Social Presence: Photos, Gifs, and Memes

In my last post, I introduced the concept of Social Presence in online communication as "how 'real' the other person feels to you when communicating online." I suggested that calling on people by name is one way to boost social presence; this is just one simple thing you can do to foster a learning community.

Ready for another easy thing? Think about using images in your course as a way to boost social presence. Photos, animated gifs, and memes can all be tools for increasing that sense that the people with whom you are interacting are real human beings.

Photos

Most of us who are active on social media already know the value of having an avatar photo of some sort, to graphically and visually identify the person with whom you are interacting. And while some folks will use a cartoon character, or a photo of a celebrity, or a logo, or some other representation, a grand majority of people will use a photo of themselves to identify themselves.

Most learning management systems (LMSs) have a feature that allows--or even requires--everyone in the course to have some sort of avatar. This is a simple way to increase social presence: ask students to include a photo of themselves as their avatar. You can almost certainly find a tutorial for how to do this by googling the name of your LMS (e.g., Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, etc.) and adding the search term "profile picture." And, of course, follow the Golden Rule for Distance Teaching: if you ask your students to post a profile picture, post one yourself as well!

Photos can also be a great way to liven up a course announcement: include a photo of yourself, of an object in your office/classroom/campus to illustrate, of your pet (I find students always are happy to see pet photos!), etc. This is some self-disclosure on your part that can model and encourage students to share about themselves as well.

Animated Gifs and Memes

There has actually been some academic research done about the benefits of including animated gifs and memes in your online communications to boost social presence. (Seriously! Check out this, this, this, or this, if you're interested.) But even before I learned about any of this research, I had been using gifs and memes as a way of boosting social presence in my own online courses. And I've found it is something students respond to as well; when I survey students at the end of the course for things they liked/disliked, I have never had a student say they disliked gifs and memes, and I seem to always have a handful of students at least who call this out as something that they enjoyed. So...anecdotal evidence here, for sure, but I don't think it could hurt to try it. :-)

I try to work gifs into my assignment descriptions or announcements. These can be just for fun, or they can be purposeful. For example, when I'm introducing a team project, I might use this classic gif from High School Musical:

Via giphy.com

Or if I'm giving a "great work, everyone!" message in an announcement, it might be a "Give yourself a high five!" with this gif:

Image via giphy.com

Or  maybe you'll make your own gifs with a tool like MakeAGif.com, and you'll end up with something like this:

I made this one a long, long time ago.

Memes...ah, how about memes?

WARNING! MISUSING MEMES IS A GUARANTEED SIGNAL TO YOUR STUDENTS THAT YOU ARE AN OLD.

But I still use memes, even though my teenaged kids tell me I'm hopelessly out of touch with "meme culture." My students generally seem to get what I'm going for--and I admit that I am an old--and I've had a few specifically tell me that they find them hilarious. (Though they might be laughing at me, rather than with me...but I'm okay with that, if it helps to build some social presence in the class!)

What kind of memes do I share? Usually geeky, content-specific memes. For example, when I'm introducing a research project, I might use this one:

This one is all over the web, but I found it here.

Is this a bunch of ridiculousness? Maybe! (Well, not the photos part--that part seems pretty solid.) Are gifs and memes going to win you accolades as teacher of the year? Unlikely. But taking a playful approach to your pedagogy like this might just help to win students over, and it will almost certainly boost the social presence of your online course.

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(This post is part of a series offering tips on distance teaching. You can read more about this project here: Distance Teaching Tips. You can also read all of the posts in this series here: Distance Teaching Tips Series.)

Social Presence: Names

Want to do just one thing that will almost immediately have an impact on the feeling of connection and community in your online class? Start using students' names.

In the academic study of online learning, we often talk about "social presence" as a key part of developing a community of learners. In a nutshell, social presence is about how "real" the other person feels to you when communicating online.* One simple way to connect with the other person and foster a stronger sense of social presence: use their name.

I know, I know...this might sound ridiculous. And I should caution that it is possible to over-do this. (I mean, you probably don't use their name every time you speak to a person, you know?) But in all seriousness, calling someone by name is a powerful action and we should not minimize the importance of this pedagogical move!

Think about how it feels in a face-to-face classroom when you are the student: being called by name indicates that you are seen and known. (This can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how your name is spoken, I suppose!) :-) But the reality is that hearing your own name spoken is a signal that someone else has taken a notice in you, and this can easily convey a sense of connection and belonging that strengthens the community of learners.

