Facilitation and Response: Discussion Best Practices

Best Practices for Online Discussion: 16 Quality, Timing, and Value Added Response Tips

Expertly facilitated online discussion is the driving force for community in e-learning classes. Creating norms for discussion quality and timing improve the dialog. This also helps the facilitator step back as students learn to deepen their online dialog.
The following quality, timing, and response tips were suggested by my network of e-learning professionals and by the participants in E-Learning for Educators, part of the UW-Stout E-Learning and Online Teaching Graduate Certificate Program.

8 Quality and Timing Tips for Online Discussion:

1. Focus on the prompt; follow the directions in the prompt closely.
2. Respond to those who respond to you! This is essential!
3. Avoid short "Me too" or "I agree" posts. Make your posts substantial
4. Add value to the discussion (see below).
5. Post early in the week. You'll get more response and become more engaged in conversation.
6. Respond throughout the week; you help sustain the dialog.
7. Avoid doing all of your posting at the end of the week. You miss out on interaction.
8. Use direct quotations from your text or online source. (Cite the source so your reader can find it.)

8 Value Added Response Techniques:

1. Ask a specific question (but avoid prompting yes or no answers).
2. Ask an open ended (on topic) question that invites a response.
3. Expand on the a specific element of the post.
4. Provide a teaching story that illustrates the a main idea.
5. Offer a different perspective on an essential idea in the post.
6. Provide an online resource relevant to the topic (include a hyperlink).
7. Describe a method you use in your practice.
8. Provide a summary of the ideas posted so far (good when you come late to the conversation).

Please Share tips and techniques you use to improve online discussion!

Threaded Discussion Tips

UW-Stout Discussion Board Etiquette
Here is the University of Wisconsin-Stout resource page on discussion board etiquette.  This represents the best practices of our veteran e-learning instructors.

This advice helps all learners better understand the techniques and nuances of threaded discussion. 

Discussion Board Topic Links:

• Your First Posting
• Change the Subject Line
• Delete the Extra
• Tone and Courtesy in Writing
• Summarize, Quote, or Refer
• Give Credit Where Credit is Due
• Me, Too, I Agree!
• Grammar, Spelling and Fonts

This is one of many resources shared with students and staff in an effort to provide the best online learning experience to all.

8 Online Discussion Response Techniques

Online discussion is the heart of a community of practice oriented e-learning course. However, it can be difficult to know how to respond.

It's a good idea to think in terms of value added responses. What can you add to advance the discussion?
I like to post the following list at the top of discussion forums in my online courses. It's a good reminder and a handy reference!

Here are some suggestions to help guide you as you respond to each other in discussion forums.

Suggested Techniques for Response :

1. Expand on the topic.
2. Provide a teaching story that illustrates the main idea.
3. Offer a different perspective.
4. Provide an online resource relevant to the topic (include a hyperlink).
5. Offer a method you use in your classroom.
6. Provide a summary of the ideas posted so far (good when you come late to the conversation).
7. Ask a specific question (but avoid prompting yes or no answers).
8. Ask an open ended (on topic) question.

The netiquette of online discussion:

1. Focus on the prompt. Be sure to follow the directions in the prompt closely.
2. Respond to those who respond to you! This is essential!
3. Don't depend on "Me too" or "I agree" posts. Make your posts substantial
4. Work to respond with something that adds value to the discussion.
5. Post early in the week. You'll get more response and become more engaged in conversation.
6. Avoid doing all of your posting at the end of the week. You miss out on interaction.
7. Use direct quotations from the text. Include the Name of the text and page number. (Remember not everyone has the same text.)

I hope this helps!
~ Dennis