Discussion forums can be used for a variety of purposes and you are encouraged to use forums in different ways throughout your course. Follow these three steps when designing discussion forum activities.
Step 1: Determine the Objective
When writing a prompt first consider your objective and the skills you want students to use through their participation. A well-written prompt can encourage students to do at least one of the following:
- Build Community/ Engage Peers
- Develop Leadership Skills
Step 2: Determine the Question Type
The type of prompt or question is just as important as the purpose. Good questions are the key to quality responses, high student engagement, and productive discussion online. Consider writing prompts that require:
- Exploring- probe facts & basic knowledge
- Challenging- interrogate assumptions, conclusions or interpretations
- Relating- ask for comparisons of themes, ideas, or issues
- Diagnosing- probe motives or causes
- Taking Action- call for a conclusion or action
- Analyzing
- Extending- expand the discussion
- Hypothetical Thinking - pose a change in the facts or issues
- Prioritizing- seek to identify the most important issues
- Summarizing
Adapted from Carnegie Mellon: design & teach a course:
Discussions
Step 3: Engage Students With a Detailed Description
Introduce your prompt with a brief introduction that provides context, explains the purpose, and sets your expectations. Set up a discussion online the way you might in a face-to-face environment and clearly state the characteristics of a good online discussion.
Students enrolled in online courses at Birmingham-Southern in Summer 2019 expressed a desire for greater transparency and clarity around assignment instructions and grading criteria.