Image (modified) by Allie via Unsplash

What does this look like in practice? Here are a few ways I use students names in discussion forums:

• When I'm interacting with students in discussion forums, if it's the first time I'm commenting in response to a person in a given thread I call on them by name. ("Jared, that's a wonderful story and it really illustrates the big idea very well...")
• If I am responding to a question a student raises in the discussion, I reply by name, usually with some word of affirmation. ("Thanks for asking that question, Dawn. Here's what I'm thinking...")
• Later in a discussion thread, if I'm referring back to an earlier comment, I try to always note who brought up an idea by naming that person specifically. ("I appreciated Kristina's comment about this earlier in the thread. Her suggestion reminded me...")

Beyond discussions, here are a couple other ways I try to be very intentional about using students' names:

• When I leave written feedback in response to students' work, I try to use their name at least once in the personalized comments I leave.
• When we use video-based comments (such as with Flipgrid, for example) I try to always respond to the student by name in any comments I leave.

These might seem like small things, but if you're not in the habit of doing this with your online students, I encourage you to give this a try, and see what impact this tiny teaching tweak might have on the classroom community.

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(This post is part of a series offering tips on distance teaching. You can read more about this project here: Distance Teaching Tips. You can also read all of the posts in this series here: Distance Teaching Tips Series.)

*There is plenty you could read to learn more about social presence; if you'd like a quick look, here's a chapter I co-wrote with a former-professor-turned-professional-colleague, Patrick Lowenthal: Social Presence and Communication Technologies: Tales of Trial and Error. 

Getting to Know Your Students

I believe that education is fundamentally a communal endeavor.* As such, there is a burden placed on educators to foster a community of learning, a shared space where we can come to understand. (I should note that my thinking about this has been deeply influenced by Parker J. Palmer. I highly recommend his book The Courage to Teach.) And maybe it seems easy and obvious how we might go about forming that kind of community of learning in a face-to-face classroom...but how can I do this in a distance learning setting?? I definitely hear this question from many teachers who are new to teaching in the online environment!

Two comments off the bat in response to this wondering:

1. I don't think it's actually all that easy or all that obvious how to create a community of learning in a face-to-face classroom situation. Some people seem to be able to do this rather naturally, but for most of us, we actually spend a lot of time, and thought, and planning, and preparation for different kinds of activities and classroom arrangements that can make this happen. And I don't think that the online environment is all that different in this regard: we still need to plan and prepare for this relationship-building to happen!

2. Often, when I hear educators wondering this, it's phrased to imply something along the lines of, "You can't really get to know someone online!" But I would like to push forward on this idea; I think you definitely can get to know people in an online-only environment. Just ask anyone who has met their spouse online! Yes, yes...there comes a point where that relationship has to transfer to a face-to-face relationship, I know. But that's minimizing the fact that you definitely can build a relationship through self-disclosure and shared experience. 

And there, I think, is the key for getting to know your students and developing relationships: self-disclosure, and shared experience.

In this post, I'd like to focus in on self-disclosure a bit. In a future post (or maybe multiple posts) I'll share some ideas for how I create collaborative learning experiences that can result in shared experiences that help to strengthen the learning community. But those kinds of experiences have to be built on a beginning relationship...and that relationship has to start somewhere.

So how to get students to share things about themselves?

Well, there are a few considerations here. First off, I want to encourage you to follow the Golden Rule for Distance Teaching: Never ask your students to do something you would be uncomfortable doing yourself. In this case, I think it's important to model for your students the kind of self-disclosure you're asking of them. In other words, however you ask students to share about themselves...you go first! :-)

If you're concerned about this kind of self-disclosure, I'd encourage you to read this blog post by David Goobler: The Pedagogical Power of Opening Up. It's short and accessible, and I appreciate the advice he gives instructors here about why we should share about ourselves.

Next thing to consider: what do you want to know? And why do you want to know it? I typically invite students to share things about their personal life, but I try not to require them to share things that don't have relevance on what we are doing in class. That said, knowing a bit about who they are, where they are from, what they love, things they like to do, etc. can help me tailor learning experiences to their strengths and interests.

