Which of the following examples is an appropriate use of the discussion forum

Updated Spring 2022

Discussion forums, topics, threads, and responses

Some students may find engaging with in-class discussions to be difficult or intimidating. Consider creating associated Brightspace Discussions to give these students an opportunity to contribute.

The discussion tool is set up with Forums, Topics, and Threads.

Discussion Forum – This is a heading or category that discussion topics will live inside. Students can’t do anything in an empty forum. It must have topics inside of it for discussion to take place.

Discussion Topic – The topic is where you state what is to be discussed. Students will then reply by starting a thread. You must designate what forum your topic is to reside in.

Discussion Thread – When a student posts their response to a topic, it will start a thread. This allows the instructor and other students to react to what they have said.

"A sympathetic school environment can support the wellbeing of all children, including those with dyslexia. If schools focus on celebrating each child’s strengths instead of highlighting difficulties, this helps children have a more positive self-image."

This is relevant to the question, and has some explanation about why the intervention might be effective. However, the explanation is limited, and no research has been cited - it needs more discussion and evidence.

Strong point

"One thing schools can do is provide literacy skills training for children with dyslexia. This could be beneficial because improvements in literacy ability might help reduce negative feelings about academic performance and build confidence (Arnold et al., 2004). However, literacy training might not be enough on its own to improve emotional difficulties such as low self-esteem or academic anxiety (Riddick, 2001), and singling children out might make them feel different and contribute to negative self-perceptions (Lovey, 1995)."

This is stronger; evidence from sources has been used to support the point and different possible effects have been considered (note: in a real discussion, you’ll probably want to include some more information).

Good response to other student

"I think your point about singling out children is important. If other children know that they have extra training or support, they might be stigmatised or bullied (Cooper, 2013), which would probably make them feel even worse."

This response to the strong point moves on the discussion by considering another possible negative effect of the training.

Online forums can be used for many purposes, such as helping students to review material prior to an assignment or exam, engaging students in discussion of course material before coming to class, and reflecting on material that they have read or worked with outside of class.

If they are well-structured, online discussions can be an effective way to bolster student learning outside of class; however, GSIs often find that students’ entries do not reflect strong engagement. What went wrong? What steps can you take to make an online discussion forum a more effective learning tool for your students?

The following suggestions and example of a well-structured discussion forum activity may help you design a better learning experience for your students.

GSI Example: Online Discussion Forum Assignment

Why and how did you use an online discussion forum?

I used a discussion forum to offer students a structured opportunity to interact with each other online around exam time. For the purpose of reviewing for the exam students posted questions they had about course material, and other students answered them in the online forum. I also agreed to weigh in on student comments after each question had received at least one response from another student. I had a few reasons for my decision to use the forum in this way. First, I knew that I would not have enough time to answer all of my students’ questions around exam time as I was preparing for my own qualifying exams during the same semester. I was also fairly certain that my students could be effective in teaching each other and answering one another’s questions; I wanted them to depend more on each other and less on me in the time leading up to the exam. By using an online discussion, I hoped to encourage collaboration and to give students a structured opportunity to work together to find the answers to questions that they were having difficulty with. This activity would also have another desired benefit — it would help students to practice writing and explaining concepts prior to doing so on the exam.

How did you prepare students to participate in an online discussion?

I emailed students a set of instructions to let them know how they could access the discussion and what kind of interactions I expected them to have there. After I emailed the instructions we briefly talked about the forum in class. The instructions I gave to my students were as follows:

1. Post a question you have about material from the course.
2. Articulate your thinking about the question: What do you know already? What is confusing you? If you had to answer this question right now, how would you answer?
3. Wait for at least one student to weigh in on your question.
4. I will respond after one student has commented on your question.

How did using an online discussion benefit your students?

During the first semester that I conducted an online discussion, I was particularly interested in determining whether students felt that it was helpful. After the final exam I asked for brief feedback from students using an online survey tool. I was glad to see students reporting that it helped them to read through a variety of viewpoints on the different questions. For example, one student remarked: “It was helpful to read many interpretations of definitions. The collective intelligence from the forum made many terms much more understandable.” Additionally, several students commented that it was helpful to explain concepts to others. One student remarked, “It was also awesome because you really do learn the material through teaching it to someone else.”

How did using an online discussion benefit you as a GSI?

Offering students a structured opportunity to communicate with each other ended up saving me substantial time during the days preceding the final exam. Since I had urged students to post questions to the forum before emailing me, I received very few emails and requests for meetings in the days before the exam. Additionally, it took me a minimal amount of time to weigh in on students’ questions in the online discussion. Since I had agreed to contribute only after at least one student had responded, I found myself having to write very little, as most of the previous responders had worked out the correct answers. In subsequent semesters I asked that two students weigh in before I would respond, which reduced the workload for me even further. In the second semester that I used the forum, I also let students know that they should expect to wait at least 24 hours for me to respond. While I often responded in less time than 24 hours, letting students know that they should expect to wait meant that by the time I responded to questions several students had often already weighed in.

What advice would you give to other GSIs who are planning to conduct online discussions?

During the first semester that I used an online forum, I also offered extra-credit points for participation in the discussion forum. This was very helpful in motivating students to try out the forum. Surprisingly, after they posted once they tended to post repeatedly even though they were not earning additional extra-credit points for subsequent posts. In the second semester that I used an online discussion tool, I included information about the review forums in my course syllabus so that students were aware from the beginning that the forums would be available as a tool for review. I suggest being clear about your expectations for student participation in an online discussion at the beginning of the semester, if at all possible.

Do not assume that your students will find a discussion tool as straightforward as you do. Provide detailed instructions for how to use the forum in class. Be specific about expectations for the form and content of posts.

Why Do Some Online Discussions Fall Flat?

It’s extremely useful to diagnose what may be going wrong with a discussion forum. Some common reasons why students may not participate include:

Which of the following is an appropriate use of discussion forum?

What are the examples of discussion forum?

What are the uses of forums?

What does discussion forum Meaning?