As an online instructor, I require my students to engage in weekly discussion forums. In the online college environment, discussion forums are designed to simulate a professor and his…
Browsing Tag
asynchronous discussions
You’re asking the wrong question. No, seriously, you’re probably asking the wrong question. Yeah, that’s a pretty bold statement. But I've read tens of thousands of questions meant to…
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Evaluating Discussion Forums for Undergraduate and Graduate Students
February 12, 2015 Gloria P. Craig, EdD
The discussion forum is an essential part of online courses. It’s where students interact, reflect, exchange ideas, and expand their knowledge base. The quality of the discussion forum depends…
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Most online faculty know that discussion is one of the biggest advantages of online education. The increased think-time afforded by the asynchronous environment, coupled with the absence of public…
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The Art and Science of Successful Online Discussions
August 11, 2014 Stephanie Maher Palenque and Meredith DeCosta PhD
Faculty use asynchronous discussions to extend and enhance instructional practices in the online classroom. It is widely reported that online discussions play an integral role in facilitating students’ learning,…
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The Online Discussion Board: Opening the Gateway to New Learning
March 28, 2014 Elwin L. Jones and Ronald C. Jones
In the online instructional environment, the discussion questions, posts, and responses are the lifeblood of the course. Although writing formal papers and completing quizzes are typical components of online…
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In Effective Teaching Strategies
The Instructor’s Challenge: Moving Students beyond Opinions to Critical Thinking
July 29, 2013 Ronald C. Jones
Critical thinking is defined as a reflective and reasonable thought process embodying depth, accuracy, and astute judgment to determine the merit of a decision, an object, or a theory…
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In Blended and Flipped Learning, Teaching with Technology
Private Journal Replaces Discussion Forum in Blended Course
June 11, 2013 Rob Kelly
The discussion board in Kathleen Lowney’s large blended (or hybrid) section of introduction to sociology at Valdosta State University wasn’t serving its intended purpose of engaging learners with the…
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Are you having trouble getting students to participate in online discussions? Consider using other types of prompts in addition to the typical open-ended question. Maria Ammar, assistant English professor…
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Tips for Overcoming Online Discussion Board Challenges
September 6, 2012 Errol Craig Sull
Discussion boards are often viewed as the heart of online courses, and for good reason: the students can interact with one another 24/7, sharing, debating, and offering ideas, insights,…