This advice applies to any learning activity, of course, but in this case it’s important to attend to the unique aspects of the virtual format. Do you want students to use the “raise hand” feature to be called on? If not, should they identify themselves verbally before speaking? Even basic expectations such as self-muting can make virtual discussions go much more smoothly. Teachers are likely accustomed to seeing many faces looking back at them, but for students, the interface may feel disorienting and intimidating.
Here are the 8 top ways to spark meaningful online discussions and keep the flame burning bright in your eLearning course. Facilitating meaningful online discussions requires a combination of structured engagement strategies, robust technology, and continuous analytics. Whether managing a professional network, educational forum, or brand community, the goal is to foster valuable conversations that drive learning, collaboration, and growth.
Share this slide with students through Google Classroom as an assignment using the Students Can Edit option. Once students are in the slide together (up to 50 can work together at one time), instruct them to write their name on one rectangle. These strategies can be used by teaching staff as well as students.
Create A “talking Point” Schedule
By requiring live video, however, we are asking to insert ourselves into potentially private spaces. If a student feels self-conscious about their visible surroundings, they may feel less comfortable contributing to the discussion. Video may also overload a student’s bandwidth if their equipment and connection are not ideal. Most video platforms allow for a text-based chat option as a sort of “public backchannel.” Let students know if you’ll check the chat for comments and questions.
No Low Effort Posts
A professor can schedule regular and consistent start and end dates of discussions to keep students on track. Setting early due dates on the posts allows students enough time to reply before the end of the discussions. Making the discussion schedule a permanent part of the syllabus allows students to plan their time effectively.
No different than the first day of school in a classroom, a teacher should establish what the normalized behavior expectations are for their online discussion. Depending upon the grade level of your students, you may have to shift. Wait time is a useful teaching technique, but extended silences can sap the class’s energy, especially in virtual environments.
This strategy is an important one to implement within your subject site. Conducting synchronous sessions over Zoom or Webex additionally require setting of expectations for participating; for example, whether you’d like students to use the ‘hand up’ functionality of the software. In the next article in this series (featured April 5th), we will explore ways to use discussions to foster learner exploration of concepts. Finally, the lack of emotional cues about the author of a written post makes it difficult to properly formulate a response.
By implementing these techniques and leveraging the best tools available, facilitators can create vibrant, dynamic, and impactful online discussions that benefit all participants. Do you want students to meet your expectations for online participation? Allow time for students to respond to each other, before commenting.
Dr. Annie Prud’homme-Généreux is the director of continuing studies at Capilano University. She is a past recipient of the National Association of Biology Teachers’ Four-Year College/University Teaching Innovation Award. She has been teaching in a blended format for over 15 years and is currently completing a master of education in open, digital and distance education.
One of WBT’s foundational techniques is Teach-OK, a peer teaching strategy that begins with the teacher spending a few minutes introducing a concept to the class. It’s a bit like think-pair-share, but it’s faster-paced, it focuses more on re-teaching than general sharing, and students are encouraged to use gestures to animate their discussion. Although WBT is most popular in elementary schools, this featured video shows the creator of WBT, Chris Biffle, using it quite successfully with college students. I have also used Teach-OK with college students, and most of my students said they were happy for a change from the sit-and-listen they were used to in college classrooms.
As Viji Sathy and Kelley A. Hogan remind us, “All students appreciate and thrive from additional structure, and some benefit disproportionately,” (Hogan and Sathy 2020). Be kind with yourself and your students, and continue to provide opportunities for reflection on how the discussions are going and how they can better support students’ learning. Finally, create a glossary of terms in the course, which will be essential so that students can refer often to it when unsure of the language used in the forums.
He quickly changed the subject to looking at bigger homes in cheaper areas. Do not post just an article, highlight the parts of the article you find relevant or offer some commentary surrounding the article. Do not post your youtube, twitter, discord, app, tool, blog, referral code, event, survey, etc. We generally expect that people who come here are not using the forum to build a brand, generate clicks, or shill.
You can read more about how Abby structures and facilitates these online discussions HERE. The third step to lead online discussions is to evaluate the learning and engagement outcomes of the discussion. You can do this by using both formative and summative methods, such as rubrics, self-assessments, peer feedback, surveys, or quizzes. You should also provide timely and specific feedback to the participants, highlighting their strengths, areas for improvement, and suggestions for further learning. You should also reflect on your own performance as a discussion leader, and identify what worked well and what can be improved. Online discussions are a great way to engage learners, share ideas, and foster collaboration.
- Write a list of tips and guidelines and pin it to the top of your message thread for quick reference.
- After finishing your human bar graph, be sure to discuss patterns and what those patterns might reveal.
- Be aware of different cultural patterns and communication styles.
- More sustained reflections might be rotated among smaller groups of students in the form of blog or discussion board posts.
- You should also emphasize how each online discussion topic relates to the learning objectives and goals.
When preparing for a virtual discussion, take time to mentally walk through the learning objectives, driving questions, and key takeaways. Students flounder in the face of poorly articulated questions or unexpected shifts of activities. Boosting the signal of a peer’s question or comment, perhaps with additional thoughts, provides students with additional opportunities for meaningful participation. It also encourages them to practice embedding their thoughts and questions in a larger context, a key skill for research and research-based communication. If a class meeting involves a mix of lecture and discussion, cue that shift explicitly, set a time frame, and let students know the specific goals of the discussion at hand. Should they aim to get a sense of how the class reacted to a reading?
This will keep the meeting moving forward, https://dela-chat.com/ engaging students, and it provides security for the online learner because they know what to expect from their teacher. For all students, establishing these rules and sharing them at the beginning of each discussion will set the tone for your online learning. This could be a new concept for students, as well as educators, and they need to know what is expected.