Here are a few things I have done to get to know my students:

• A few semesters ago, I started using a Google Doc class roster that students fill in for themselves at their level of comfort. I ask them to share a photo of themselves, if they feel comfortable doing so, and include a few bits of information. (For example, if they are graduate students in our Master of Education program, knowing what subjects or grade levels they teach/coach can be very helpful for me, as well as their locations--since I often have students in different time zones.) 
• I often ask students to create a video introduction of themselves. (Either using Flipgrid or recording a video and uploading it to YouTube.) I like this approach because it allows us to hear our classmates in their own voice and to put faces with names. (I also like to use this as an informal way to gauge my students' tech savvy.) 
• And...I should note that I sometimes just have students write a brief personal introduction in a discussion forum in the first week of the class. This is not a bad way to go, of course! But I like to get them a little more actively and creatively involved.

As for prompts, here are a few I've used before:

• Tell us who you are, where you're from, something you love, and what you're looking forward to in this class.
• I like this one because it is simple, straightforward, and relatively non-threatening. This is a nice general-purpose introduction with a low bar for entry.
• Share 3-5 objects with us that tell us something about you. 
• If you do this one, model it! I use some of the kitsch I have sitting on my desk, including a family photo, a plastic dinosaur, an "Easy Button" from Staples, and a Bob Ross coffee mug. (You know, the essentials.) :-)
• What's your favorite book? Why did you choose that book to share with us? 
• Often I've had students who say they can't choose just one, and wind up sharing 3-5 books that tell different things about them.
• If you were a superhero, what would be your superhero name, and what would be your superpower? Tell us why! 
• Again, model this! As a superhero, I am "The Technopath" with the power to wave my hand at misbehaving technological tools and make them magically work. This gives me the opportunity to share about my background as a technology director, and my doctoral work in EdTech, and how I often have so many of my own woes with technology and have to learn how to solve my own problems, and then use that knowledge to help others.
• Create a playlist of 4-6 songs to introduce yourself to us. (I invite them to actually create the playlist using Spotify or YouTube.)
• This is a fun one to model, and it really gives you a sense of your students too! And, somewhat awkwardly, I now have "The Dave Mulder Playlist" in my Spotify library, which includes music by Michael W. Smith, U2, Nirvana, Jars of Clay, Rend Collective, and Judah & the Lion.
• If I'm having students introduce themselves to a small group online, a prompt I've used is "Figure out why Mulder has put you together as a group." 
• The secret? I usually make the groups randomly...so they wind up sharing quite a bit about themselves with the group to get to try and figure out why I might have grouped them this way! :-)

Image by Tamarcus Brown via Unsplash

Does this all magically result in an incredible classroom community? Umm...no. I wish it were that simple! But I will say that making intentional space to invite students to share and help me get to know them--and sharing about myself so students can get to know me has made a big difference in the "feel" of my online courses. I'm still working on this, obviously. But these are, I think, steps in the right direction for creating a community of learners.

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(This post is part of a series offering tips on distance teaching. You can read more about this project here: Distance Teaching Tips. You can also read all of the posts in this series here: Distance Teaching Tips Series.)

* I suppose I could get really philosophical and contrast "education" and "learning"--learning can certainly be individual...but that is missing the point what this post is really all about. :-) Suffice to say that I think there is a formalized, interactive, interpersonal nature to education that makes it different than learning.

The Golden Rule for Distance Teaching

Teachers expect a lot from their students. At least, this is true in my experience! We expect students to read, to write, to compute, to think, to discuss, to reflect, to make models, to generate hypotheses, to create beautiful artifacts to illustrate their learning...the list goes on and on!

This is probably not surprising, if you've spent any time at all in a classroom as either a student or a teacher. And...students are expected to comply with teachers' expectations, right? In my experience, almost every time I've had conflict with a student, it's because I had an expectation, and the student did not meet that expectation. Most of the time these kinds of conflicts are behavioral, but they can also be connected to content, or communication, ...or my poor pedagogy. (I hate it when that happens, but it does sometimes happen.)

Why bring this up? Well, I'm thinking about teaching at a distance, and how this is relatively undiscovered country for so many teachers. We might not be as adept at communicating our expectations in this new teaching environment. Teaching online can look a little different than teaching in a face-to-face environment, and because of this, we might have to check our expectations as educators. At the very least, we might need to be much more explicit in communicating our expectations!

And here's the conflict: I think that some of us (okay...me)--particularly when we are new to teaching online--might have to check some of those expectations. We are (okay...I am) so used to the power dynamics in a face-to-face classroom setting, we might be surprised with how the online environment can disrupt some of our sense of what is "normal."

