Best Practices for Online Discussions

1
Best Practices for Online Discussions

• Distance Learning Workshop
• March 24, 2004

2
The Continuous Improvement Cycle
Design
Set-up
Expectations Rules of Engagement
Objectives Framework
Feedback
Manage
Student dialog teacher workload
Evaluation Recycling
3
Design

• Learning Objectives
• Role of discussion in an online course
• Focus on student interaction
• Information literacy
• Writing skills
• Prepare students for virtual teams in the
  workplace
• Communication Methods
• Asynchronous discussion board (post at
  different times)
• Synchronous chat sessions (meet at the same
  time)
• Assessment
• Reward for participation
• Evaluation of participation - quantity and
  quality

4
Set-up

• Introductions
• Instructor to students
• Students to each other
• Expectations
• Clearly define grading criteria and quality
  guidelines up-front in the syllabus
• Define the community ground-rules
• Describe and model good online etiquette
• AW guidelines

5
Manage

• Managing students
• Motivating students to participate
• Monitoring student discussions
• Managing instructor workload
• Keeping up and letting go
• Delegating responsibility and authority
• Outreach to non-performers
• Assessment

6
Managing Students

• Compelling discussion topics
• Open-ended questions
• Build your own exam
• Research and summarize
• Incentives and rewards
• Peer pressure
• Instructor participation in discussions

7
Managing Workload

• Knowing your work style
• Setting limits and expectations
• Take advantage of tools
• Compile and Sort
• Grading
• Outsource the work
• Delegate to students
• Subject Matter Experts

8
Feedback

• Retrospective reflection
• Student reflection
• What insights (if any) did you gain from this
  class? What discussion topic did you find the
  most engaging?
• What contributed the most to your learning?
• What contributed the least to your learning?
• What suggestions do you have for future classes?
• Instructor reflection
• Recycling
• Archiving the Blackboard classroom
• Update and design materials based on lessons
  learned