teaching and learning at a distance
course development

Creating an Online Discussion Forum

This material is to assist novice distance learning course developers in creating one or more threaded discussion forums for their Web-based course. Included are short narratives, links to supporting material, and sample forums that explain and illustrate the range of educational uses of this popular form of computer-mediated communication (CMC). We've also included a short list of resources for further information.

Benefits to Learners

Effective communication among participants is key to successful learning in any instructional situation, but is particularly important in an environment in which the teacher and learners don't interact face to face. According to Colin McCormack and David Jones in "Building a Web-based Education System", quick and easy online communication can have the following advantages for learners:

• decreases any sense of isolation they may have;
• improves their ability to adapt to new or changing conditions;
• increases their exposure to a variety of opinions and experience;
• widens their communication experience in writing and with new technologies; and
• enables a variety of interactive pedagogies, including collaborative and cooperative exercises.

Benefits to Teachers

Mauri Collins and Zane L. Berge indicate that experienced online teachers find incorporating a communication channel such as a discussion forum into their online course serves a variety of instructional purposes. A forum allows them to:

• disseminate information widely;
• create a learning community, including providing students with a chance to contribute;
  creating a non-threatening forum for exchange; and encouraging the expression of diverse viewpoints;
• facilitate conversation about course materials;
• extend opportunities for group interaction and collaboration;
• improve student writing skills; and
• archive class discussions.
  

Use with Different Class Formats

Discussion forums can be used sucessfully in both group start courses in which a cohort of learners begin and end the course at the same time and progress together, and independent study courses, in which learners enroll at different times and continue at their own pace. The kind of forum used and nature of instructor facilitation will differ depending on course format.

For example, in a group start course teachers need to be highly active in the discussion forum in the first weeks to make sure learners are engaged, working, and aware of each other and the teacher. Once learners are accustomed to online interaction, teachers can withdraw a bit to monitor and guide the discussion rather than being the primary initiator and commentator.

In an independent study course teachers communicate more individually with students through email, chat, and voicemail. There may not be many students enrolled in a course at some points, and the ones who are active will be at different stages in their learning, making it more difficult for them to have a student-centered discussion that is relevant to all of them. Discussion forums that provide a means for students to share their resources, project ideas, questions, and concerns as needed as they work their way through course materials work better in independent study courses than forums that require all enrolled learners to engage in the same activities or comment on the same materials at the same time.

Forum Types

Discussion forums can be created to serve a variety of purposes. How many forums of what kind a teacher decides to incorporate in any given course depends on the format of the course, its content, the type of assignments and evaluations, the nature of the interaction desired among learners, and the instructional timeline. Because threaded discussion forums involve written communications between members of a course, they all provide opportunities for group interaction and collaboration, chances to improve student writing skills, and the ability to archive class discussions for later reference. In addition, particular forum types can serve other instructional purposes. Possibilities include:

• student biographies - Learners post a short biographical narrative as an introduction to themselves, sometimes including a photograph and personal information. Purposes: create a learning community; decrease sense of isolation
• student lounge - Learners can post personal messages of a non-academic nature in this kind of forum, much as they would chat in a classroom before or after class. Purposes: create community; decrease sense of isolation
• resource collection - Learners post to this kind of forum to share resources they discover as they work through course materials and activities. Anything in digital format can be shared in an electronic forum, including word-processed documents, graphics, photos, Web addresses, and sound or video files. Purposes: disseminate information widely; facilitate conversation about course materials; provide chances to contribute
• course discussion - The main forum for posting course-related, academic discussion in response to course assignments and activities. Purposes: facilitate conversation about course materials; provide chances to contribute; encourage expression of diverse viewpoints
• project archive - Students post project ideas, outlines, and/or completed projects for review and comment. Teacher may include one sample project as a model to follow. Purpose: provide chances to contribute

Course Discussion Activities

Well-integrated discussion forums clearly and directly build on course materials, activities and assignments. In their text, Building Learning Communities in Cyberspace, Rena Palloff and Keith Pratt give numerous examples of learning activities centered on use of a discussion forum. They feel an asynchronous discussion forum gives teachers a chance to create a unique learner-centered environment that allows students to "connect the learning gained from everyday life to the learning of the course" through group exercises, simulations, and questioning related to the lives of the participants outside the classroom. Learning activities they suggest include:

