This document discusses challenges with facilitating online discussions in human services courses. It addresses issues like students bringing personal experiences to class, motivating thoughtful responses, and navigating difficult scenarios like offensive comments or non-validation of peers' views. The author emphasizes listening to understand different perspectives, reframing issues respectfully, modeling appropriate responses, and privately addressing issues to maintain a constructive learning environment.

1. Michele Forte
Thalia MacMillan

2.  Asynchronous online courses
◦ Level of control: online versus face to face
◦ “Removed” presence

3.  When students and the instructor are online – are
they online at the same time? Does that matter?
 Instructor is guide on the side
 Sense of anonymity

4.  People use the dinner party metaphor – that
the instructor is the host
 What are the assumptions of a dinner party?

5.  How do assumptions effect the guide-on-
the-side theory?
 How do the assumptions of a dinner party
effect co-hosting with students?
 Is it appropriate to stop a topic at a dinner
party?

6.  Human Services courses have their own
particular rhythms, topics, conversations
 Courses deal with issues connected to
historically disenfranchised individuals
◦ Some of whom may be students
◦ The conversations may be personal and volatile
because they address issues of diversity and
distribution of resources, etc.

7.  In CHS, the responsibility for instructors is
somewhat different than other areas of study as
we need to speak to . . . :
◦ Human services guidelines
◦ Ethical frameworks
◦ Practical applications
 . . . . . all in our communications and potential
training of students
 We sometimes ask ourselves – why is this student
in CHS?

8.  They have personal experiences
◦ From their own experiences
◦ Family member
◦ Close friend
 These experiences are unique and are brought to
the course
◦ How do we highlight them and make each person’s
experience heard?
 Need to name and talk about the experience in
an academic setting (but not necessarily in an
academic way)

9.  What motivates a student to respond the way
they do on discussion boards?
◦ Sound intellectual?
◦ Assumption about what something means
◦ Allegiance
◦ Try to ignore
◦ Not knowing how to talk about it?

11.  Scenario 1: Hierarchical comments
 Scenario 2: Offensive comment
 Scenario 3: Bullying comment
 Scenario 4: Non-validation
 Scenario 5: Path of least resistance

12.  Scenario 1: Hierarchical comments
 A student’s sister with MS and a classmate
says that’s nice but my child has autism

13.  Model an appropriate response
 Name the issue of hierarchy and point out
how limited it is
 Connect the issue to course content or
practical field experience
 Diffuse with positive solution

14.  Scenario 2 – Offensive comment
 Student says “Why can’t people just feed their
kids better – why don’t they care?!”

15.  Try to hear what the student is saying
 Unpack the statement with respect to course
content
 Seek a balanced response
 Reframe the problem
 Attend to statement and anticipate responses
 Ask an open-ended probing question

16.  Scenario 3 – Bullying comment
 A student who makes comments to each and
every person’s posting – trying to make their
thoughts more prevalent than others

17.  Assume that a student
doesn’t know what
he/she is doing or how
it affects the
conversation
 Provide ongoing
formative feedback
 “Take it outside” - Talk
to the student privately
about the issue – name
it

18.  Scenario 4: Non-validation
 No one responds to a student’s thoughts on
the DB
 OR “when a point has a thread of discussion
and all of a sudden the point gets dropped by
all”

19.  Determine when did the student post to the
DB
 As an instructor – raise points in the
student’s posting and make it a conversation
piece
 Highlight connections with other students
 Analyze why did the discussion stop
◦ Natural evolution?
◦ Offensive comment or a comment that no one could
respond to?

20.  Scenario 5 – Path of least resistance
 Students that may be nervous, afraid to
correct, or engage a fellow classmate

21.  Attend and anticipate problems
◦ Especially in the beginning of the semester
 Model an appropriate response
 Respond/reframe thoughts

22.  Do we go off topic?
◦ Is that a bad thing?
◦ Is that a good thing?
 Does it derail, silence, or disrupt the
conversation?
 Has it made the class come together more as
a group or to each other?

23.  Don’t make assumptions about student
postings or intentions in postings
 Don’t be afraid to “name an issue” for
students if it appears
 Reframe/redirect conversation if needed

24.  Define what it means to “participate” online in a
discussion board
◦ Not Facebook or text message
◦ Academic discourse
◦ Validate personal experience within the context of a
larger academic conversation
◦ Don’t always have to agree with topics – couch within
course content or outside material
 Engagement
 Validation

25.  Summarize and comment on student
postings
 Certain things you may need to “take it
outside”
 Connect discussions to course content or
outside examples within a larger professional
context

26.  When it comes to the discussion boards,
better to be mindful than obsessed
 The dynamic of the conversation is important
to learning and should be examined

27. Any questions??