The public’s attitudes diverge in similarways on some of the more severe behaviors in the scenario. Most prominently, 85% of Americansthink that Julie experiences online harassment when she begins to receive vulgar messages abouther looks and sexual behavior. But substantially fewer (although still a majority at 66%) think thatthe social media platform has an obligation to step in and address that behavior.

Using a combination of small-group and whole-classdiscussion boards as work and reflection spaces is aneffective means of avoiding the ineffective line up andanswer model of asynchronous discussion and is an effectivemeans of employing active learning pedagogy

As in traditional classroom presentations, there can alsobe requirements for other students to view, respond, andask questions of the presenter. A typical setup mightinclude a requirement that the presenting student postthe presentation on the weekend, that the class view thepresentation during the first half of the week, and post acomment or question by Wednesday. The presenter studentwould then need to return later in the week to respond tocomments and questions.

This kind of post can also be usedfor students to introduce themselves to each other at thebeginning of the term. Having students review and analyzetheir own video recordings is an effective means of fosteringreflection.

as VoiceThread(https://voicethread.com/), FlipGrid (http://info.flipgrid.com/)and YouSeeU (http://www.youseeu.com/).

several examples of discussion board activitiesthat successfully adopt an active learning pedagogy.

The assessment should notbe based on the correctness of each response, but rather oneffort, engagement, and participation, which admittedly aremore difficult to assess. The value is the conversation as awhole, not the individual posts.

When designing a discussion board activity, it isimportant to remember that discussions are not exams andthe correctness of each person’s response is not the point.The point of discussion should be conversation, analysis,debate, illustration, application, synthesis, and reflection.

“line up and answer” model is an instructor-centered mode

At least partially at fault is ineffectivequestion design. One of the most common question formatsfor online asynchronous discussions is for instructors to posea question or brief list of questions, and then to ask studentsto first reply to the question(s) provided and then to returnlater to reply to the responses of two peers.

One of the most promising tools foractive learning in the asynchronous online course is thediscussion board. A well-designed and well-facilitateddiscussion board can be a rich space for active learning

Collison, Elbaum, Haavind, and Tinker (2000) notethat discussion boards, in particular, can “extend reflectiontime” and offer the “opportunity to compose thoughtful,probing contributions” (p. 2)

Confront inappropriate language. If a student makes an inappropriate comment—racist, sexist, or otherwise offensive—letting it go without intervention can seem like a tacit endorsement of those views. And whether the slight is intentional or not, the impact is the same. Letting such comments pass unchallenged can seriously harm students' trust in you and their sense of belonging in the class and the university. Have some responses ready for how you are going to address such comments, including

Avoid questions that seem like there is one right answer. In some cases, it works well to ask not for their own opinions, per se, but a sharing of what opinions they have heard about that topic; such an approach allows you to get the “lay of the land” without anyone feeling too exposed from the start.

Establish some discussion guidelines. Work with students to establish a set of guidelines for class discussion; their input is important here so the rules are part of the classroom community, not just rules you impose. Some possible guidelines include: Listen respectfully, without interruptingAllow everyone the opportunity to speakCriticize ideas, not individuals or groupsAvoid inflammatory language, including name-callingAsk questions when you don’t understand; don’t assume you know others’ thinking or motivationsConnect back to course concepts whenever possibleDon’t expect any individuals to speak on behalf of their gender, ethnic group, class, status, etc. (or the groups we perceive them to be a part of).

sk students to complete an assignment in advance that helps them understand and articulate their own views, as well as others they have heard. Such pre-discussion homework can help them reflect on those views, understand potential reasons behind them, and connect them to disciplinary content in the course. Such activities let them do some more logical thinking in advance, before any emotional barriers get thrown up during a heated discussion.

In situations where you know you will be addressing a controversial topic, you can prepare for the discussion in ways that set the stage for success.

Earning Participation Points for Weekly DiscussionsOnline discussions can be one of the richest elements of your online experience.Electronic discussions offer a unique opportunity to be “heard.” You don’t needto raise your hand and wait to be called on. You can think carefully about whatyou want to say and look it over before you post it. You can consider thecontributions of your peers more thoughtfully and go back to comments againwhen a second reading offers clarification and a deeper understanding.I value your contributions to our discussions. You have a great deal to offer andto learn from one another. You may surprise yourself with your insights,creativity and wisdom about teaching and learning through these discussions.However, one of the more difficult aspects of these discussions for me isevaluating your participation. So I’m going to give you that responsibility.Here’s how it works

You can emphasize the importance of discussion board contributions byspotlighting the content of the board in an assignment. Have students draw from the discussion board as a pool ofreferences for an assignment – one that enforces skills for summary, synthesis, and analysis for instance –incorporating (and citing!) their peers’ comments

se clear, open-ended questions that tap into the higher-order thinking levelsof application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation to start conversation threads.

aculty members find that it is worthwhile taking some time to teachthe students how to listen to others, how to paraphrase, how to involveother members of the group. Students need to understand that they sharethe responsibility for making the discussion a worthwhile experience. This isa new idea for most of them

Ask morequestions than you give answers, and put the bulk of your energy into drawing out the quiet students and encouragingmore of the kind of participation you want to see.

Structure discussions in advance, and connect the discussions to your courseobjectives. Though you’ll want to leave areas of the board open forunstructured conversation, try creating sequenced threads that map to coursetopics, making it clear to students what the relationship of the discussion is tothose outcomes

you can manage your workload more effectivelyby:

It’s important tomanage the time that you and other participants spend interacting,and to make sure that the interactions on the board are enrichingand relevant

Now, I ask questions that I am really interested in discussing. My questions are always open-ended; I make sure to provide five or six questions so that students can choose the ones they want to respond to, and I always include a general question that prompts students to react to an aspect of the readings that caught their attention.

(Flipgrid can help with this!).