• search for real-life examples - ask learners to bring their life experiences into the classroom. This is particularly helpful to kick off discussion of a particular subject within a course. Example - "As we consider the topic of leadership, think of someone who you feel displays good leadership qualities. Describe those qualities, and tell us why you think this person is a good leader."
• assignments related to real life examples - create activities that deal with real-life situations. These could include a problem to solve, the preparation and writing of a collaborative paper, or the completion of a simulation. Example - "You have all been asked to read the case study entitled "Sunnyvale Youth Center"...Once you have read it, begin an email discussion with the partner you chose concerning this case. Your task is to come to consensus on the issues involved in the case and present your thoughts and suggestions regarding the case to the larger group during next week's discussion. Your team's position should take the form of a one to two page position paper which you will post to the course site."
• dialogue as inquiry - encourage learners to engage in discussions with each other rather than with the instructor. Example - Teach "expansive questioning" (see below), share facilitation duties among learners, and encourage or require learners to provide constructive feedback to each other.
• expansive questioning - pose questions without right or wrong answers as jumping-off points to promote deep exploration of a topic. The purpose is to stimulate thinking as a means to tackle large bodies of knowledge. Poor or minimal response means a question is not doing the job of exciting thinking and compelling response. Example- "I had occasion to watch "Jerry Maguire"...I couldn't help but think of how the protagonist tried to infuse meaning into his job and result was that he was fired. Like Bolman and Deal portrayed in "Leading with Soul", - leading means giving - and when you give, you run the risk of your gift getting rejected, and sometimes unfortuantely you along with it. I thought the movie provided food for thought and some interesting discussion related to soul and spirit issues in the workplace. Has anyone else experienced this in their work?"
• shared responsibility for facilitation - encourage active participation by rotating responsibility for leading the discussion or assigning particular discussion roles. Examples - assign learners a date by which to post a paper online, have other members read it and provide feedback; have one learner lead a discussion, another record and summarize the process, and another act as observer and commentator of group process. In a group start course, assign learners to a discussion team and have each play a unique role, such as discussion facilitator, process observer, content commentator and summarizer, or presenter on a particular book, topic, or area of interest.
• promotion of feedback - assist learners in providing constructive and extensive feedback to each other. Model substantive feedback that promotes collaboration and enhanced learning and is directed at ideas and presentation rather than persons. Example - "Hi Sandra. Rena has suggested that we discuss your paper, but I don't have much to discuss- I agree with most everything you said. My paper is very similar in tone to yours and many of the same points were touched upon. The only area of difference might be in our interpretation of Klee. I think he was a leader in the literal sense, but he is not the kind of leader I would want to follow. I don't know if you think of him as a leader or not. What do you think?"

Lin Muilenburg and Zane Berge's Framework for Designing Questions for Online Learning, presents numerous examples of discussion activities gathered from experienced online instructors. Among suggestions for effective online exercises incorporating discussion forums are:

• Scenarios, critical incidents or problems: "Describe a scenario and ask questions such as: If you were consulting in this situation, how would you approach it? What might some of your recommendations be? What data would you want to gather, if any, before making recommendations?"
• Case study: One online teacher sent a lengthy case that described in detail the interactions between a Vice President of Loans (Sam, the boss) and a commercial lending specialist who is up for promotion (Nancy, the worker). Under the guise of discussing her potential for promotion, Sam pressures Nancy into going out to dinner and then asks her to go to his place. Nancy thinks this might be sexual harassment but is concerned that turning Sam down will jeopardize her promotion. Final Questions: "What do you think Nancy and Sam's personality, values, ethics, attitudes, beliefs, and maturity levels are? If you were Nancy what would you say and do?"
• Controversial or provocative questions: "Perhaps a better idea is to pose controversies or questions which have no easy answers, or which have many possible answers with unique advantages or disadvantages. If students are in a position to add their experiences and insights as practitioners then this becomes a rich discussion". Or, "The best result though, was when I posted a few paragraphs asking students to comment on the thin line between helping someone with a computer programming assignment and cheating. A great discussion ensued."
• Find and critique Websites: Another online teacher commented, "I might ask which Web site they found that has the greatest potential value for helping their students achieve a specific objective. They then give a URL and a brief reason why they like it and where it might be used. Others read it and react to its value to them before suggesting their own URL choice."
• Role Play: Another teacher said, "I would tell the class that they are attending a Board of Directors' meeting asking for funding for new computers. Several board members are not in favor of spending money on technology. I would assign class members roles as the librarian making the request and others as board members against the money."

Rae Wahl Rohfeld and Roger Hiemstra of Syracuse University state in Moderating Discussions in the Electronic Classroom that they believe "Teaching through discussion relies on a learner-centered approach, whether the participants meet face to face or on the computer screen. It rests on principles of collaborative learning and egalitarian relationships (Eastmond, 1992; Florini, 1989; Harasim, 1989; Kaye, 1989). Effective discussion requires that everyone involved, instructor and students alike, share in both the teaching and the learning. All participants assume responsibility for furthering discussion, although students may require special preparation and clear guidelines to participate effectively."

