What are creative alternatives to discussion boards for online learning?
Hello!
I’m an instructional designer at a US university, currently developing a new online course on art history using Canvas.
The instructor I’m collaborating with has experience in online course development, but her assignment ideas feel a bit outdated. She mainly relies on weekly discussion boards, with occasional variations like video responses. However, this format often leads to a cycle of “read, regurgitate, respond,” which can be uninspiring and frustrating for students. It doesn’t quite replicate the dynamic discussions that happen naturally in a classroom setting, and that’s okay! We need to think beyond traditional discussion boards to foster better engagement.
I’m aiming to encourage more collaboration among students, deeper exploration of specific topics, and interaction with diverse opinions. I have some ideas like group wikis, debates, skill-sharing assignments, etc., that I’m enthusiastic about trying. But I’d love to hear more suggestions from you all for our upcoming meeting!
In summary, while traditional discussion boards may not be ideal for student engagement, I’m eager to explore new activities that promote collaboration and interaction. What alternative methods have you found effective and enjoyable in your online courses?
My colleagues and I are preparing a presentation for next month on this subject. We also use Canvas at our university and have encountered frustrations with discussions, particularly in how they are structured.
Simply posing a question to students (like why the sky is blue) often lacks depth. Instead, the focus should be on cultivating a dialogue-rich environment that encourages students to actively engage with the material.
One of my mentors, who taught an online PE class years ago, posed questions like “Is it acceptable for athletic coaches to be overweight or obese?” Such questions tend to provoke more meaningful discussions compared to simply listing the risks of being overweight.
We aim to finalize our presentation in the coming weeks and I’d be happy to share it once it’s ready. Feel free to send me a direct message if you’re interested.
In summary, Canvas discussions can be effective for fostering engagement if they are thoughtfully designed to promote active student participation.
One crucial aspect of effective learning is engaging students in active language use, whether written or spoken, rather than simply delivering information. When considering alternative learning methods, it’s important to ask whether they encourage students to articulate their thoughts.
Another key factor is fostering interaction among students to gain diverse perspectives, exchange ideas, and observe different responses to the same external materials.
During my Masters program, discussions were heavily emphasized, but the university structured them effectively. Typically, we engaged with course content independently early in the week through reading or videos. By Thursday, we were required to initiate or contribute to discussions. Participants could either introduce new ideas to existing conversations or start new threads. From Thursday to Sunday, we continued to interact, often with multiple responses.
The approach discouraged merely answering straightforward questions where everyone already knew the answer, recognizing that subjects like art history rarely have definitive answers.
Facilitators played a crucial role in guiding discussions to maintain relevance, and the most effective teachers supplemented this with Monday video blogs addressing specific issues from the discussions.
While traditional discussions may have their limitations in an online setting, the challenge lies in identifying effective alternatives.
Lately, I’ve been diving into publications written by Caroline Haythornthwaite. I have done some good research and analysis on the educational value of Reddit.