The document provides guidance for moderating online forum discussions in a productive manner. Key points include: 1) Strike a balance between focusing discussions while also developing the online community. Provide structure, clear tasks and deadlines, and meaningful content. 2) Encourage participation and interaction in a safe, supportive environment where learners' individuality is respected. Give positive reinforcement and credit contributions. 3) Motivate critical and creative thinking. Adopt a consultant role and promote cooperative learning to help participants take control of their learning.

1. Successful forum discussions
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2. Strike a balance between keeping
them focused while maintaining the
development of the online community

3. Sound pedagogy
set tasks and
deadlines clearly
provide enough
present well-
input such as
structured content
reading and case
materials
studies,
state topic –
provide authentic,
communication meaningful and
model, tone, style; connected to real-
life;
Lucy , Zaiga, Gladys, Yelena, Fernando,
Tina, Monica, Hana, Larissa, Natalya

4. Safe and supportive learning
environment
encourage participation and group interaction
respect CPs’ individuality and support learner autonomy;
give participants positive reinforcement;
give credit to CPs’ contributions;
establish rapport with CPs
Lucy, John, Milada, Gladys, Andreza, Yelena,
Fernando, Tina, Monica, Larissa, Kate, Natalya

5. Learning to learn
motivate them to
Manage
encourage CPs engage them in take control of
interactions for promote
to use their critical and their learning adopt a
CPs to want to cooperative
problem-solving creative and be able to consultant role
interact with learning
abilities, thinking, reflect what they
each other;
have learned.
Milada, John, Gladys,
Larissa, Yelena

6. The course participant
Learner centredness Prior knowledge
activate your CPs’
be aware of cultural and prior knowledge of
educational backgrounds forum
in order to respond to discussions, topic
needs
personalise language and relate discussion
make lessons contextually threads to CP’s
relevant. past and present
experiences
find out your CPs’
interests and structure
discussions round them
value CPs’ past
experiences
John, David, Tina, Kate
Milada, Gladys, A
ndreza

7. Bring the forum threads
together

8. Weave
provide support, directions and posts
guidelines to avoid getting off
the point
enable participation in new
ways
build a stronger feeling of
belonging to an online
community
Summarise
forum
discussion
Milada and Andreza

9. Weaving posts...
to extend, emphasise and/or direct discussion by integrating
contribution snippets into a posting from the moderator – John,
Andreza, Natalya, Kate
to fill in information gaps – John, Gladys, Natalya
to emphasize and extend a point from a CP's message -
Andreza
to highlight key issues to encourage a few more contributions
before summarizing – Monica, Andreza, Larissa, Zaiga
to agree or disagree with reasons to refocus the discussion –
Andreza, Gladys

10. it involves summarizing
(condensing information and
focusing on the most important
to add a sense of direction while
statements), and it also requires to select and add information –
discussions are in progress –
the use of critical thinking and Monica, Milada, Kate
Fernando, Zaiga
establishing links between
different discussion contexts –
Yelena, Gladys, Milada, Hana
to introduce new material or a new
to empathise and extend a point dimension to the bring themes together by making
raised by the CPs - Monica discussion. connections – Gladys
Monica, Milada, Zaiga, Hana
to stimulate further thinking - Hana

11. Summarizing forum discussions
…
to focus on condensing information, refocusing, winding up an activity (or
e-tivity) or acting as a bookmark ‘footprint’ of a completed discussion or
reviving the discussion – John, Andreza, Monica, Larissa, Milada,
Natalya, Kate, Hana
to signpost the ending of discussions, changes of direction or seems to
be dying out – John, Andreza, Fernando, Monica, Tina, Gladys, Milada,
Zaiga, Natalya
to reinforce the learner experience and build an online community – John,
Fernando, Yelena
to reinforce new information and knowledge and review all the information
presented – Andreza, Tina

12. to review and to
recapitulate in order to to simplify material for
identify main points
acknowledge ideas and easy understanding
contributions
• Monica, Tina, Gladys • Tina • Gladys, Larissa

13. To intervene or not to
intervene… that is the question!

14. Technical role
help if necessary (e.g.
unreadable postings show ways to cut out MS
due to (e.g.) copying Word code), but provide
enough guidance and
and pasting from support for course
Word, or excessively participants to be able to
large images manage this themselves
in the future

15. Pedagogic role
Contact the person and ask
them where they got the
information from, or
suggest a way to compare
the information you believe
to be correct with what they
have suggested is correct.
Correct May need to be done
inaccurate privately, depending on the
circumstances.
information
This could actually provide
an excellent learning
opportunity for the
group/individual

16. Managerial role
Could the participant
be asked to
paraphrase/elaborate/
make clear what s(he)
intended to say?
Editing a post to
help the other
participants on
the course grasp Contact them via
private message rather
than ‘announcing’ this
on the forum?

17. Social role
contact the person
this can be an
directly and get them to
opportunity to turn a
consider why their
negative situation into a
posting may have been
positive one
offensive
Flaming,
abuse encourage them to
consider if there is
allow time for the
person to ‘turn around’
and ‘make peace’, but
try to recognise when
possibly a immediate action needs
misunderstanding at to be taken (extremely
the root of the problem abusive messages) or
when a situation is
simply irresolvable.

18. THANK YOU!