Facilitating Discussion Boards Getting the most out of class participation

Rationale Discussion Boards can help to:  Demonstrate and share understanding of key concepts  Foster critical thinking  Allow for in-depth reflection  Facilitate peer review  Develop writing skills  Build community Discussion boards can open the door to a more rigorous type of class participation that is often not possible on ground.

Learning Objectives Ask the following questions when creating a discussion thread:  What do I want my students to do or learn?  What do they need to know to participate effectively?  How will I know that they’ve learned? Effective discussion boards are designed with specific learning objectives in mind.

Clarifying Expectations Be clear about what’s expected:  Be specific about length, tone, “netiquette,” deadlines, responding to classmates  Consider using a rubric when grading  Remind students about resources required for an adequate response While most students are internet savvy, not all are familiar with how academic discussions work in an online context.

Sample Rubric I

Sample Rubric II

Effective Prompts Prompts can fall into a number of categories:  Exploratory  Reflective  Challenge  Relational  Diagnostic  Action  Cause & Effect  Extension  Hypothetical  Priority  Summary Adapted from Carnegie Mellon: design and teach a course: Discussions Effective discussion board prompts are aligned with objectives and direct students to seek out the most important information from the lesson.

Effective Wording Use specific question words and verbs: Why or how is something the case Suppose Predict What are some possible consequences of… Defend Judge Justify The wording you choose helps students to understand what you want them to do.

Facilitating For successful facilitation, faculty can:  Set aside a specific time in which they read responses  Add comments, in moderation, to focus and further discussion  Permit students to take the lead or generate questions  Model the discussion board behavior you want students to follow Faculty participation in the discussion board gives the discussion legitimacy and helps to focus the conversation.

Facilitating Example

Prompt Examples We found that when students have done some thinking, research or preparation in submitting homework, they automatically have something to talk about (in the discussion board), rather than the “I agree with the other student” comments. —Sue Sieloff, Marketing The following are a few examples of success stories.

Prompt Example Across the car brands you analyzed in the homework, which one do you see as having the strongest point of differentiation and why? Is this a defensible position in the category and what marketing mix tool would you use to defend it? —Sue Sieloff, Marketing The following are a few examples of success stories.

Prompt Example Accounting is often called the “language of business.” Why do you think that is? Describe a business or personal scenario where a basic knowledge of accounting would be useful to make a decision. —Peggy O’Kelly, Accounting The following are a few examples of success stories.

Prompt Example Conduct internet research by finding an article or blog on a recent accounting fraud which has been perpetrated over the past decade. Briefly share with you classmates some details about the fraud. Who was responsible? How could it have been prevented? What were the penalties? —Peggy O’Kelly, Accounting The following are a few examples of success stories.

Blackboard Tour Demonstrating the options available in Blackboard Discussion Board.