Description When teaching remotely during synchronous online learning sessions, finding ways to engage the students as they enter the virtual meeting room is important to capture the students’ attention. Providing a hook also known as an anticipatory set is a one way to set the focus for the lesson to prompt student reflection and discussion. …
Continue reading ““Hook” the Students to Prompt Reflection and Discussion in Synchronous Sessions”
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Discussions,
Interaction,
Jamboard,
Peer-Reviewed Entry,
Reflection,
Synchronous,
Zoom
by: Susan Wegmann, Associate Dean of Digital Learning and Innovation, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, and TOPR Editorial Board member In an online course, the discussion board can be a powerful interaction tool or it can be a repository of disingenuous comments made by less than enthusiastic students. Creating and sustaining an effective online discussion seems …
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Discussions,
Editorial
Description Discussions in asynchronous online courses provide an opportunity for students to share their thoughts and learn from classmates in a fashion emulating in-class discussions. This allows students to contribute their thoughts and take time to respond to classmates’ comments. In a large enrollment online course, dividing the class into groups provides the opportunity for …
Continue reading “Use Self-Evaluation and Instructor Feedback in Group Discussions to Enhance Participation in Large-Enrollment Courses”
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Discussions,
Facilitation,
Interaction,
Large Classes,
Peer-Reviewed Entry,
Rubric
Description The digital powerups strategy provides an innovative way for instructors to engage students in higher-order online discussion by humanizing and personalizing the discussion. This strategy should be used to allow students to engage in online discussions in relevant and authentic ways. Online discussions can “allow students to participate actively and interact with students and …
Continue reading “Digital #Powerups: Hashtags to Empower Higher-Order Student Engagement in Online Discussions”
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Bloom's Taxonomy,
Discussions,
Interaction,
Peer-Reviewed Entry,
Social Presence,
Student Choice
Description Case-based learning is often used in social science classes, as well as in other disciplines. This can be challenging to implement online. By dividing a class into smaller groups, and assigning a separate discussion board to each group, the groups can do their planning asynchronously and completely online, while the instructor has a complete …
Continue reading “Use Discussion Boards, Google Docs, and Pages Tool for Online, Case-based, Collaborative learning”
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Case method,
Concept,
Discussions,
Google,
Instructional Model,
Interaction,
Method,
Peer-Reviewed Entry,
Process
Description Although not experts in the discipline, there have been benefits in having students lead online discussions. Students may be more comfortable to participate in the discussion when it is led by an equal member of the class, rather than the instructor who is perceived as the authority (Lim, Cheung, & Hew, 2011). Questioning from …
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Discussions,
Interaction,
Peer Learning,
Scaffolding,
Socratic Questioning
Description Asynchronous online teaching is fundamentally a communications challenge. What is gained in online learning by extending access through a Web-based LMS is offset by the loss of the immediacy and semantic richness of in-person instructional communication (Daft, R. L., & Lengel, R. H., 1986; Moore, M., 1993). In online discussion forums, students, in isolation, …
Continue reading “Create Structured Discussion Prompt to Reduce Ambiguity, Reinforce Purpose, and Promote Discourse”
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Discussions,
Interaction
Description Steering is a strategy used in interactional scaffolding of asynchronous discussion. Interactional scaffolding assumes the important role of the instructor as mediating discussion and maintaining a communicative ‘presence’ to support students to participate effectively in this mode of interaction. Interactional scaffolding involves modelling discourse and ways of communicating, and ensuring that the discussion keeps …
Continue reading “Scaffold Online Discussion through ‘Steering’”
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Constructivism,
Discussions,
Interaction,
Scaffolding,
Sociocultural Theory
Description Discussion boards in online courses are widely known to encourage higher-order thinking and reflection. However, text-based discussions may not be the best choice for all students or all learning outcomes. Student-created video is used increasingly in the form of video discussion boards. For example, instructors may have heard of Flipgrid, a popular video discussion …
Continue reading “Using Video Discussion Boards to Increase Student Engagement”
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Assessment,
Discussions,
Engagement,
Formative,
Interaction,
Video
Description Online discussion boards offer students an opportunity to engage with their peers and instructor in a course outside of the classroom. The discussion boards are often used to replicate a classroom discussion and have many positive benefits. It is relatively straightforward to setup and facilitate online discussions where students weigh in on a certain …
Continue reading “An Alternative Strategy for Using Online Discussions for Learning Course Content in STEM Courses”
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Assessment,
Discussions,
STEM
“Hook” the Students to Prompt Reflection and Discussion in Synchronous Sessions