Shake up the online discussion requirement and change it into an engaging collaborative tool. We will look at strategies to adapt discussion prompts and responses that encourage creative communication. Examples will be provided, and participants are encouraged to bring prompts they are currently using and might want to consider rewriting.
Online discussions are often seen as a dreaded requirement by both students and teachers. It is because of the way they are introduced; students are not engaged by seeing the same requirements over and over again. Remember the old classroom discussions, with the same students waving their hands in the air every time the teacher asked a question? The digital environment can change how we use the concept of discussion to support learning. Instead of a class full of unengaged students waiting for the same students to raise their hands, we now have the ability to have every student respond. However, we now need to move toward strategies that encourage all students to be excitingly raising their hands. The digital environment offers multiple ways, other than just a written response, for students to respond to a discussion prompt. By adapting prompts and changing requirement responses, discussions can become engaging collaborative tools that support student learning and encourage students to see content in new forms.
Shake up the discussion requirement and encourage engagement. There are many ideas for changing the form of the discussion response requirement. For example, have students respond with a graphic, a short video, or a graphic organizer, rather than the required “150 words”. Students can also identify and review a blog, podcast, or Twitter feed on the content topic. Students can be assigned a role to respond to, pro or con, or as a parent, or school administrator. Responding to a discussion with a current event, a short online video news spot, is an idea students are quick to want to try. Switching up how students respond will encourage curiosity about what their peers might have found and posted, promoting students learning from each other. Our students respond to and are engaged by novelty. Changing the discussion requirements keeps students engaged and allows them to demonstrate an understanding of course content in novel ways.
I admit, “I love online discussions”, they provide a good strategy for formative assessment. As an instructor, I can see which students demonstrate their understanding of course content and which students might need additional help. However, like my students, I was starting to dread reading through and responding to their discussions. In my first attempt to adapt a discussion, students were asked to do a 10-point timeline for how technology has changed in their lifetime. I was startled by how quickly students responded and how they were posting their replies to other students. With just a few adaptions, online discussions can be a digital tool that encourages creative communication of student content knowledge.
Specific examples of how these ideas have been used will be presented. Examples of how these ideas actually look in the online classroom as well as strategies for how to present these new requirements will also be shared. For example, I usually post a response to the prompt so students can see what a response should look like. As a side note, for those of you concerned with students using AI to write responses, graphic organizers, images, and videos are a good alternative to written responses.
Level of Participation:
Participation will be in two forms. During the initial presentation, examples of discussion prompts and discussion requirements will be introduced and a Jam Board will be available for participants to add additional ideas. During the second part of the presentation participant will be broken into small groups of 2-3 participants to either adapt a discussion question they have brought with them, or adapt one provided by the presenter. If time permits, we will share the results from the groups.
Session Goals:
Participants will leave this session with clear ideas and examples of how online discussions can be adapted to encourage engagement and creative communication. Changing the form of responses by students to discussion prompts encourages engagement. For example, responses that are visual give students an alternative way to demonstrate understanding. Asking students to take on a specific role when responding allows them to see content from another perspective. Participants will have clear ideas and guidelines for online discussions they can integrate into their current and future classes.