Online discussions require preparation and active management in order to facilitate student learning. Online discussions need goals, structure and a purpose tied to the learning outcomes of a course.

Online discussions should aim to prompt students to reflect and analyze, as well as support and lead students to construct and develop knowledge.

Setting Up Online Discussions for Success

  • Pose a good question: a good discussion starts with a good discussion question. Provide students with relevant, open-ended questions or prompts, avoiding yes/no questions.
  • Provide structure and clear expectations: Providing structure for students to follow leads to better learning. Students need clear parameters for discussion posts; therefore, specify the expected requirements including content, length, frequency, timelines, due dates, etc.
  • Encourage student ownership of the discussion: Encourage students to talk directly with one another. Instructor presence in an online course should not dominate the discussion; rather, it should encourage discussion between students. If students appear stuck, encourage them by stimulating further debate by offering ideas, asking questions, and suggesting resources.
  • Monitor the discussion: Monitor the discussion and participate as needed, but do not comment on all posts. Instructor involvement and feedback are associated with higher levels of student participation. Think of an online discussion board as the equivalent of an in-class conversation. Comment as you would during an in-class conversation by pushing students to dig deeper, pose additional questions, and correct inappropriate or incorrect information.
  • Grading online discussions: When grading online discussions, assess the quality of the posts, not just the quantity alone.
  • Incorporate Student Interactivity: Rather than having all students respond to the same prompt in the same way, incorporate interactivity by requiring variation in students’ responses.

Consider the discussion strategies provided below:

3C +Q Method – Incorporate student interactivity by requiring that students respond to other students using the 3C + Q method created by Jennifer Stewart-Mitchell. This method requires student responses to other students always include at least two of the following:

  • Compliment (e.g., “I like how…”; “I like that…”).
  • Comment (e.g., “I agree that… because…”; “I disagree that… because…”).
  • Connection (e.g., “I also have read/seen/heard/thought that…”).
  • Question (e.g., “I wonder why/how/who/what/when/where…”).

Allow multimedia responses – In addition to written text, allow students to respond to discussion prompts with PowerPoint presentations, YouTube videos, student created video (ie. Kaltura), concept maps, images, etc.

Current Event – Have students research a current event related to that week’s topic and share it with the class on the discussion board (students would include a link to the article or explain where to find information on the event). Students should summarize what happened, explain why it is relevant to the course material, discuss the repercussions, and/or perhaps reflect on what they would have done in that situation.

Jigsaw prompts – Named after social psychologist Elliot Aronson’s jigsaw classroom, these prompts require each student to contribute information that hasn’t been previously contributed.

  • Find a ___ that no one else has found.
  • Describe the ___ in a way that no one else has described.
  • Identify a ___ that no one else has identified.

Post-Work/Reflection – After each week is complete, have students discuss what they learned. Students could answer the following questions or complete the following statements in the discussion board or as a private journal with the instructor: As a result of this week I…..

  • Know more about…
  • Understand better about…
  • Am more skilled at…
  • Have questions about…
  • Need to know more about…
  • Will apply…
  • What understandings have you gained?

Pre-Work/Just-in-time Instruction – Post a weekly discussion question about the course topics, reading assignment, and/or upcoming lesson. Students would answer the question on the discussion board, to be completed the day before the lesson. With the discussion question, require that students also answer the question: What did you find most difficult? What did you find most interesting? Read the responses before class and adjust your instructional plan for that day depending on student responses. If several students appear to be having difficulty with a concept, then build in more instruction time or another activity to help teach that concept.

Reflection Journals – Reflection provides the opportunity for self-development, critical review, helps to process information and enhances communication skills. This assignment asks students to record thoughts, observations, feelings and questions. Throughout the course, ask students to write weekly or biweekly reflection journal entries. These entries could either be posted to a private group discussion board, visible to only the student and instructor, or could be posted to a whole-class discussion board for all students to view. Reflection journals are designed to be intentionally free-form and open-ended. If desired, use the following prompts to get started:

  • I felt…
  • I was challenged by…
  • I found _______ to be extremely helpful…because
  • I was frustrated because…
  • I was excited to learn…
  • I was happy to find out…
  • I learned…
  • I reinforced the importance of…
  • I think that…
  • I’d like assistance/help with…
  • I’d like to learn more about…

Snowball prompts – With a snowball prompt, each student is required to build onto the information that a previous student has provided. Jigsaw and snowball prompts have the added benefit of rewarding students who post early.