But using online discussion tools can be one great way to help your students build these skills. EFFECTIVE QUESTIONS FOR LEADING DISCUSSIONS Effective questions are the key to an effective discussion. A good way to end discussion threads is to post a summary of the main points as well as your thoughts on them. Anticipate responses so that you can plan targeted follow-up questions or responses. Previous posts on this site have offered an excellent introduction to Best Practices for Discussion Board Facilitation, and an overview of current conversations around learning outcomes and instructional implications of online discussion forums. The online discussion board for my class seemed more like an exchange of information than a true discussion. The heart of quality discussion. I’ve found that the best book club discussion questions are ones that are open-ended and that get people to share their personal opinions. Design questions that provoke critical thinking: Closed Questions limit expression, often are answered by repeating information found in a textbook, and constrain students to think in terms of right and wrong answers. Analysis, synthesis, and evaluation questions generally lend themselves to more in-depth discussion of the topic. It’s an essay question and should be left to an essay assignment. Excerpted from Online Learning 2.0: Discussion Questions That Work, Online Classroom, 13.8 (2013): 4,7. It’s not helpful to say something patently outrageous, such as “Passwords should not be required at all.” A good statement that challenges what is being presented in the readings demonstrates that the instructor considers the students co-investigators and allows them to draw upon their wider knowledge base to engage the issues. Managing online discussions of any kind can be a time-consuming endeavor, but it is the heart of a distance education course. If possible, try to clarify how the discussion relates to the lectures or the readings. For example, an instructor may not be sure when and how he or she should intervene in order to guide the discussion in a productive direction. So just in time for a long winter break filled with lots of together time, I'm happy to share that list with you. Vocabulary List . In this post, I aim to provide a closer look by offering … Poll Everywhere. Though it is designed for F2F classes, many tips translate to online learning. The instructor’s presence online emphasizes the value of the discussion, and helps students to retain interest in the discussion and clarity of its purpose. In any case, strive for thoughtfulness and nuance. Therefore, consider periodically responding to individual postings or main themes in the discussion. Yet not all students participate equally in a face-to-face seminar. Think of it as the “invisible hand” in reverse. Don’t toil over getting it perfect—just speak your mind for a few minutes, and post it as a video. Pose good questions. Rubrics Discussion prompts can vary from pithy (e.g., “Discuss [Topic X]”) to verbose (e.g., an entire printed page of instructions). The following are answers to some of the questions they may have. When discussion moves to an online arena such as a Canvas discussion board, many of the same challenges can crop up, along with new ones unique to the digital medium. Revisiting material is good for retention, and these summaries demonstrate that you are keeping abreast of the discussion. 200 Questions to get to know someone – Plenty of great questions on this page that you can use for conversation starters. Collect student feedback; e.g., survey students to find out how the discussion is contributing to their learning. Like Twitter in the classroom, online chats can provide an opportunity to ask questions or make comments during an online lecture. © 2020 Faculty Focus | Higher Ed Teaching & Learning - All Rights Reserved. John Orlando, PhD. The number one mistake is to confuse a discussion question with an essay topic. Invoke disciplinary thought and practice to provide an authentic experience for students. “My ideas about today’s readings” isn’t nearly as cl… A simple "me too" comment that neither expands the conversation nor demonstrates any degree of reflection by the student. But using online discussion tools can be one great way to help your students build these skills. I noticed early that I didn't get the same sense of accomplishment out of my online discussion as I did from my on-campus classes. The concept was developed as a way to understand political structures, but once you understand the concept—really understand it—you find that a lot of ordinary situations are prisoners’ dilemmas. Best Practice: Effective Discussion Questions A special note from Product Management on COVID-19: The team has been taking several pre-emptive infrastructure measures to help prepare for significantly increased traffic as a growing number of schools move to fully online courses. Discussion questions are designed to probe further into some aspect of the weekly course content, which could be through a current event, a recent court ruling, or a related hot-button topic, says Online Services Librarian Sandy Hawes. All Rights Reserved. There are many things that students may want to know before participating in a discussion board for an online class. Developing a positive perspective Engaging in online chats. To ensure that everyone has a chance to read the blog before class, post your response by midnight the evening before class. However, starting with a few knowledge-type questions is an excellent way to get students warmed-up. … Communicate these objectives and their relation to the course to the students to motivate them to participate and monitor their own progress. Below are some question types that will help generate real discussion. How would our interpretation be different with an alternate set of assumptions?”, “What don’t we know about X, and how might that help us consider this issue another way?”, “Can you articulate your point another way or provide an example to clarify it?”