Online Discussion Boards

Levine, S. J. (2007, Mar 30). The online discussion board [Electronic Version]. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education. 2007(113), 67-74.

Summary: The focus of this article is on the use of the online discussion board. The author starts off by addressing the growing popularity of the online discussion board and the importance of using it effectively. The discussion board is often viewed as a replacement for the face-to-face interaction of a traditional classroom. Levine suggests that it does more than that; it also “supports… constructivist learning and the development of a learning community” (2007 p. 2). He then offers ten conditions to follow when using online discussion boards as part of the class.

1) Create an environment conducive to learning. The students need to be comfortable in their environment. An online discussion board can begin with the students getting to know each other and practicing their technological skills before diving right into academic discussion.

2) Establish rules, and provide introductory instruction. Although teachers may be familiar with the technology, the students may not be. The educator must provide instructions and clear rules. The rules can involve what type of interaction is expected, how often, different options etc. It is easy to get confused on discussion boards, so clear directions can help avoid that.

3) Guide the threaded discussion. The instructor should begin with discussion topics and make sure to bring the topics back to focus if they seem to be getting off track.

4) Pose meaningful questions and problems. The instructor should not only ask specific questions, but pose problems for the students to discuss.

5) Focus on the highest three levels of the cognitive domain (analysis, synthesis, and evaluation). In the online discussion board, the dialogue can allow for each person’s ideas to be important and students can challenge each other and gain new knowledge.

6) Allow individualization with isolation. It can be easy to feel isolated when participating in an online class. The instructor must take every opportunity to make the students feel like members of the group by allowing them to get to know each other, using names whenever possible and providing feedback.

7) Be sensitive to nonparticipation. Just because someone isn’t posting often doesn’t mean that they aren’t learning. Oftentimes they may have a few meaningful posts rather than several short posts. If a student doesn’t appear to be participating, a two-way email discussion may work better.

8) Stimulate participation. The authors gives an example from Gilly Salmon and her five-stage model of participation. The model begins with access and motivation and gradually increases involvement through networking, posting messages, interaction, and knowledge building.

9) Encourage reflection. The instructor should pose questions that ask the students to explore their learning experiences and share their knowledge.

10) Summarize key ideas. The author suggests using “what,” “why,” and “now what.” What is reflection on what was introduced and discussed. Why is analyzing its importance and meaning. The now what takes the learner away from the context of the discussion board and asks them to apply it to their life.

Response: I really like this article. Throughout my M.Ed. program, I have been involved in numerous online discussion boards. As I was reading through this article I came across points that I noticed my professors had done during our discussions. For example, one of my professors always has us post an introduction about ourselves at the beginning of the quarter. This helps to create a conducive learning environment and give students a chance to work with the posting if they are not familiar with it.

One thing I noticed that is missing from the list in this article might be to limit the number or lengths of postings. Although this might sound too limiting, I think it can be beneficial overall. I have been in a few classes where the posts became overwhelming and most people didn’t have a chance to read all of them. It can be daunting to log on and see that there are 45 new posts! I think in that case, the class should be split into discussion groups or be limited with the number of postings they are allowed. I also like the fact that he recommends guiding the conversations because it's easy for them to get off task or too focused on an argument.

I think both face-to-face classes and online classes have their pros and cons. It’s nice to have the personal interaction and ability to respond directly to someone in a conversation, but it’s also nice to have the convenience to respond when anytime and make thoughtful posts.