Here is my encouragement for everyone teaching at a distance: consider the "golden rule for distance teaching." What is this golden rule? Here's how I'll frame it:

Never ask your students to do something you would be uncomfortable doing yourself.

Here are a few examples to illustrate what I mean:

• I like to have my students create short introduction videos to help us all get to know each at the beginning of the course. So, if I'm going to expect students to create such a video, I make my own introduction video and post it for them.
• I use discussion forums pretty substantially in the online courses I teach. If I expect students to be actively involved in reading and responding to their classmates, I too am active in reading and responding.
• If I want my students to take small risks in the kind of work they undertake--in responding to controversial issues, for example--I model this by doing some self-disclosure about my own thinking.

On the flip-side, I also try to be very cognizant of the message that I send to students in the things I ask them to do in the way I manage the learning environment. If it's something I would be uncomfortable with personally, I try to not ask students to do those things as well. For instance:

• I don't typically use plagiarism-checking software when having students submit assignments. If you read the fine print on services like Turnitin, it is nebulous at best as to whether the student or the company maintains ownership of the intellectual property contained in that academic work. I want to be able to maintain my own rights to my intellectual property, and so I also want my students to maintain these rights for the academic work I assign to them.
• In synchronous web conferences (e.g., Zoom meetings) there are times I want to have my camera off and my microphone muted, because I'm eating lunch, or my dog is going crazy in the background, or something of the like. Because I want to be able to have some privacy in these kinds of moments, I also want to extend this sense of privacy to my students as well.
• Personally, I would be very uncomfortable with having my work monitored digitally, through constant screen recording, or having my webcam turned on, or having my keystrokes logged--not because I'm doing anything morally reprehensible, or unlawful, or questionable, but because of the principle of being trusted. For the same reason, I don't ever want to use some sort of invasive proctoring system for my students; the fundamental message in this is "you are not trusted," and I don't want to model that for my students either. (I know that there are many concerns about students cheating in online learning environments; I'll have another post sometime on that topic. The point is, I would be terribly uncomfortable constantly being "watched," and so I don't want to demand this of my students either!)

Do I follow this golden rule perfectly? Perhaps not. But the longer I've taught online, the more important I've found this to be. I want my students to trust me...and that means I have to lead by trusting them too!

 

Image by enegerpic.com via pexels.com

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(This post is part of a series offering tips on distance teaching. You can read more about this project here: Distance Teaching Tips. You can also read all of the posts in this series here: Distance Teaching Tips Series.)

Embracing Many Approaches to Distance Teaching

I received an email yesterday afternoon with the subject, "Teach online correctly—from the very start." I confess, I was intrigued. I clicked to open, and this is what I saw:

It was an ad for an online course being offered by an organization I follow. I get their newsletter, and that's why I'm on their mailing list for this ad, I suppose. But this fascinated me, because the implied message here is "there is a right way to teach online, and a wrong way to teach online, and you don't want to do it wrong, do you???"

I wonder about this. Would the folks putting on this course suggest that there is one right way to teach a face-to-face course? Or would they take a more nuanced view, that teaching well depends on the needs of the students, the needs of the content, the conventions of the discipline, the affordances and constraints of the classroom, and the preferences of the instructor? Because I suspect teaching math looks different than teaching music--the content alone makes these very different endeavors, regardless of the medium of instruction and the classroom environment!

I view teaching as a craft, rather than a pure art or pure science. Yes, there are some universally valuable pedagogical approaches. And, yes, there are many different ways to conduct our work--different style preferences that we might have as instructors. I don't see this as an either-or proposition. Both of these can be true at the same time. And...I would dare to venture that this is still true in the online learning environment, just as it is in the face-to-face learning environment.

Somehow it seems that some people see "online teaching" as a monolith, that there is just one way to do it. But, seriously...let's think that through. Is there just one way to teach in a face-to-face classroom? Obviously not. Some folks lecture. Some facilitate discussions. Some incorporate hands-on, experiential learning opportunities. Some use inductive, "solve the mystery" approaches. Some use collaborative learning. Some incorporate reflective thinking. Some use combinations of these--and lots of other approaches--in just one lesson! 

