How to Improve Online Discussions

Online discussions are an important component of graduate online courses. They are an effective method for critical thinking, exchanging ideas, providing peer feedback, and increasing utilization of technology tools. The role of the online educator includes decisions involving the content of the discussion, discussion guidelines, the size of discussion groups, and the grading scheme. Educators need to explicitly clarify what students should be addressing in the discussion responses. During the discussion, the educator may add additional questions, act as a discussion coach, summarize the discussion, or ask for deeper inquiry into the concepts. Educators need to revise pedagogical teaching styles for online discussions. Knowles Adult Learning Principles include emphasizing the learner’s own past experience and problem-centered learning as opposed to subject-centered learning. Knowles’s Theory of Andragogy has been linked with problem-based learning and involves educators as facilitators who coach discussion rather than function as lecturers.

There are many challenges for online nursing faculty and nursing students including lack of verbal cues in the communication process. Another problem for online students includes a sense of being constantly under scrutiny. Usually every posting is permanent and only the instructor can delete comments, every word shared is recorded and archived.

Discussion board strategies include creating engaging discussion questions that require the application of course concepts. Netiquette discussion guidelines should be posted. Before the discussion, goals and objectives should be present. Technology instructions should prepare students to begin the discussion. Specifics to include in the discussion guidelines include why they need to read and respond to other student posts. Guidance includes how often they should log in, how long the posting should be, what they should be looking for in posts, and how to develop quality responses. Using online education principals, will lead to better participation and a deeper learning of course content. Discussion guidelines steps to success include rationale for the need to read and respond to other student posts. Faculty can give specific feedback to individual students privately, while a ‘round-up’ to the discussion can address issues pertinent to the entire class.