. To help the other participants quickly understand what your post is about, be sure that your title clearly indicates the content that will follow. S tudent discussion differentiates online education from the old correspondence courses. However, the best standard for gauging the effectiveness of a discussion prompt may be the degree to which students engage with the topic through unique, critical, and personal substantive postings (Thom… Establish ground rules; e.g., provide examples of good and poor postings for students, clarify when & how participants should challenge the ideas of others, explain your role in the discussion. With constantly changing passwords, users are forced to write them down in an easy-to-find location or use an easy-to-guess algorithm (my street address followed by a ‘1,’ then changed to a ‘2,’ then changed to a ‘3,’ etc.). Soliciting student responses to discussion posts is a common activity in online courses, but assessing the quality of those responses can be challenging for instructors. “What additional evidence is there to support your thinking about X?”, “What assumptions are we making about X? The following real-world discussion topics for learners are some that you can build lessons from on a small or large scale. For example, in a medical ethics course I used the following: A 72-year-old man is admitted to the hospital for a kidney transplant. A great question will challenge your students, sparking collaborative thought-provoking class conversations that lead students to communicate with their peers. S tudent discussion differentiates online education from the old correspondence courses. Best Practice: Effective Discussion Questions A special note from Product Management on COVID-19: The team has been taking several pre-emptive infrastructure measures to help prepare for significantly increased traffic as a growing number of schools move to fully online courses. Description Discussion prompts are the written “springboard” from which online discussions are launched and are essential to encourage shared understanding (Du, Zhang, Olinzock, & Adams, 2008). It requires only a cheap webcam and a few minutes of my time. It is mostly description or summary, without consideration of alternative perspectives, and few connections are made between ideas. Asking students to clarify or elaborate on their ideas, encourage them to react to and build on the comments of others, and add new ideas or directions to the conversation. Tie student ideas together and revisit past contributions to incorporate them in new discussions. Most online faculty know that discussion is one of the biggest advantages of online education. I’ve come to believe that crafting good online discussion questions is just plain hard and instructors fall back on essay questions for lack of better ideas. Tips for Assessing Online Discussion Boards: 1 This example is from Pedagogy and the Class Blog by Mark Sample (August 2009), The Harriet W. Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning, Enhancing Student Learning with Technology, Graduate Student Proctorship in Academic Administration, Seminar for Transformation Around Anti-Racist Teaching, Sheridan-RISD Museum Collaborative Workshop Series, Guidelines for Assessing Student Learning. But this practice actually undermines security. Ask students to bring to class (or post online) 2 discussion questions. Remember to consider how you will determine if the discussion is successful and students are learning. Use proper language. It’s been argued that the highest form of understanding is demonstrated through transfer of principles to new situations. Selecting an effective discussion topic is important, but does not guarantee an interactive, fruitful discussion. In my courses, I require two answers to the initial questions and two additional replies to classmates by the end of each week.Be careful what you wish for, however! If you have TAs assisting with the online discussion, ensure that they model the kinds of interactions you’re aiming for. However, starting with a few knowledge-type questions is an excellent way to get students warmed-up. Plus, the ability to engage in online discussions responsibly is a great 21st-century skill in and of itself. (iStockphoto) When I started my online … Encourage risk-taking in the exchange of ideas because the exploration of understandings and misunderstandings is fundamental to the construction of new knowledge. Alternatively, you can assign different students to post summaries of each discussion. Those classes began and ended at specific times; when the bell rings, you know you're done. Icebreaker Questions for Amazing Group Discussion. Teaching and Learning, Managing Difficult Conversations: Advice for…, In Consider this question in an information security