Discussion boards are a common feature in online courses to get students “talking” about subject-area content. There can be much value in a discussion forum where students and instructors are actively engaged. Instructors get to hear from every student, even students who might not want to speak up in a traditional classroom. It’s also a great space for instructors to connect with their students and dialogue about content.
One problem area instructors often run into with discussion boards is that students do not come to an online course knowing how to create engaging dialogue to push the thinking and conversation forward. Many of our courses require students to post their original response and reply to at least two classmates as well. The quality of those replies can range drastically, with some students replying, “Great post,” or “I agree” and deciding they have met the requirements on the rubric.
To get her students more involved in her online discussion board, iEducator Lauren Graham has created this helpful guide using Piktochart and a student response as a model. Check it out in her blog post: Discussions, How To?
Quality professional/educational written communication is certainly a valuable skill for students to master today. What are other ways online instructors might model good communication skills for their online students?
