Communicate: Discussions 4.2.3

Communicate: Discussions 4.2.3

What role or purpose do discussion forums serve in the online classroom and are they effective?

Discussion in f2f classrooms have long been sanctioned as a tool of engagement, interaction, and learning. The online classroom is in a unique position to take these discussions to the next level as participants have to opportunity to ponder, research, and check their writings before posting.  When exemplary discussions are posted, is is often the case that responses and more discussion will follow on that post.  When instructors are present in the discussion area, as indicated by their participation, the quality of the discussion is higher than when instructors are silent observers.  It is through discussion that classmates get to know each other enough to consider teaming up for group projects and other collaborative endeavors.  Discussion forums also provide a measure of feedback for instructors as they simultaneously engage students and improve morale. If instructors are present and participating effectively, discussion forums can also be used to develop more positive attitudes among the participants.

How do discussion forums function as a teaching tool?

As a teaching tool, discussion forums stimulate thinking and provoke responses from forum members. Depending on the topic, the level of excellence set by the instructor, and the level of motivation of the participants, discussion forums can provide a major component of the intellectual exercise required to train up a highly qualified professional mind!  Depending on the level of engagement and interaction, discussions can inspire a participant to search for evidence in support of- or evidence against any claim made by another participant.  Some discussion threads can be heavily populated to the 4th and 5th level.  In this example, the participation in the discussion inherently causes learning to take place.  The more robust the argument, ahem, discussion, the more motivated students are to learn as they engage in higher levels of thinking.

How could they be used effectively and ineffectively?  Furthermore, what are some best practices for facilitating forums online?

For discussions to be effective, they need to be monitored.  The instructor must have presence online and act to keep discussions within the parameters necessary.  By the use of excellent questioning skills, the instructor could put his students in a situation where the discussion forum lives well beyond the assignment.  It is also important for instructors to reply in  meaningful way to all first level posts.  There should be a requirement that each student participate in a third level strand in at leas one post per discussion question.

Ineffective discussions are ones that are not monitored and in which the professor has not presence or participation.  Sometimes students post a discussion and not a single person responds.  This is a travesty of sorts- and the instructor has a responsibility to support all students in their learning, and leaving a discussion post responseless could indicate the student that the instructor does not care for them. One of my first classes in the Instructional Technology Program was one with a professor who merely counted posts and responses to issue a grade.  Furthermore, all of the grading was done at the very end of the semester.  There was very little instructor presence in the class- and none in the discussion forums.  We thought we were all alone in there.  Unfortunately, the instructor missed some key opportunities to influence us through the discussions, and several students left that class with very bad feelings.

Ultimately, the discussions are only as effective as the participants are active and engaged.  The best discussion class ever was one from last fall where the instructor was present and the students posted insightful and challenging responses.  There were many 3rd, 4th and 5th level threads to these discussions.  For the first time in my graduate degree experience, I learned what it was to be a part of a robust and interactive learning community.  (Thank you, Dr. D'alba!)