Comments on: Why are my online discussions so boring?

By: Mary C.Ross

Mary C.Ross — Fri, 07 Aug 2020 04:39:34 +0000

Thanks for focusing on the basic nature of learning which is interactive and engaging. In my communication courses, the Break Out Rooms on Zoom are the greatest for keeping a greater semblance of face to face interaction in the synchronous-remote format.

By: farrell Foreman

farrell Foreman — Sat, 27 Jun 2020 04:06:21 +0000

I agree that discussion without direction or goals is probably not
valuable at all. We need to nudge folk in the right direction. Small groups
seem to be the best with an appointed leader or coordinator(by the group)
The key would be to set the stage, develop a prompt for discussion that
can lead folk in a “creative direction”. Sometimes a quote can generate the
right stuff. “Only fools and madmen are please with themselves. No wise man is
good enough for his own satisfaction”. Benjamin Whichcote

By: Sue Martin

Sue Martin — Fri, 26 Jun 2020 19:21:03 +0000

I agree with Joe that acronyms and abbreviations should only be used after first spelling it out, explaining what is meant. I am not very computer literate so sometimes when I’m reading and come to an acronym or abbreviation that I’m not familiar with it becomes a road block and prevents me from moving on in my understanding of what is trying to be conveyed. For example, in child development we often talk about DAP, which is Developmentally Appropriate Practice. For students who are unfamiliar with that terminology they might feel clueless and unsure about how to respond in the discussion.

By: Joe H.

Joe H. — Wed, 29 May 2019 18:50:32 +0000

Most of my discussions that that the student has to respond to the initial post with at least 5 full lines. That they need to use the Netiquette Gudelines. Their second posts needs to be a substantive response to the other student’s post of at least 5 full lines. I inform the students that I will copy and paste any post to a word document using Times New Roman font size 12. If it does not meet those specifications they they will lose points. Most of the time I get good replies, but once I take off points those who did not meet the specifications improve in the future.

By: Joe H.

Joe H. — Wed, 29 May 2019 18:43:55 +0000

What is frustrating to me is the use of acronyms or abbreviations e.g. Version 10 of D2L What is that??? If people want to use the acronym or abbreviation then they need to spell it out first and then use later in the article, but for those of us who do not know it – please spell it out. Thanks.

By: Peter Seaman

Peter Seaman — Fri, 20 Mar 2015 17:26:12 +0000

Hi Matthew: I take it you are presenting a student’s perspective on online discussion, which is good for instructors to hear. Teaching is one of the most difficult professions, I think, because the teacher has to make the student slightly uncomfortable. Vygotsky’s idea of “the zone of proximal development” describes this discomfort really well, I think. Good luck with your studies! – Peter

By: Matt Matteini

Matt Matteini — Thu, 19 Mar 2015 04:41:59 +0000

I’d be weary of “posting before reading other’s postings”. The idea is solid in that it encourages independent thought, but that comes with the disadvantage of students not being able to build on each other’s ideas. And for the participants who have difficulty with reflections, sometimes it might be useful to see how someone else has reflected. But that said, I can understand why it might be a useful tool.

Also, just wanted to say that I really appreciate the quality over quantity grading rubric idea that was presented here.

–Matt Matteini

By: Matt Matteini

Matt Matteini — Thu, 19 Mar 2015 04:37:14 +0000

I’ve found that engaging stimulating/debatable topics is often a great way of engaging students in the online educational community. But, that said, teachers need to make a conscious effort not to engage confirmation bias and grade based on agreement in opinion but rather on the quality of work that the student has presented. In the WR 122 course that I took with Kristen, I greatly appreciated being able to respectfully disagree with articles and other postings and present my opinions around hotly debated topics.

By: Peter Seaman (author)

Peter Seaman (author) — Thu, 02 Jan 2014 23:45:19 +0000

Hi Kristen: Thanks for your questions. Version 10 of D2L, which we started using in summer 2013, has the new feature (though Moodle and probably other LMSs have had the feature for years). To find out about it, you can visit this page on our web site – also new since 2013:

/about/distance/faculty/technical/user-must-compose/

Happy new year! – Peter

By: Kristen Fink

Kristen Fink — Sat, 28 Dec 2013 00:37:33 +0000

I’m intrigued by the “post before reading others’ posts” setting. Which version of D2L are we using? How does on access this setting?