Best Practices in an Online Discussion Forum- Devonee Trivett, EDUC 7102, Walden University, Summer 2013

When seeking to effectively manage an online discussion forum, one important practice is modeling what one expects from one's students. The first posting by the instructor sets the tone, therefor model proper grammar, proper APA citation of references, a well-thought out discussion of the topic, and enthusiasm for learning and sharing are all best practices to start with. Another highly important rule of thumb while modeling the best practices for posting discussions online is to use sarcasm and humor with extreme care. Often sarcasm does not translate terribly well in an online environment, particularly when students and instructor are just in the stage of establishing a rapport. Professionalism is key, and humor can be helpful once rapport and expectations are clearly established, but always remember to proceed with awareness of how one's posts might be misinterpreted.

Furthermore, the use of discussion rubrics in an online learning environment that clearly delineate expectations for student posts has been found to produce posts and responses that are more indepth, are encouraging of further research and learning, and are also indicative of higher levels of critical thinking. The use of specifically-designed rubrics was observed by researchers to produce higher quality discussions among students recently. Higher quality discussions are characterized by high levels of analysis, reflection, research and the demand for higher level cognitive skills when reading and responding (Jarosewich,et al, 2010).

Additionally, researchers determined that a rubric that is highly specific, with qualifiers such as, “ Contributions are extremely thoughtful; opinions are supported with appropriate course material. Other participant comments along with personal experiences are synthesized and incorporated into a well-developed argument.” for the highest rating within the category produced higher quality discussions (Jarosewich, et al, p. 124). Referring to Bloom's taxonomy is a best practice when designing an effective discussion rubric. Asking students to “apply” learning and “evaluate” techniques, for example produces quality discussion responses in an online forum (Jarosewich, et al, p. 124).

Best practices for quality discussion also include the inclusion of participants who are highly qualified in the field of study covered in the course, online student access to specific rubrics with information on discussion expectations, and opportunities for higher levels of thinking and reflecting through instructor and student postings (Jarosewich, et al, p. 132).

Identifying these best practices for online discussions in the course introductions is important because instructors are now finding that simply requiring students to participate in online discussions does not not necessarily produce higher level contributions to the discussions. “Quality interactions” are defined as, communication exchanges that are insightful, relevant, spur further thought or research, and provide information or resources that are helpful to performance in the student's content area, and producing such contributions requires specific preparation (Jarosewich, et al).

References

Information Technology Services Best Practices @ its2.unc.edu/tl/tli/pdf/ITSTLI_BestPrac_DisForum.pdf

Jarosewich, T., Vargo, L., Salzman, J., Lenhart, L., Krosnick, L., Vance, K., & Roskos, K. (2010). Say What? The Quality of Discussion Board Postings in Online Professional Development. New Horizons In Education, 58(3), 118-132.