and discussion. As instructors, we can ask follow-up questions to elicit a deeper response or to drive new learning, but we should not overburden students to the point of frustration.
• Teachers' discussion responses should facilitate, however, not dominate the discussion.