by Michael S. Miller, Ed.D.
You
have just begun taking classes online.
It is the first day of the course and because you are extremely
organized and have excellent time management skills, you have finished all of the
required reading for the week. It is
time to begin knocking out some of your assignments. It is likely the first one you will tackle is
the discussion board. You think to
yourself, “this should be simple, all I need to do is answer a couple of questions.” Sure, on the surface, it appears that way;
however, the discussion board is about more than just answering the questions
provided by the instructor. This is part
of why the discussion board may seem elusive to many students.
The
policies, procedures, and expectations for the discussion board vary from one
school to the next. That is why it is
critical that you (not your professor), are clear about how to begin, this
sometimes daunting task. It is rather
common that the professor has directed you towards the discussion board
policies and expectations (If not, as an online student, you are ultimately
responsible for finding out this information) for your particular school. You will want to locate this material before
you get started. Some common policies
include things like when your posts are due and the minimum required length for
posts; even the number of posts by your classmates to which you need to reply.
The Purpose of an Online Discussion
Board Forum
While
the true purpose may depend on who you ask, it is probable that the reason you
are completing this assignment serves multiple purposes. Some of the main reasons most schools
incorporate a discussion board into an online class include:
1.
To
assist in building a sense of community among students;
2.
Students
can replicate the robust discussions that take in the traditional classroom;
3.
To
serve as an additional medium for collaboration and the exchange of ideas;
and/or
4.
As
a way to demonstrate the understanding or application of course material.
Regardless
of the purpose, each of the above mentioned reasons alone, should be enough for
you to take this activity seriously. For
example, most students attend school online due to their work and/or family
schedule. In other words, they are
simply not in a position to attend a weekly class in person. In a traditional classroom setting, you have
the opportunity to get to know your classmates through a variety of
interactions. It is through these
interactions that a sense of community is built and you begin to feel
comfortable bringing your thought or ideas to the table and asking questions. Positive growth in class community is
reflected through a sense of cohesion with other students, a higher degree of
trust between students, an increased number of inquiries and questions between
students and the instructor, and a general sense that the class is valuable and
applicable to student needs (Rovai & Lucking, 2000).
The Student’s
Role in an Online Discussion Board Forum
You
may be wondering what your specific role is in this process. While there is no ‘one size fits all’
approach to completing this assignment, there are several things you will want
to consider. Keep in mind that all of
your posts in a discussion board are meant to be reflective in nature; powering
you to read other perspectives and carefully consider a response. Consider the following as general guidelines
in order for both you and your classmates to get the most out of the discussion
board:
1.
Think
before you write. You will want to ponder all of your options and alternatives
in the initial post. It is a good idea
to use a word processing application to write your post, rather than typing it
directly into the response box. This
will give you more time to think about your response and edit as necessary.
2.
Think
of the discussion board as an in-between of a chat and a formal essay. When we
are chatting with someone, it generally consists of a fast-paced series of
short verbal spurts. In a formal essay, we slowly develop larger ideas at
length. The discussion board falls in between.
3.
It
is also a good idea to read what others in your class have said before you
post. It is important to be aware of what has already been said and try to add
a new dimension, or a different slant, or another perspective. Challenge yourself to try to weave the work
of others into your own. When you do,
mention the names and ideas of others and do not be afraid to bounce off your
classmates or ask them questions.
4.
One
sign of a successful post is the number and
quality of responses it receives. If you write with the purpose of engaging
others with your ideas, the more everyone will take away from the activity.
5.
As
per the name of the activity, this is a discussion, so keep the conversation
going. When someone responds to one of
your posts, acknowledge the response by adding another post (or answering a
question if they ask).
6.
Just
as when you are in a regular classroom, there is also an etiquette proper to
the discussion board. This etiquette includes listening to (reading) everybody,
providing thoughtful response, maintaining decorum, criticizing politely,
addressing replies to people by name, signing your posts, etc.
7.
One
of the best things about the discussion board is that it is open 24 hours a
day, seven days a week. For an optimal learning experience, visit the board
frequently. If you (and your classmates)
wait until there is a mound of posts before completing the activity, the
discussion board will lose focus and become intimidating. This can also stifle
fresh, focused responses. Instead, work
on the discussion board in small time chunks to insure that you are giving
proper attention to both your work and the work of others.
As
mentioned earlier, there are several benefits to a discussion board forum. It contributes to the development of your
cognitive and critical thinking skills, allows time for thoughtful, in-depth
reflection on course topics, facilitates exploratory learning by allowing you
to review and respond to the work of others and paves the way for you to
approach your own learning in diverse ways.
Just as with any other assignment you complete while in school, you get
out of the discussion board what you put into it.
References
Rovai, A. P., &
Lucking, R. (2000, September). Measuring sense of classroom community. Paper
presented at Learning 2000: Reassessing the Virtual University, Virginia Tech,
Roanoke, VA.
