Teaching and Learning in Online Environment
29 Facilitating Discussions Online
Discussion forums are one of the most common places that are currently used to ignite discussion in an online setting and can complement face-to-face seminar discussion.
In this chapter, you will learn about
- Engaging students in an online learning environment.
- Forms of facilitation in an online classroom.
- Facilitation methods to use in an online learning environment.
- Feedback in an online learning environment.
- Helpful resources on facilitating online discussions.
Engagement in the Online Teaching and Learning Environment
Many of the decisions about the structure of the Learning Management System (LMS) are made by the instructors; however, it is important that Teaching Assistants are given the tools to engage students in meaningful ways in an online environment.
This short video (7 minutes 36 seconds) discusses the importance of engagement in the online teaching and learning environment. In the video instructors from various Ontario universities discuss the ways that interaction in an online classroom can support student engagement which in turn supports student learning.
Considerations Before Engaging Students in Online Discussions
Before engaging your students in an online discussion concerning course content, it is best to collectively generate some “codes of conduct” for online discussion. For information on developing a collective code of conduct or as some call it community contract, visit Creating a Learning Community chapter.
Facilitating discussion in an online classroom can take many forms. Of course, it depends on the context of your online classroom — is it asynchronous or synchronous? Are you using discussion forums, comment tools, padlets, flipgrids (a video-sharing tool), chat in a Teams meeting, or inviting students to unmute to contribute?
The use of these various tools have different pedagogical reasons but all can be used to help facilitate discussion in the classroom.
Facilitation methods
The responsibility for determining facilitation methods in an online learning environment often falls on the instructors. If you find yourself in a position to make decisions regarding facilitation methods, it is highly advisable to discuss your preferred method(s) with the instructor in advance of the semester’s commencement. This collaborative conversation will ensure alignment with the instructor’s preferences and foster a more effective and harmonious learning experience for all participants.
Below is a list of methods for facilitating discussions online:
Discussion Groups
Method: the facilitator generates/initiates discussion in an online forum and prompts students to respond and discuss with one another. Discussion groups can be conducted for a variety of purposes and this should be worked out prior to beginning the discussion. For example, if you are hoping to generate some ideas, like a brainstorming activity, then make that clear from the beginning. If, on the other hand, you are hoping for a specific response provide the students with specific guidelines.
Case Studies
Method: the facilitator opens the forum by documenting a case study and asks the students to respond to the case study using whatever criteria they wish. Participants contribute to the discussion by posting in the online forum.
Phillips 66 Online
Method: the facilitator designates a topic for discussion and selects six people allowing them 60 characters or words to make a point concerning the topic. The participants can also be given a time limitation to craft their posts. A discussion follows in the online forum. Participants should wait until all 6 people have posted their initial response before beginning the general discussion.
Using Reflection Prompts to Encourage Classroom Discussion
The Role of Feedback in Facilitating Online Discussions
The Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) has some helpful information in their Online Teaching Toolkit section “Planning and Facilitating Quality Discussions.”
As well, ACUE discusses the importance of using feedback to support discussion online in a handout providing examples to “Provide Feedback Strategically in Online Discussions.”