And the same is true of distance teaching: there are lots of possible approaches that can be used, just like in the face-to-face classroom. Some folks lecture (via video.) Some facilitate discussions (in asynchronous discussions forums.) Some incorporate hands-on, experiential learning activities (by getting students away from their devices to do something, and then share about what they discovered.) Some use inductive, "solve the mystery" approaches (like digital breakout rooms, or mystery boxes.) Some use collaborative learning (because there are all kinds of tools that can be leveraged for online collaboration these days!) Some use reflective thinking (by writing blog posts, or papers, or student-created videos to make meaning of their learning.) Some use combinations of these--and lots of other approaches--in just one (online) lesson!

Come on...just one "correct" way to teach online? I suppose the one "correct" way to teach online is to match your teaching methods to the learning target, to keep in mind your student' needs, the needs of the content, the conventions of the discipline, the affordances and constraints of the online learning environment, and your preferences as an instructor.

Let's embrace many approaches to distance teaching!

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(This post is part of a series offering tips on distance teaching. You can read more about this project here: Distance Teaching Tips. You can also read all of the posts in this series here: Distance Teaching Tips Series.)

Online Discussion: Making it a Conversation

In my last post, I shared some thoughts on why I think asynchronous discussions are a power tool for online teaching. Today, I want to address the biggest complaint I hear from instructors about online discussions: the fact that they usually aren't "discussions." What I mean is, often times instructors default to the "post once, respond twice" formula that turns a rich learning opportunity into a formulaic task for students to check off of their to-do list. So, how can we shift this task-oriented mindset toward conversation?

I want to be clear: students need a level of buy-in to make this work. In future posts, I'll share some ideas I've found successful related to how we can set a foundation for this kind of learning community. But the things I'm going to suggest in this post are also important parts of helping students develop as a community of learners. Let's first think about the prompt, and then some ideas for getting students to respond to each other, then a bit about right-sizing the groups for discussion, and finally some encouragement about how to move the discussion towards real conversation.

Photo by Christin Hume via Unsplash

Start off with a strong prompt

As I suggested in my last post, starting with an engaging hook is a key part of starting a real discussion. Giving students something provocative to read/watch/create before the discussion can help. So can a compelling prompt. And I think one of the best strategies is to ask a divergent question. A divergent question is one with multiple "right" answers, one that demands evidence and justification, one that demands more than just looking up a response in their text or via Google. This isn't foolproof, of course, but if you start with something students will find personally relevant and meaningful you're much more likely to have a compelling start to the discussion.

I have a few other ideas listed in my previous post that might be worth considering as well as you're giving students the nudge for how to begin the discussion.

Teach students how to respond

I think there are many things we instructors just assume students will be able to do. Sometimes we assume that students already have the background knowledge and skills needed to do the work we are asking them to do. This can be a tricky dance! We don't want to assume too much...but we also don't want to assume too little, that students are incapable of figuring things out on their own. That said, giving students a framework to use, and some explanation of your expectations can bring clarity for how a true discussion works. 

Thus, I want to suggest that taking time to teach students how to respond to each other makes all the difference in getting a real discussion to unfold. Depending on the prompt you use, there are probably a variety of different kinds of appropriate responses. If you want a general purpose strategy for how students can respond to make it a real discussion, consider the "FY3" strategy. I first encountered this strategy years ago in a newsletter from ASCD. I used FY3 in my face-to-face Methods of Teaching Science course, and somewhere along the way I realized it might be an excellent approach for strengthening online discussions. I adapted it slightly from the original newsletter article, and I have regularly made use of FY3 for almost every online course I've taught in the past five years. In my experience, once students learn to use this approach, the quality of discussions improves dramatically.

Here's how I explain FY3 to my students:

As you respond to your classmates, I encourage you to use the "FY3" approach for making this discussion a true discussion. In response to a classmate's post you might:

• Amplify - Give a further example to support the point being made and move the conversation forward.
• Clarify - Ask a probing question to ensure you clearly understand the point being made.
• Diversify - Respectfully offer an alternative perspective to enrich the conversation.

The hope is that this approach pushes students to get beyond the basic, "Great post! I agree!" sort of response that drives me bonkers. And, in my experience, most students get the hang of moving the discussion forward when I encourage them to use FY3 in their responses. Is this a bombproof, can't-miss strategy? No...but I would encourage you to give it a whirl in your own online discussions. I think you'll find it a promising practice!

Get with the group

Just a side note here, about the size of the group. There are times when it makes the most sense to have a whole-class discussion. There are other times when it makes more sense to arrange your students into smaller groups for the discussion. 

