Webinar: Thoughtful Conversations in Discussion Boards

Our October webinar was hosted by Jen Mansfield and Andrew Salcido, who joined us from the Fulton School of Engineering at ASU. Both shared that future engineers need to be able to engage constructively with peers - be it in a room full of fellow students or in a online setting! To address this fundamental skill, learning activities are purposely designed to foster thoughtful conversations across the engineering curriculum.

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The first part of the webinar focused on creating quality online discussions for courses with small and large enrollment. Helpful strategies that were shared include: (a) engaging prompts; (b) providing structure & roles; and (c) setting expectations. In addition, the audience shared a few examples from different subject areas, such as engineering and history.



The second part of the webinar focus on 'Tips & Trick' for Canvas, ASU's new LMS. Instructors and students can now subscribe to and participate in discussions in various ways. Also, instructors and designers shared a few ideas for managing the default discussion board. In addition, we spent some time on exploring 3rd party discussion tools, such as Voicethread, Piazza, or Yellowdig! So, check it out!

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Resources:

• Recording of webinar
• PowerPoint Slides
• Readings:
• Netiquette for Online Students
• Effective Questions for Leading Discussions
• Instructional Design for Improving Scholarly Conversations among Online Graduate Students