Online discussion fosters collaboration and higher order thinking skills that better prepare students for the type of work they’ll find in college and career. If you’re ready to start a book club , here’s 40 of the best book club questions, for fiction and nonfiction alike. Most online faculty know that discussion is one of the biggest advantages of online education. Plus, the ability to engage in online discussions responsibly is a great 21st-century skill in and of itself. It requires only a cheap webcam and a few minutes of my time. Think about your point. Really great for meeting new people! Encourage students to draw on their unique backgrounds and support multiple perspectives because the exploration of different viewpoints fosters critique, insight and understanding. We are better off letting users keep the same password indefinitely. Anticipate responses so that you can plan targeted follow-up questions or responses. To help the other participants quickly understand what your post is about, be sure that your title clearly indicates the content that will follow. 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. 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). [adapted from Engaging the Online Learner] Discussion Activity Rubrics. To ensure that everyone has a chance to read the blog before class, post your response by midnight the evening before class. Pose good questions. But the online panel discussion also addressed warning signs … Vocabulary List . 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. It’s been argued that the highest form of understanding is demonstrated through transfer of principles to new situations. Online discussions can generate a number of messages, so you need to consider efficient ways to make your contributions. Connect ideas discussed online to the rest of the course, e.g., answer questions raised online during class, connect topics from the online discussion to in-class discussions, etc. Ask students to bring to class (or post online) 2 discussion questions. A discussion forum is an excellent medium to share with students what you’ve learned from your own studies and experiences. I like to do video summaries. 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… These questions have been adapted from "Engaging Students in Discussion Online" (from the Teaching and Learning Bulletin 6.2 [2002] produced by the University of Washington’s Center for Instructional Development and Research). How can instructors prepare discussion questions that will result in meaningful dialogue among their students? 350 Good questions to ask – My biggest list of questions so far! 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. For a fantastic guide to writing good discussion questions, take a look at the chart below from Generating and Facilitating Engaging and Effective Online Discussions from the University of Oregon’s Teaching Effectiveness Program. 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. Case studies are an ideal way to illuminate the practical consequences of different concepts. 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.). Also important is that a controversial statement needs to draw a fine line that allows for reasonable positions on both sides of the issue. Transfer EFFECTIVE QUESTIONS FOR LEADING DISCUSSIONS Effective questions are the key to an effective discussion. If you send it to the discussion, the damage is done. Despite many different wordings, the questions are specifically phrased to let you know exactly how to answer them. The increased think-time afforded by the asynchronous environment, coupled with the absence of public speaking fears, produces far deeper discussion than is … Icebreaker Questions for Amazing Group Discussion. There are many things that students may want to know before participating in a discussion board for an online class. Establish clear criteria for posts; e.g., share models or a rubric with the students. So just in time for a long winter break filled with lots of together time, I'm happy to share that list with you. However, starting with a few knowledge-type questions is an excellent way to get students warmed-up. Pause for student self-discovery and peer interaction. 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. Excerpted from Online Learning 2.0: Discussion Questions That Work, Online Classroom, 13.8 (2013): 4,7. 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. November 4, 2014 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. Most online faculty know that discussion is one of the biggest advantages of online education. 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. Discussion forums are a hallmark of asynchronous online courses like those at UNE. In this post, I aim to provide a closer look by offering … CREST+ Model: Writing Effective Online Discussion Questions by Akin and Neal. 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. Prior to starting an online discussion group, consider facilitating an activity to help students understand the dynamics of their team and what their own role in the group will be. Warm-up Task: Talk about the last thing you bought, or play twenty questions and try to guess what each person most recently bought. Case study If the right questions are asked, students will be thoroughly engaged in the discussion, where they will share prepared and researched ideas, explore thoughts and reflections and actively practice 21st century skills such as: 1. communica… Think of it as the “invisible hand” in reverse. 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. 200 Questions to get to know someone – Plenty of great questions on this page that you can use for conversation starters. Poll Everywhere. © 2020 Faculty Focus | Higher Ed Teaching & Learning - All Rights Reserved. You can also use a discussion forum to emphasize important concepts covered in a particular module or to elaborate on a topic that the course lecture or readings didn’t cover in depth. Over 150+ Great Icebreakers Questions. Though it is designed for F2F classes, many tips translate to online learning. Don’t toil over getting it perfect—just speak your mind for a few minutes, and post it as a video. Another good discussion device is to generate controversy with a statement that challenges common orthodoxy. Don’t always jump in with the “right” answer as this can shut down student conversation and exploration. A number of steps can be taken to promote an engaging and interactive online discussion, beginning with drafting the discussion questions that students are asked to respond to. But using online discussion tools can be one great way to help your students build these skills. How you close a discussion can determine what students will “take with them” from the exercise. To ensure that they model the kinds of interactions you ’ re aiming for quality.. Distance to respond in a calmer and more professional manner to help your students, collaborative! Students must learn to become critical consumers of information than a true discussion Rights Reserved post it as donor... Say to your fellow classmates and your professor, his wife, or daughter... Realized that bike races are examples of the questions they may have a statement that challenges common.... Format is the key to generating a successful discussion answer them discussion that... 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