I think of whole-class discussions more like a cocktail party--you move through the room, catching snippets of conversation, and not getting too deeply involved with hearing from everyone in the room. This has its benefits! Sometimes I use this approach when I have a group of 20ish students, and I want them to all tell a bit about themselves, or share a story, or participate in some other whole-class learning experience. But it's hard to have a deep conversation in a cocktail party...

I like to use smaller groups for deeper conversations in online discussions. Most learning management systems (LMSs) have a feature that allow you to separate your class into smaller groups for discussions. In my experience, placing students into groups of 4-6 seems to make it more likely that they will engage deeply in conversation. The downside to this approach is that they only engage with a handful of their classmates this way, but the upside is the richness of the discussion, so I think overall this is a benefit.

When I'm using smaller discussion groups, I usually make the groups. Early in the course they might be randomly assigned, but as the course unfolds I usually rearrange the groups and I might make them more intentionally devised. I like the idea of getting students into several small groups with different classmates so they can engage with more of their colleagues throughout the course. I do usually keep discussion groups together for several weeks though. My hope is that this helps to further develop the relationships and the trust between the members of a group, so they start to have deeper conversations over time.

Shift towards real conversation

Using the "post once, respond twice" formula sometimes feels like the only way to ensure students will respond to a discussion prompt. (I've been there too!) But something I've been trying in the online courses I teach is to trust my students. I know, I know...maybe you feel like you've extended trust to your students before and been burned when they betrayed your trust. (I've been there too.) I know that my reaction when I've extended trust and had it broken is to become more protectionist...and maybe even more punitive (ugh.) toward students when this happens. And sometimes this feeling carries through beyond just one class into other courses, or other semesters. If you've been in this spot, I feel you. It stinks.

But I want to challenge you to try extending some trust to your students in what I hope is a low-risk way. If you're going to try some of the other things I'm suggesting, consider this a progression, okay? Start by using strong prompts to get the discussion rolling. Then maybe incorporate FY3 to encourage better responses to their classmates' posts. And then, once you have this cooking, maybe take a further step, and try to encourage students to take more ownership of the discussion, and form a more substantial learning community.

Here's how I have explained this to my students:

You've probably figured me out by now: I place a high value on true conversation and collaboration. So rather than prescribe a certain number of posts for this discussion, I will just say this: make it a conversation, and be an active participant! Think about how a conversation unfolds naturally: one person says something, someone else responds, a third person adds on, another asks a question...there isn't a particular formula to be followed, but people hear each other, and respond to the ideas being shared. That's what I'm hoping you'll practice in this discussion.

Ideally, I'd love to see you collectively--as a group--respond to the prompts below, but that doesn't mean each of you must start new threads for each prompt. You might start a new thread. You might respond to someone else by agreeing--or disagreeing! (kindly)--with their thoughts. You might raise questions, or answer questions. Carry the conversation forward, interact, and learn from each other through the discourse. 

I hope the prompts below will get some conversation started, but if you have other burning questions, or if you make different kinds of connections, or if you just want to put your own spin on things, please feel free to do so. That's the joy of being an authentic learner! :-)

I should note that I don't do this for the first few weeks of the course. I use a more structured post-and-respond approach that incorporates FY3. But by a few weeks in, if I can see that a learning community is starting to develop, I trust my students to try this approach. I figure that I can always go back to a more structured approach for future discussions if this approach falls flat. That said, I cannot remember a time that this approach did not work, once we had done a little work to learn how to respond to each other. I think that's the key: taking our time, and me being intentional about teaching students how to engage in an online discussion.

I hope that the ideas in this post spark you to incorporate more online discussions in your distance teaching practice! If you have other ideas and strategies, or if you have questions in response, please leave a comment below.

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(This post is part of a series offering tips on distance teaching. You can read more about this project here: Distance Teaching Tips. You can also read all of the posts in this series here: Distance Teaching Tips Series.)

Online Discussions: the Power Tool for Online Teaching

When teaching online, one of my go-to strategies is using asynchronous discussion forums to get students to share their thinking. I know that discussion forums can get a bad rap--from students and instructors alike--but like most tools in the teaching toolbox, how you use the strategy really matters!

You might be surprised then, to hear that I think of discussion forums as a power tool for teaching online, since they don't always get a lot of love. So if you'll indulge me, here are a few thoughts on why online discussions might be a key part of teaching at a distance.