Their experience shows that "Using a mix of these activities and styles can change the pace of discussion and provide alternative modes of participation. This variety also brings out different aspects of the topic by drawing on experience and reflection, action and theory. Such facilitation has the best chance of maintaining interest and involvement throughout the course". Among actvities they suggest to encourage this collaborative interaction are:

• Polling or Brainstorming- pose open-ended questions about some course issue or topic and asked participants to brain- storm possible answers or solutions. The brainstorming rules require simple, non-evaluated responses that can be entered quickly. This sets the stage for more involved evaluative discussion later.
• Using Debates - ask one small group to take one view on a course issue and a second group another. They then use the conference as a means for debating the issue. The facilitator's role becomes one of posing the issue, doing occasional weaving, and providing some sort of summary remarks at the conclusion of the debate period.
• Same Time Discussion - the asynchronous nature of most conferencing discussions has both advantages and disadvantages. On occasion, we have established a certain time period, usually one to two hours, during which all participants agree to be active in the conferencing environment at the same time. Although such conversations are not totally synchronous, they almost seem so, and often generate considerable discussion and spark new interest.
• Inviting a Guest Lecturer or Discussant - introducing a new voice to renew interest in the conference. Have one or more guest lecturers connect into the conferencing system at scheduled times during the course. During a 1- or 2-week period they can present some initial ideas, interact with learners as they post their responses, and then provide summary remarks at one or more points in the discussion.
• Arranging for Student-Moderated Discussions - invite interested learners to moderate aspects of the course discussion. Volunteers then take on the role of initiating discussion, interacting with participants, and providing weaving or summary remarks. This could be made a requirement of the course if appropriate. In either case, a facilitator should provide appropriate training, support, and intervention if needed.
• Personal Journal Writing - provide spacewithin the conferencing environment for each learner to write personal reflections or reactions to readings, discussions, or other learning experiences. Some learners use such personal journal information as bases for final course products.

Development Tips

In "Tips from Instructors and Literature" Nancy Chism details suggestions culled from a survey of Ohio State University students and teachers who'd experienced teaching and learning at a distance. Interspersed among suggestions for effectively using a discussion forum in teaching are additional points related to creating the forum:

• If there are classroom sessions as well as online learning, link the electronic discussion to things that occur in the classroom setting by referencing points made in the discussion, or linking assignments to class activities.
• Use electronic class discussions only if you are comfortable with technology. Become part of a listserver community first, do a trial run in advance of the course, or work with a partner who has used this form of teaching before.
• Structure the forum consistently with course goals: "If it's a writing class, I'd say that the [electronic discussion] should be the students' space and that the instructor should be very passive and talk about issues and conflicts in writing as they come up and help them bring this to their paper assignments. . . . If it's for more of a content area, I would focus it upon certain issues that they're going to discuss: reactions to books they may have read, reactions to historical events."
• Although some students resent requirements for a certain number of postings, most frequently because they feel that they don't have anything to say, most recommend that instructors require participation in some way. One instructor commented, "Motivation in a learning environment within a university means it has to be related to grades and requirements rather than some kind of intrinsic value. I don't like being reminded of this, but it's true." Students suggest an explicit grading rubric as well that specifies how their contributions will be evaluated.
• Limit the number of messages to a reasonable amount. Students like this number to be set based upon class size so that they don't receive an inordinate number of messages. When class sizes are large, separate discussion lists can be set up for subsections of the class to keep the number of meassages reasonable.
• Supplement the use of electronic class discussion with other forms of electronic communication, such as personal e-mail and web-based assignments.

Development Tools

• EPost - EPost lets you create threaded online discussion boards for your classes. Give students a place to exchange ideas outside of class, any time, from any Internet-connected computer. Messages can be sorted by thread, subject, author, and date. You can organize discussions with an archive function, and you have the option of letting your students choose pseudonyms for greater privacy and candidness.
• E-submit - ESubmit is an electronic turn-in tool. You create a course turn-in area, and then add each of the assignments for your course. Students then turn in their documents electronically over the web. As an instructor or TA you can view the submitted documents by simply clicking on a link, or you can download all the documents in single zip archive. No more email attachments or FTP!
• Peer Review - Would you like to encourage more student collaboration? The Peer Review is an online collaboration tool that enables students to review each other's work. You can review anything that has been posted on a web site. Comments are stored in date order for each paper. A framed index page allows easy access to the papers and comments.

Related Resources

1. Berge, Z. L. Example Case Studies in Post-Secondary, On-line Teaching. In G. Hart & J. Mason Proceedings of 'The Virtual University Symposium'. Melbourne, Australia, November 21-22, 1996. pp: 99-105. (1996) Available: http://www.emoderators.com/moderators/ozconf.html
2. Center for Instructional Technology. Learning through Online Interaction. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Tips for Learning with Technology. (1998) Available: http://www.unc.edu/cit/tips/inter.html
3. Collins, M. and Berge, Z. Resources for Moderators and Facilitators of Online Discussion. Available:http://www.emoderators.com/moderators.shtml
4. Englebardt, S. Discussion Forums as a Learning Tool in a Graduate Course In Technology Tools for Today's Campuses, edited by James L. Morrison. University of North Carolina, (1997). Available:http://horizon.unc.edu/projects/monograph/CD/Professional_Schools/Englebardt.asp
5. Sherry, L. The nature and purpose of online conversations: A brief synthesis of current research. International Journal of Educational Telecommunications., 6 (1), 19-52. (2000) Available: http://www.cudenver.edu/~lsherry/pubs/dialogue.htm

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