First Week Summary

1. How effective have Discussion Forums been for you in the past?

Among the 8 responders who have used them, experiences varied widely, but most have had less than memorable experiences. “Ineffective” was most common selection (half of respondents). But no one chose “Extremely Ineffective,”and one person each chose “Moderately Effective” and “Extremely Effective.” Two others chose, “Just OK”.

2. Past Experiences with Discussion Forums

In this forum, several kinds of experience and thoughts about them were raised.

  • Forums on “General Topics” were generally unsuccessful.Apparently, participants don’t want classify Top of Form their comments and questions as “General.” More focused discussions connected to other learning activities seem to do better.
  • There seems to be a large difference between the effectiveness of discussion forums in short courses versus longer, university courses. Longer courses can make better use of forums, perhaps because there istime to develop confidence and trust.
  • Voluntary forums (like this one) may not attract a sufficient degree of commitment, and may be seen more as distractions than as useful tools for learning. It can be difficult to get more than a few students to participate involuntary forum. Stimulating discussion is a challenge, and might require a variety of tactics, including
    • creating a staged debate as “entertainment” and incitement to participate
    • keeping silent for interesting postings so students have an important role.
    • Forming smaller groups with obligations to complete specific tasks
  • Email notification was seen as critical to encourage involvement, but potentially annoying as well.
  • Because of their written format, it can be difficult to make them feel like “discussions.”
  • Establishing good decorum and setting good examples early, along with having engaging discussion activities, can set the tone for sustained forum involvement.
  • Forums have a lot in common with online user groups and news groups, although these are ongoing and informal. But when interested and vocal people find them, they can sustain a lot of idea exchange.

3. Why discussion forums may never work as well as we would like…

In this forum, people were encouraged to look for fundamental difficulties with discussion forums.

  • Discussions can take a lot of time due to their asynchronous nature. It might take days to sort out a misconception for all.
  • Many people may not like to be so public with their comments, preferring to reflect to themselves.
  • People may not feel they really know one another enough to share.
  • There might be a lack of trust, lack of reward,and lack of fun of social interaction. But there also might be same old fear ofshowing you are not very knowledgeable or smart by making a bad posting (like raising your hand and speaking in class).
  • Protocols for responding and posting are not well established for many participants.

4. Discussion forums might provide valuable learning opportunities because…

This forum was not so active. People either didn’t find many things to say, or felt the points were may in the other forums already.

  • Discussion forums are a democratic equalizer because we can take our time to think and post when we are ready. No one can dominate or interrupt.
  • Forums are preserved, unlike spoken discussions.But this preservation can be a concern as well if you later aren’t happy with what you said.
  • Forums are a great tool for sharing expertise and experiences, and for getting ideas out.

5. Wiki comparing discussion forums and other online communications

This wiki is only in its early stages. We should all try to go back and add more content to it.


Last modified: Tuesday, 18 September 2012, 2:38 PM