What I like about online discussion forums is that they can provide a shared space for developing ideas. This does not always happen, of course. And it needs to be planned intentionally if we want this to take place! But there are a few real benefits of an online discussion that I think can make it superior to a face-to-face discussion, even though it is definitely different than a face-to-face conversation:

• In asynchronous discussions (meaning not "live, everyone-logged-in-at-the-same-time" discussions, but rather "login when it works for you" discussions") students have time to think about their responses before sharing their ideas. For some students, this thought-time is essential! And I think most of us have been in a discussion in a face-to-face setting where the conversation is dominated by just a few quick-thinking folks who speak up a lot. 
• Asynchronous discussions let me see what all of my students are thinking. In a face-to-face discussion, we might hear from 5 or 6 voices, but it's unlikely that everyone in the group will speak up, unless we put some sort of incentive in place to nudge reticent speakers into sharing.
• Discussions in an asynchronous setting gives more opportunities for students to respond to each other as well. Perhaps this is just in my own teaching practice, but "discussions" in my face-to-face courses actually function more like recitation: I ask a question, as student responds, I comment in response, another student speaks up, etc. It's more like a ping-pong match between me and the whole class, with speech going back and forth between us. In an asynchronous online discussion, students seem more likely to actually respond to each other, rather than just responding to me. (Certainly, this might just be about the way I tend to interact with students in a face-to-face environment, but I wonder how many other instructors might also find this to be true?)

Where to have your online discussion? There are several possibilities:

• If your school has a learning management system (LMS), I can almost guarantee that it has a discussion tool as part of that software platform. I've used many LMSs over the years, and Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, Desire2Learn, Angel, and Sakai at least all have a discussion feature. (Some are certainly easier to use than others!)
• Microsoft Teams and Slack both use channels to have dedicated conversations. Either of these tools could be used to create an online discussion.
• I recently heard from a colleague who uses Discord to host class discussions. While Discord is primarily thought of as a place for gamers to chat, it definitely has the functionality to make this work!
• I know of teachers who have their students create blogs, and they use the commenting feature on the blogs to respond to each other, so this might also be a possibility.

The key I've found in making online discussions work well is hooking students' thinking with an engaging prompt--something that they will really want to talk about. Here are a few strategies I've used to hook their attention, with explanations of why I use that approach:

• "We watched the video about ____ to learn more about this concept. Tell us a story: where have you seen ____ in your own life?" (Have students make a personal connection with key concepts they are learning about!)
• "Before engaging in this discussion, be sure to read chapter 3 in our textbook. In this chapter, there are three things I really disagree with! What do you think they might be?" (Get them engaged in looking deeply at the text, and proposing their ideas!)
• "What was the biggest surprise to you in today's lesson? Why did you find that surprising?" (Normalizing "wonder" as a response to lessons is often an effective strategy...and asking "why did you think so?" questions in response pushes them to justify their thinking.)
• "Who else should read the article we read? How would it benefit them?" (Get them thinking bigger than themselves, and challenge them to carry their learning forward.)
• "Write a ridiculous poem to summarize what you learned from this lesson. A haiku, a limerick, a simple rhyme, and acrostic...choose a format that you like, and share your take aways." (Creating something in response is often a good strategy to give them another chance to think through the main ideas of the lesson...and adding a ridiculous twist sometimes disarms students.)
• "Draw a doodle that illustrates your thinking in response to this lesson. Snap a pic, upload it, and write a brief explanation (~150 words) of your doodle." (Again, a creative response, but one that gets them away from the computer for at least part of their learning activities, which I think is a good thing in an online learning environment.)

Image by Volodymyr Hryshchenko via Unsplash

Do you have great strategies you've used to prompt students to discuss? If so, please share it with us by leaving a comment below!

The biggest critique I have heard from my fellow instructors is that students don't really respond to each other; they don't really discuss things in the so-called "discussion." That is a real concern! And when a student writes a thoughtful articulation of their thinking, and the only response they get from a classmate is "I agree," well, that's just disheartening as an instructor. What to do about this?  In my next post, I'll share more ideas about how I get students to really start interacting in an online discussion.

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(This post is part of a series offering tips on distance teaching. You can read more about this project here: Distance Teaching Tips. You can also read all of the posts in this series here: Distance Teaching Tips Series.)