Planning for Teaching With the Web
Online Discussion
CIDR and Catalyst collaborated to create a pedagogical guide for instructors interested in using the UW online discussion tool (EPost) in their classroom. The guide provides useful questions to structure the use of the tool, as well as practical guidelines and examples. This guide was developed using data gathered from students about their experiences, and with advice from a variety of UW faculty. The guide is available at: http://depts.washington.edu/cidrweb/EPostGuide.html.
See also CIDR's Teaching and Learning Bulletin, "Engaging Students in Discussion Online."
In addition, below are some suggestions for uses of discussion boards that came out of the School of Nursing Technology Survey conducted in 2003. You can also view full survey results related to OnlineDiscussion.
Further Classroom Learning
Many students feel that online discussion tools can extend the discussions that happen in class. This helps them gain a deeper understanding of material, and it can also provide a chance for students to apply course content to their own experiences. In particular, students appreciated the variety of perspectives that were shared in online discussions.
"Online discussion especially allowed for a different dimension to discussion groups."
"Online discussions are a good way to get questions answered, and allows other students to view it in case they have the same question."
"Having discussion over email and online discussion boards has helped me a lot in staying updated on class material and answering questions."
Learning Goals & Online Discussions
Some students, however, report that online discussions add to the burden of course work and do not add to their learning. Online discussion boards must be directly supported by learning goals to be meaningful and useful. For example, if your learning goal is for students to learn how to articulate and defend their ideas, a discussion board can support that goal.
If, in contrast, your learning goal is for students to work and think more independently but have access to others when they need it, a more appropriate approach might be to use an online discussion for posting questions as students need to or, perhaps, use a course listserv instead.
"I don’t really like … online discussion…generally I find it a pain and just one extra place I need to go for information."
"Online discussion is time consuming and is a distraction from the work and preparation for class."
