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Forums can contribute significantly to successful communication and community building in an online environment. It is here that most if the discussions and collaboration between you and your Group members will occur.
The basic setup is a reply-only forum in which your instructor posts a message and you're asked to reply. When you open a reply-only forum, your only option is to click Reply in the lower right hand corner of the block containing your instructor's question.
If you've been given the ability to create new discussion topics, as well as reply to previously posted discussion topics, then the forum will look different when you open it. There will be several different topics in a stack.
Each topic in the stack contains its own conversation. By clicking on the text label of the topic, you are able to see the conversation.
Using the nested format, replies appear indented from the message to which they reply. The list grows, creating a record of discussion about the topic.
Select the section where you wish the forum to appear on your page.
Click on the Add an Activity drop down menu and select Forum. This will take you to the Addin a new Forum screen.
Forum Name: Choose and type the name for the forum in this text field.
Forum Type: This option gives you four choices for the format of the forum. These choices are:
*A single simple discussion
*Each person can create one discussion
*Q and A forum
*Standard forum for general use
Leave Standard forum for general use selected.
Forum Introduction: Type the question or discussion you want to begin in this text field.
Force everyone to be subscribed? With this option, you have the ability to force subscription to a forum upon the Group members. If you wish to do this, click on the drop down menu and choose the YES option. If you do not wish to force subscription, leave this option set as NO.
For our purposes, leave No selected.
Read tracking for this forum? If this option is enabled Group members will be able to track both the read and unread messages for the forum. You have the option to assign a tracking type for the forum. The options for this setting are:
*Optional:Group members are able to turn the tracking on or off at their discretion.
*On: The tracking is always on, the Group members are unable to turn it off.
*Off: The tracking is always off, the Group members are unable to turn it on.
Maximum attachment size: This option allows you to set a limit to the size of any attachments uploaded to the forum by themselves and the Group members.
RSS feed for this activity: This option allows Group members with an RSS aggregator program to be notified of any new forum discussions or posts.To enable this option, click the drop down menu and choose:
*Discussion: This option will generate a feed from every new discussion added to the forum.
*Posts: This option will generate a feed from every new post to the forum.
Number of RSS recent articles: Use the drop down menu to select the number of items you wish to display in the RSS feed.
Grade - You have the option . The options are:
*No Ratings
*Average of Ratings
*Count of Ratings
*Maximum Ratings
*Minimum Ratings
*Sum of Ratings
For our puposes, leave No Ratings selected.
Post threshold for blocking: This option blocks any postings made by an individual Group member once the set limit has been exceeded by that Group member.
For our purposes, leave Don't Block selected.
Group Mode: The group mode can be one of three levels:
*No groups: There are no sub groups, everyone is part of one big community.
*Separate Groups: Each group can only see their own group, others are invisible.
*Visible groups: Each group works in their own group, but can also see other groups.
In the online learning enviroment, the discussion takes on a new level of importance for the physically dispersed learners to build a sense of community. It is where they connect with other learners; share their personal experience, opinions, and thoughts; explore new concepts; and deepen their understanding of the material.
The instructor is a facilitator in the discussion. They serve to monitor the responses and ensure that the discussion is a safe place for all students to share. Facilitators should keep the discussion on track and help those that tend to stray, focus on the material being discussed. Facilitators should help to advance the discussion if it happens to become "stuck." But facilitators should not be so heavily involved that they impede the process or the flow of discussion.
Here are discussion forum strategies instructors should employ to enhance students’ online experience:
Post the rules of netiquette and behavior expectations at the start.
Encourage students to introduce themselves and meet one another to form a learning community where they will feel safe to share and discuss.
Develop discussion questions that allow the student to critically reflect on the material and synthesize it with their own experiences.
Encourage students to participate early and often.
Intervene when the discussion is veering off in the wrong direction and help move the discussion back on track.
Ensure that the discussion forum is a safe learning environment.
Promote further thinking and reflection by posing more thoughtful and engaging questions within any given discussion.
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