class: A fundamental tenet of information security is that you must force the user to periodically change his or her password. Despite many different wordings, the questions are specifically phrased to let you know exactly how to answer them. Think about your point. What, if anything, do you tell the man, his wife, or the daughter? Case studies are an ideal way to illuminate the practical consequences of different concepts. The summary 2. The question allows for a variety of answers, each of which takes the students deeper into the fundamental issues being taught in the course. Warm-up Task: Talk about the last thing you bought, or play twenty questions and try to guess what each person most recently bought. Return to the Discussion Goals – tell students what you have accomplished during your discussion, and what they may expect for the next discussion or lecture. Expose student misconceptions and questions, Situate abstract tasks into authentic context, Identify key-concepts in a reading or practice close reading, Extend or apply issues developed in the course, Prepare for an in-class discussion; e.g., students can reflect on the readings, answer simple questions, solve simple problems, review concepts, or compare experiences. Plus, the ability to engage in online discussions responsibly is a great 21st-century skill in and of itself. EFFECTIVE QUESTIONS FOR LEADING DISCUSSIONS Effective questions are the key to an effective discussion. Typos, spelling errors, and mixed up sentences reflect on you; correct spelling … Welcome all voices to the forum to create an inclusive sense of community and foster the development of trust and respect in the community members. The following are answers to some of the questions they may have. If you send it to the discussion, the damage is done. JOLT 3:2, June 2007; Best Practices in Online Teaching Strategies, Hanover Research Council; Tips for designing good discussions from The National Teaching and Learning Forum. Over 150+ Great Icebreakers Questions. Try … Require Students to Cite Sources. Start by establishing your learning objectives for the online discussion and identifying how they relate to the course goals. Discussion Responses (AKA Discussion Questions) Almost every class that is either completely online or else has an online component will require students to write discussion responses.These are quite short, and quite focused, commentaries on one of two things: the classroom reading for the week (or lecture, or film, or other material), or the comments of other classmates. There are many things that students may want to know before participating in a discussion board for an online class. There are a number of ways to approach these open-ended posts: consider the reading in relation to its historical or theoretical context; write about an aspect of the day’s reading that you don’t understand, or something that jars you; formulate an insightful question or two about the reading and then attempt to answer your own questions; or respond to another student’s post, building upon it, disagreeing with it, or re-thinking it. Students can then evaluate how well the others’ examples illustrate the concept. But there are still many questions to answer in order to facilitate good discussion online. What are the three criteria used to judge whether patients are competent to make a medical decision for themselves? ESL Conversation Questions: … Shopping Conversation Questions. This infographic highlights a variety of suggestions that can yield more meaningful and deeper online … It is easy to create and share a quick poll with your students to frame a discussion … Discussion forums are a hallmark of asynchronous online courses like those at UNE. If you need more questions, you’ll find them here. Something about hearing a voice and seeing a face captures our attention. © Magna Publications. For example, I’ve taught the classic “Prisoners’ Dilemma” (http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/PRISDIL.html) as part of my ethics and political theory courses. It would be easy to hold online discussions to higher standards than discussions happening face-to-face. Use probing responses rather than authoritative statements to lead the discussion in productive directions and avoid evaluative posts to encourage student ideas and the process of exploration. It integrates examples with explanations or analysis and demonstrates awareness of its own limitations or implications. Provide feedback on student posts; e.g., highlight good examples in class or online. Discussion questions are a great way to explore and apply concepts with critical thinking. I’m a bike racer, and I realized that bike races are examples of the prisoners’ dilemma. It is crucial for instructor to set the stage and establish clear expectations for how students should participate in the discussion. Remember, the online discussion format is the tool, not the curriculum. CREST+ Model: Writing Effective Online Discussion Questions by Akin and Neal. Online chats can provide an authentic experience for students, ensure that they the... Old correspondence courses expands the conversation nor demonstrates any degree of reflection the. A statement that challenges common orthodoxy key to an effective discussion all Rights.! Best available match as a donor provide an authentic context is the key to essay... 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