Way#6: Igniting Asynchronous Discussions

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In How to Build an Online Learning Community (In 2020)

https://www.learnworlds.com/build-online-learning-community/ via @learnworlds

“Asynchronous discussion allows time for reflection and encourages more careful consideration of the answers given.

Learners can reflect and think about their responses rather than having to respond immediately.

The shaping of discussions takes some proper forethought.

A discussion based on specific readings in the textbook, coupled with your guideline questions, will likely be more productive.

One way of promoting meaningful dialogue and questioning is to provide a set of rubrics of the kinds of questions students may want to ask each other:

Tips for great asynchronous conversation:

• Start the significant topic threads yourself. It’s a good idea for the instructor to start all considerable topic threads unless you have designated a forum for learner presentation.
• Address learners by name and encourage them to signal topics and clarify responses.
• Mention the learner’s name in response to their message.
• Clarify the portion of the message to which you are responding through the copying of the statement.
• Engage yourself actively. When they see that an instructor rarely participates, learners are discouraged from posing questions and comments and may even not buy another course from you.
• Contribute comments which summarize what learners have posted, as well as follow-up questions that stimulate further discussions. In some cases, it might be appropriate to invite learner’s responses to their classmates’ ideas:

• Provide follow- up responses that ask for more information or more in-depth consideration.
• Prepare a strategy for potentially controversial discussions. Especially in asynchronous discussions, it is more likely to see a broader range of learners posting.”

Putting it into Practice

• Microsoft Teams is a great tool for Asynchronous conversation because it’s easy to access without accessing the D2L. The tool also allows for synchronous live meetings, links, and files that were shared are retained in the chat threads.
  • How to use Microsoft Teams for Remote and Online Learning
  • D2L to Microsoft Teams Integration
• D2L Discussion Forums:
  • Navigate Brightspace Learning Environment – Engage in Discussions – Learner
  • Discussions – Create a Forum – Instructor
  • Discussions – Create a Discussion Topic – Instructor
  • Discussions – Discussion Statistics – Instructor
• Piazza is a free platform for faculty to efficiently manage class Q&A.
  • Integrating Piazza into D2L