The following includes my notes for Online Instructors’ Course I’m taking as part of the TxVSN.org certification process. The source for the article is shown below.

Source:

Rose, R., & Smith, A. (2007). Chapter 9 Online discussions. In C. Cavanaugh & R.Blomeyer (Eds.), What works in k-12 online learning (pp. 143-160). Washington, D.C.: International Society for Technology in Education.

1. Article is intended to provide useful techniques for controlling online discussion use and outcomes.
2. Conversations are defined as “an oral exchange of sentiments, observations, opinions, or ideas, or an instance of such exchange.”
3. Discussion is defined as “consideration of a question in open and usually informal debate, or a formal treatment of a topic in speech or writing.”
4. Discussions can take place in an audio or video conference used to reach learners at a distance, in an instant message chat for quick contact during teacher office hours, or in a web-based threaded discussion assigned as part of a course activity.
5. Discussion types include synchronous, asynchronous, scheduled asynchronous. Those are defined in this way:
   Synchronous discussions require learners to be online and converse at the same time.
   Asynchronous discussions allow learners to read, reflect, and compose without regard to others’ status.
   Scheduled asynchronous courses direct discussions to occur within stated timelines, for example, within a particular week or series of days.
6. Hybrid/blended courses are a combination of both asynchronous online and synchronous on-ground activities are used within the same course. . .scheduled asynchrnous discussions allow learners to reflect on their classmates’ postings, compose their thoughts, and edit their responses. This can give facilitators the ability to move the discussion in a more purposeful way than in face to face discussions.
7. ISTE NETS Standards Connections include:

   II. Planning and Designing Learning Environments and Experiences…teachers plan and design effective learning environments and experiences supported by technology. Teachers a) design developmentally appropriate learning opportunities that apply technology-enhanced instructional strategies to support the diverse needs of learners and b) apply current research on teaching and learning with technology when planning learning environments and experiences.

   III. Teachers implement curriculum plans that include methods and strategies for applying technology to maximize student learning. Teachers:
   A. Facilitate technology-enhanced experiences that address content standards and student technology standards.
   B. use technology to support learner-centered strategies that address the diverse needs of students.
   C. apply technology to develop students’ higher order skills and creativity.

   IV.Teachers apply technology to facilitate a variety of effective assessment and evaluation strategies. Teachers:
   A) apply technology in assessing student learning fo subject matter using a variety of assessment techniques.

8. Questions to ask about Discussions:
   What?
   -Is the intended outcome for the discussion?
   -Services do you want it to provide?
   -Purpose will it serve for learners and their learning experience?
   How?
   -do you motivate them to be involved?
   -do you design and introduce a discussion that learners will commit the time and effort to in order to have an authentic and productive discussion?
9. Successful online discussions are clearly introduced and described, contain clear guidelines and rubrics, provide examples, are assigned as required activities and include assessment of participation.
10. Teachers in a professional development course can’t be expected to be involved when the pain of participation exceeds the perceived benefit.
11. Effective discussion leaders have experience and skill in using the techniques of organizing and keeping an online discussion on track….
12. To control the online discussion environment, the discussion leader arranges the online environment by clearly structuring the discussion threads, describing expectations of duration and goals, and setting the tone.
13. In well-managed online threaded discussions, each topic is given its own thread, separate from other conversations, making it easy for participants to identify the single topic being discussed in each.
14. Discussion tools allow learners to display postings in other views…it is the job of the facilitator to point out the advantages and teach learners how to properly use them (referencing a chart that features chronological vs threaded discussion postings).
15. Learners should be taught to personalize the subject lines of each of their postings and responses. Participants need to be educated and trained to both see and act on the advantage of taking additional time to change their subjects.
16. In an asynchronous discussion (AD from now on), designers should limit the duration of each to prevent a stale discussion from continuing past dwindling interest…expectations and directions need to be clearly articulated to learners.
17. Online AD is best managed by first scheduling the discussion to run for at least a week of real time. Organize the discussion in a series of sequential activities…start with an assignment that asks learners to make a posting based on the instructor’s criteria and give them a specific deadline. A companion assignment then asks learners to read and respond to their colleagues’ posts, also with a deadline.
18. This sequence of assignments produces a discussion by ensuring that learners will have an opportunity to respond to comments made by others…provide guidelines as to the quality of responses.
19. Characteristics of excellent discussion contributions (only an excerpt):
    -statements backed up with references to research
    -personal observations that connect to the issue
    -reflections on classmates’ postings that connect to your own experiences and knowledge
    -detailed feedback from a personal perspective
    -original insights or responses that build on the ideas of other learners
    -content that demonstrates you have read and understood the particular lesson and readings
    -content that elicits reflection and responses from other learners
    -responses to those who comment on your contributions
    -responses that integrate multiple views and show respect for the ideas of others
    -responses that dig deeper into assignment questions or issues
20. Analyze threaded discussions:
    -who is normally first to respond?
    -does the first response always take the same tone?
    -does everyone participate in the discussion?
    -are all the comments substantive and do they add to the discussion?
    -how long does the typical discussion go on?
    -how many posts?
    -how many learners? how many posts per learner?
    -If discussion doesn’t stay on track, what post moves it in a different direction?
    –Does the facilitator’s intervention move the discussion back on track?
    –Are derailed discussions frequently caused by the same authors?
21. Sometimes just providing learners with data about their pattern of participation can create an awareness that results in positive changes.
22. Learners need to become acquainted and establish a level of trust and respect.
23. Opportunities have to be purposefully structured and publicized, and participation must be required.
24. Publicize clear expectations: describe a plan for participants to build a trusting community of learners by becoming acquainted and working together in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere.
25. Provide learners with specific threads for off-topic and informal conversations and encourage tem to use them to continue the community building you want in your courses…create a separate discussion forum and publicize it as a place for informal conversations that are ongoing during the course.
26. To minimize facilitator time and energy spent, consider designing activities that enable students to interact with their classmates versus interacting with the facilitator alone. When instructors assign control of the learning to the learners, they can become more responsible for their own learning, engaging with their classmates and learning collaboratively.
27. In a landscape post, the facilitator describes and quotes what learners have been saying in a conversation, but without summarizing it. These posts can be used when a discussion needs a boost to move the group to consensus or when disagreements prevent it. The facilitator quotes learners’ points, while being careful not to give the feeling of a summary and leaves learners ready to move to a deeper level of understanding.
28. Facilitators have 3 types of tasks to perform in online discussions:
    a-Moderators should answer any and all questions directed to them and they should do so within 24 hours. For difficult questions, they should post an acknowledgement and a promise to research the answer and then return within a reasonable time.
    b-As moderators observe the flow of a discussion, they should allow learners to venture into chaotic and difficult waters, but they should always be ready to save them from making an uncorrectable error.
    c-It’s good for learners to explore unknown territory and share their learning, but it’s helpful for the learning process for moderators to correct serious misinformation presented by learners as fact.
29. Examples of facilitator tasks include: get online, post new announcements, check questions threads and respond immediately, check for new messages, read through discussion postings, moderate, communicate, be proactive, check your facilitator scripts for to-do items.
30. Examples of Facilitator Weekly Tasks: open hidden documents, assess students, weekly live office hours, write facilitator scripts, prepare for next week.

The article has a great quote at the end that goes as follows:

Virtual schooling is a vehicle to reach students and give them access to learning opportunities they might otherwise never have.

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