Discussion board activities can serve a variety of purposes and help meet instructional objectives. Discussion topics and prompts should always relate to the course topic and involve reflection into a deeper layer of thinking beyond the surface level. In short, the key to managing a quality discussion forum where learning takes place is a fine art that will benefit from the application of the following suggested best practices for course facilitation:
1. Help your students to feel comfortable with you by creating a warm, friendly and personalized tone during the first week of class. Share some personal information with students about your background. Let them see what you look and sound like through a welcoming introduction video where you introduce yourself. Show sincere interest in who your students are and where they have been.
2. Offer discussion prompts that are creative, unique and engaging to encourage real interest in participation. Suggest that students use best practices such as sharing a personal story related to their line of work, asking open-ended questions, or sharing a related link or quote that relates to the topic.
3. Let your students carry the discussion as much as possible. If the conversation starts to wane or grow stagnant, use clever redirection methods to get it moving again by jumping in with a follow-up prompt. Always bring your focus back to the student and encourage them to think critically.
4. Always offer formative feedback at the end of each module of each student's discussion participation. Show them what they did right and what impressed you. Encourage them to take the discussion further next time and remind them to use a best practice for participating in discussions. Use gentle but productive suggestions in areas where they may improve over time.
5. Encourage students to participate in reflective activities such as journaling, blogging or filling out a reflection report about their learning experience each week. Reflection on discussion after it has ended will help to solidify any of the important lessons the student should take away from the experience. Teach your students how to apply what they have learned from building community to their academic or professional careers through analytical and critical reflection.
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