Studies have shown that problem solving or debate types of questions tend to generate higher level thinking in the responses of the students. Another possible option is to let the student ask the question instead of having the instructor provide one. For this approach to be successful the students should be provided with strong guidelines as to how to set up their question, and an examples of they types of questions expected should be given.
Other things that can be taken into consideration when using discussion forums in an online class include:
- It must be graded if it is to be taken seriously by the students.
- Breaking the class into smaller groups for discussion can prevent the forum from becoming overwhelming.
- Giving an example of what a "quality" forum post and response looks like can help the students to better understand what is expected of them.
- Providing a rubric for grading can also help the students ensure that their post meets the required standards as well as helping the teacher determine how to grade the post. (Solan and Linardopoulos give a sample rubric in the appendix of their article "Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of a grading Rubric for Online Discussions" that would be useful for many courses)
- If the learning management system allows for it, allowing or requiring the students to make audio posts can result in a more conversational discussion. The teacher could require to student to provide an written outline of their primary post to assist students in crafting a reply without having to listen to the post multiple times.
- Students are required to respond to other students' posts, but instead of requiring a specific number of responses, they are required to respond to any post that responds to something that they posted. This results in a better back and forth in the forum.
- If a student can't think of anything to add to the discussion, they have the option of summarizing what has been posted up to that point. This results in a synthesis of ideas that isn't always present in forums.
In the video "Asynchronous Discussion in Online Courses," Dr. Alisa Cooper demonstrates how she uses discussion forums in her online English courses. She makes several good recommendations in this video including using screen-casting to give the students feedback on their posts, letting the students pick the question that they want to answer, and including a Q&A forum where the students can ask questions and get responses from the instructor.
I have struggled with the successful implementation of of discussion forums in my online course, so when I was required to do a literature review paper last semester I chose ADFs as my topic. Much of what I have discussed in this blog post was learned in the process of writing that paper. Sources mentioned directly are cited below. All sources used as well as more details on using ADFs as a learning tool can be found in my paper "The Use of Asynchronous Discussion Forums as a Learning Tool in the Online Classroom." Based on what I learned in that research, I have changed my approach to discussion forums in my online course. Instead of the traditional linear forums, I am using padlet, which works more like a bulletin board. Below is a screenshot of one of the forums that I am using in my Information Technology course this semester. We haven't done a discussion yet this semester, but I am optimistic that this will generate a better response from my students.
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Photo Manipulation Discussion Board |
References
Chen, D., Wang, Y., & Hung, D. (2009). A journey on refining rules for online discussion: Implications for the design of learning management systems. Journal of Interactive Learning Research, 20(2), 157-173.
Solan A, & Linardopoulos, N. (2011). Development, implementation, and evaluation of a grading rubric for online discussion. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 7(4), 452.
Cooper, Alisa [soul4real]. (2013, March 6). Asynchronous Discussion in Online Courses. [Video files]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S57oOlu9Y0Q
Thank you, Jenny, for sharing such useful research and ideas! I especially like the two ideas you mentioned - having students reply to every post that is a reply to their original ideas and having students post a summary of what has been discussed so far. Those are very practical and helpful ideas for shaping effective asynchronous discussions. I'm looking forward to reading the replies to your post!
ReplyDeleteJennifer, I agree that discussion forums can be a wonderful tool to engage students but it has to be designed so that it is not viewed as busy work to the student. The questions should be designed so the response uses higher level of thinking. One suggestion was to have the students ask the questions with guidelines. I question, even with guidelines, the validity of the question in the scope of the course expectations. I think the discussion would be more valid of the instructor began the discussion with a question and the students built on the initial question. Maybe that would be addressed in the guidelines? I do like the suggestion Dr. Cooper made from the video about letting the students pick the question they want to answer. By providing different questions, various aspects of the subject can be addressed by different students. I wonder if the instructor provided several different questions and limited only 2-3 to address any particular question, if that would lead to a more timely response by the students. To further the depth of the subject, the students would have to respond to the initial response of the other questions.
ReplyDeleteI currently teach 3rd grade in a brick and mortar classroom. My experience with discussion forums is limited to the student role. The classes have been fairly small but I have to admit I took it more seriously if it was graded. Many times I was at a lost as to what was expected and an example and rubric would have been helpful. When making audio posts, I was very hesitant until I made one. I wonder about the suggestion of having students respond to any post that responds to them. What if no one responds to your original posts, have you completed the assignment? I do like the suggestion of summarizing the posts if you are at a lost at what to add. There are times that I find the responses are basically the same but worded differently.
Jennifer, I enjoyed reading and responding to your post. I can't wait to hear how you new forum using Padlet works in your online class this semester.