online discussions

Exploring the Dimensions of Online Discussion

Why is online discussion worth discussing? For starters, many conversations about this unique form of interaction have centered on its merits. Is it better or worse than face-to-face discussion? As interesting as those conversations have been, what merits analysis now are the implications of those

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What Is the Purpose of Online Discussion?

Nearly all online faculty use discussion in their courses, often simply because everyone else does or their institution’s course development model assumes they do. But like any course content or activity, we need to ask about its purpose. There is no law that all online

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Online Discussions: Five Kinds of Forums

Exchanging ideas, sharing information, and voicing opinions in an online course isn’t the same as doing so when the class meets face-to-face. Even so, some of the same problems emerge: not all students participate, and some offer observations unconnected to previous comments in the exchange.

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Chat as an Alternative to Videoconferencing and Discussion Forums

Faculty who move from face-to-face teaching to online teaching must decide how to facilitate student interaction in a web environment. Nearly all use the asynchronous threaded discussion forum that is a central feature of all learning management systems (LMSs). Some also use synchronous video conferencing,

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Many blank, pale blue speech bubbles forming a cloud

Online Discussions: Would Changing the Environment Help?

Online discussions aren’t a new thing anymore; they regularly occur in online courses and courses with online components. What we’ve learned for sure: they’re a mixed bag. On the plus side, they make participation safer. Students can make a post, walk away, and not worry

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Yellowdig engaging online students

Using Yellowdig to Boost Online Discussion, Simplify Grading

The limitations of traditional online discussion boards are well-known. Yellowdig is an alternative that I have used to simplify grading, encourage student-driven conversations, and engage students so that they consistently participate throughout the semester. With familiar, social media-like features, Yellowdig is an LMS-integrated discussion tool

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engaged-discussion-board

How Superheroes Can Bring Your Discussion Board to Life

Late last summer we set the goal to liven up our discussion boards. We wanted a forum that encouraged diverse points of view, student questioning, and respectful debate. We did so by creating the gamified discussion board called Discussion Hero. Discussion Hero has students adopt

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new twists for online discussions

Five New Twists for Online Discussions

Most online courses have what we call “traditional discussions,” which follow the read-write-post (and perhaps reply to a peer or two) pattern. Even if the discussion questions are interesting, both instructors and students can get tired of the same old routine. We recommend trying any

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facilitating effective online discussions

Seven Ways to Facilitate Effective Online Discussions

Unlike a lot of faculty teaching today, Brian Udermann learned about the potential of online discussion boards almost by accident. It all happened about 15 years ago when he noticed the online discussion forum feature in his institution’s new learning management system and decided to

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student engagement

Classroom Discussions: How to Apply the Right Amount of Structure

While preparing for a Teaching Professor Conference session on facilitating classroom discussions (much of which applies to online exchanges), I’ve been reminded yet again of the complexity involved in leading a discussion with students new to the content and unfamiliar with academic discourse. hile preparing

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Why is online discussion worth discussing? For starters, many conversations about this unique form of interaction have centered on its merits. Is it better or worse than face-to-face discussion? As interesting as those conversations have been, what merits analysis now are the implications of those features that differentiate online from face-to-face discussion. Online discussions are written exchanges minus nonverbal cues, offered asynchronously and with required comments and responses tied to teacher-provided structures. Those separated but interconnected features have implications for the teacher who plans, facilitates, and assesses the exchanges; for students who are learning to engage in digital academic discourse; and for how course content is to be learned.

Normally, entries in our It’s Worth Discussing collection focus on a topic as it’s presented in a single scholarly article. But in this case I was unable to find an article that explored these very important implications with the depth and detail a worthwhile discussion merits. What follows is a collection of quotations from various articles and potential discussion questions. It’s such an important topic. With the recent move to extensive remote learning, increasingly online discussions are becoming a bread-and-butter learning activity in our courses. Their features deserve our focused attention.

The articles

Aloni, M., & Harrington, C. (2018). Research based practices for improving the effectiveness of asynchronous online discussion boards. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology, 4(4), 271–289. https://doi.org/10.1037/stl0000121

Dixon, C. S. (2014). The three E’s of online discussion. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 15(1), 1–8.

Heuer, B. P., & King, K. P. (2004). Leading the band: The role of the instructor in online learning for educators. Journal of Interactive Online Learning, 3(1). http://www.ncolr.org/jiol/issues/pdf/3.1.5.pdf

Mandernach, B. J., Forrest, K. D., Babutzke, J. L., & Manker, L. R. (2009). The role of instructor interactivity in promoting critical thinking in online and face-to-face classrooms. MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 5(1), 49–62. https://jolt.merlot.org/vol5no1/mandernach_0309.pdf

Smith, T. W. (2019). Making the most of online discussion: A retrospective analysis. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 31(1), 21–31. http://www.isetl.org/ijtlhe/pdf/IJTLHE3172.pdf

Key quotations and discussion questions

1. Moving beyond the relative merits of face-to-face and online discussions

“Our results challenge the traditional comparison between online and face-to-face instruction . . . shifting the focus from a superficial analysis of the comparative value of each instructional mode to a more insightful investigation of instructional factors that are uniquely relevant and valuable in the distinctive settings created by online and face-to-face education” (Mandernach et al., 2009, p. 58).

2. Considering online discussion in light of general goals for online environments

Online environments “should foster a sense of community, encourage tolerance of conflicting ideas and viewpoints, require research and citing sources that will support opinions, and enable students to find their own voices, whether in agreement or disagreement with their peers” (a source quoted in Dixon, 2014, p. 4).

3. The implications of online discussion features for teacher planning, facilitation, and assessment

“Online discussion is not the ‘easy way’ for instructors to teach a class. Rather, online discussion involves perhaps more time and preparation in order to assure that each student receives the maximum opportunity for learning” (Dixon, p. 6).

In this work a group of online teachers was asked to describe their role, and they characterized it

“as active and evolving during [the course]. They expected the instructor to act as a planner, a role model, a coach, a facilitator and, above all, a communicator. These roles are interconnected and overlapping, with different emphases at different times and in varying degrees throughout the life of the course” (Heuer & King, 2004).

“Our findings suggest that the asynchronous component of online learning does not inherently prompt students toward enhanced critical thinking” (Mandernach et al., p. 58).

“Our findings indicate that the forum in which discussion occurs (face-to-face or online) is not as important to the development of critical thinking as the ability of the instructor to effectively facilitate discussions activities. The challenge for instructors is to adapt the familiar and comfortable discussion facilitation strategies of the traditional, face-to-face classroom to the unique dynamics of the asynchronous, online classroom” (Mandernach et al., p. 58).

“It might seem that online instruction simplifies the role of the instructor. However, these data indicate the need for the instructor’s constant, continuing, informed, and observant involvement” (Heuer & King).

4. Implications of online discussion features for students

“One of the greatest challenges of online discussion is low student participation and engagement. There are many reasons why students either do not contribute at all to online discussions or contribute in a shallow manner” (Aloni & Harrington, 2018, pp. 273–74).

Here are the reasons listed in the article:

  1. Confusion about the instructors’ expectations; not understanding the purpose or value of the discussion
  2. Low-level prompts that call for a single, fact-based answer
  3. Poor management of the discussion (domination by the teacher or a few students, informal “texting” language, inappropriate content)
  4. Student feelings of not being connected to or valued by classmates or the instructor (or both)
  5. Misunderstanding or difficulty interpreting the responses of others due to the absence of emotional cues

5. Implications of online features for acquisition of content knowledge