No1# Online Discussion Forums -Quorahub from steffanjohndev's blog

Online Discussion forumsmay be utilised for a variety of objectives, including assisting students in reviewing information before to an assignment or test, engaging students in discussion of course content prior to arriving at class, and reflecting on material read or worked with outside of class.Online conversations, if well-structured, may be an excellent approach to supplement student learning outside of class; nevertheless, GSIs frequently discover that students' entries do not demonstrate great involvement. What happened? What actions can you take to improve the effectiveness of an online discussion forums as a learning tool for your students?

The following suggestions and example of a well-structured discussion forum activity may help you design a better learning experience for your students.

I utilised a Online discussion forumsto provide students with a controlled opportunity to participate online around test time. Students posed questions regarding course content in the online forum to review for the exam, and other students answered them. I also pledged to weigh in on student remarks after at least one other student responded to each question. I had several motives for using the forum in this manner.

First, I knew I wouldn't have enough time to answerall of my students' queries around test time because I was also studying for my own qualifying examinations that semester. I was also reasonably certain that my students could effectively educate and answer one another's questions; I wanted them to rely more on one another and less on me in the run-up to the test. I planned to foster cooperation and provide students an organised chance to work together to discover answers to problems they were having difficulties with by using an online forum. This activity would also provide another desired advantage in that it would allow students to practise writing and explaining topics prior to the assignment.

I sent them an email with details on how to access the conversation and what type of interactions I anticipated them to have. We briefly discussed the forum in class after I emailed the instructions. My pupils were given the following instructions:

1. Post any questionsyou have concerning course content.

2. Explain your reasoning regarding the question: What do you already know? What is perplexing you? How would you respond if you had to answer this question right now?

3. Allow at least one student to respond to your question.

4. After one student has commented on your question, I will react.

During the first semester, I was particularly interested in finding if students found the online conversationuseful. Following the final test, I used an online survey application to solicit brief feedback from students. I was pleased to see students mention that it assisted them in reading through a number of perspectives on the many concerns. One student, for example, stated, "It was beneficial to read diverse interpretations of definitions." Many words became considerably more clear thanks to the forum's collective intellect." Furthermore, numerous students stated that it was beneficial to explain concepts to others. "It was also fantastic because you actually do understand the stuff by teaching it to someone else," one student said.

Giving students an organised chance to speak with one another ended up saving me a lot of time in the days leading up to the final test. I received relatively few emails and requests for meetings in the days leading up to the exam since I had encouraged students to post queries on the forum before emailing me. 

Furthermore, it took me very little time to respond to students' queries in the online conversation. Because I pledged to contribute only after at least one student answered, I found myself writing very little because most of the prior responders had figured out the proper answers. In later semesters, I requested that two students weigh in before I responded, which decreased my workload.

I also awarded extra credit points for involvement in the discussion topic during the first semester that I used an online forum. This was quite beneficial in encouraging students to participate in the discussion. Surprisingly, when they posted once, they tended to post again and again, despite without receiving additional extra-credit points for future postings. I included information about the review forums in my course syllabus during the second semester that I used an online discussion tool, so students were aware from the start that the forums would be available as a tool for review. If at all feasible, I recommend being explicit about your expectations for student engagement in an online discussion at the start of the semester.

Don't expect your pupils to find a conversation tool as simple as you do. Give specific instructions on how to use the forum in class. Be precise about your expectations for post format and content.

It’s extremely useful to diagnose what may be going wrong with a discussion forum. Some common reasons why students may not participate include:

• There may be little incentive to participate.Students are unlikely to publish or reply to others' contributions in an online discussionforum unless they have some type of intrinsic or extrinsic motive to do so. Students may only contribute as much as is required to complete course requirements, but the debate may fall hollow beyond that.

• Students may be unaware of the goals of using the forum.Even students who are familiar with internet forums may be perplexed as to why a teacher chose a discussion forum as a class assignment. They may be unaware of what they are intended to gain from it.

• Expectations may be hazy. If students do not receive specific and thorough instructions, they may not comprehend what you intend them to perform on the forum.

• Other pupils have not reciprocated.The discussion forumis frequently utilised by a small group of students who submit individual posts rather than engaging with one another.

• Some of the kids may be unfamiliar with how to use the platform.They may want some technical guidance or a demonstration to understand how to navigate the system and post in an orderly fashion.

1. Consider your student learning objectives.Before deciding to utilise a discussion forumin your class, consider why a forum is the best option for achieving your student learning objectives..

1. Create incentives for pupils to participate.Simply creating a forum will not get the debate started. Consider making involvement part of the section or course grade, or come up with another way to motivate students to engage. Offering a forum as a manner of preparing students for an assignment or test, for example, may give motivation to engage even if the forum does not count toward the students' mark.

2. Make a grading plan.Make it plain to students from the start how and whether you will factor forum use towards their marks. Making forum participation part of the grade or giving it as an extra-credit option might provide students with the motivation they need to engage. However, marking a forum may be complicated and time consuming; ensure that you plan ahead of time a grading system that is both clear to the students and reasonable for you. Please consider if you will grade on the quality or quantity of student submissions, or both. Create a quick method for finding each student's postings on the forum

3. Choose a specific activity and provide detailed instructions. If you instruct your pupils to "discuss" class topics on the forum, the conversation will most certainly fall flat. To make the most of the forum, assign students a specific job to perform on the topic, along with detailed instructions about your expectations for completion.

4. Share your learning objectives with your pupils. Explain to students what you expect they will gain from forumparticipation and why the forum is the ideal instrument for them to achieve the goals you have set for them. Students are more likely to participate in an activity if you communicate with them about why they are doing it in the first place.

5. Create an online debate that includes reciprocation. A discussion forum must foster communication among students in order to be effective. However, conversations sometimes fall flat since students do not speak with one another or reciprocate by commenting on one another's writings. Make reciprocity a requirement of the task. For example, to get the dialogue going, ask students to not only publish but also respond to other students' postings. Students will gain by chatting with one another and imparting course information to one another

6. Teach your students how to use technology. It is tempting to believe that students are technologically sophisticated enough that you do not need to teach how to utilise a simple discussion forum, but you should not make this assumption. Consider conducting a demonstration in class or providing extensive instructions on how to explore forums and threads and post. The forum may become unorganised if no clear guidelines are provided. Consider recommending that students utilise a consistent posting style and make ideas for how to label their contributions and answers.

7. Bring the discussion into the classroom.The more relevant the forum is to the work you conduct in the classroom, the more likely students are to engage in and read the forum discussions. Before class, read the forum and consider bringing some of the replies into class. "I saw in the forum that many of you were interested in X," for example, or "Y appeared like an engaging topic of discourse on the forum, but some of you seemed puzzled about Z - let's discuss more about Z."