This document discusses best practices for online discussions. It begins by asking questions about the characteristics of good in-person and online discussions. It then provides examples of discussion goals and expectations, as well as a rubric for grading discussion posts. The document outlines that online discussions should have a thoughtful design that fosters many-to-many communication through open-ended prompts. It also notes the importance of deft facilitation through strategic posting and addressing the collective group. Finally, it identifies key tools in Blackboard Vista like creating printable views, sorting by author or date, viewing performance reports, and grading topics.

1. Getting the MostOut of Online Discussions Gail Matthews-DeNatale, Ph.D.Associate Dean

3. What does “good” discussion look like online?

4. What are the strategies and best practices for fostering good discussions online?

6. Example What does “good” discussion look like online?

8. are thoughtful, and analyze the content or question asked

9. make connections to other content and real-life situations

11. Tone and Substance MM: I'm particularly curious about the morality of telling a story that a narrator doesn't think is particularly interesting … How much convincing should we do before we throw in the towel and come back when the narrator can see the importance of what they have to say? Musing JL: I don't think we should just give up …We need to make every effort to make surethe narrators' know their stories matter andthat there is a reason why are collecting them. Questioning SD: Though getting the full story is a great end goal, shouldn't your interviewee feel like they also have some measure of control over the interview, and that they won't be strong armed into sharing something? It seems to me that this is probably one of the best ways to get your subject to not only open up more willingly, but also to establish a strong rapport with them. Debating

12. Thoughtful Design What are the strategies and best practices for fostering good discussions online?

14. How do these experiences support or contradict this week’s reading (Chapter Two)?

16. Post strategically and sparingly

17. Address the collective group, not individuals

18. Mirror, provide a view of the landscape, question, and muse

21. Sort by author or date

22. View performance report

24. Sort By Author or Date Author is an easy way to tally participation Date indicates timely or late posting

25. View Performance Report Button to right of author name Drop down list, select performance report

26. View Performance Report Sample report of an active student

27. Grade Topic Button to right of topic Drop down list, grade topic

28. Grade Topic View student activity Assign grade