TA Training: Discussion Forums

Introduction

Discussion forums are an important part of many classes. Sometimes discussion forums are for Q&A. But other times they are used for more involved discussions of course material: teachers might want students to post on recent readings, discuss in depth a point that arose during a class meeting, etc. 

Using a discussion board effectively for discussion is not trivial. This page asks you to read one or two articles about using discussion forums, and then reflect on what you learned.

Your Task

This activity consists of two steps. First, read one or more of the following articles:

• The Chronicle of Higher Education article. The Secret Weapon of Good Online Teaching: Discussion Forums. 
   
• The CEI (U’s Center for Educational Innovation) article Generating and Facilitating Effective Online Discussions;
   
• The Faculty Focus article The Art and Science of Successful Online Discussions;
   
• The EDUCASE article 10 Tips for Effective Online Discussions.
   

Then reflect on what you learned, write down two or three specific tips you learned that you can use in your TA work, and plan how to use those tips in your TA work this semester.