Creating Online Discussions That Increase Student Engagement and Measure Learning

As educators, we know discussion forums are where meaningful student interaction happens in our online courses. However, many students do not fully engage in discussions, making assessment a challenge. In this session, we will present a variety of strategies and approaches to online discussions. We will also discuss the impact of instructor presence in online discussions on student engagement and learning. You will have the opportunity to brainstorm ideas for engaging discussions for your own courses and leave with concrete ideas and resources to create discussions that will get students thinking deeply, applying concepts, and actively engaging with their classmates.

Outcomes: Be able to create engaging online discussion questions in a variety of formats * Be able to create online discussion questions to assess learning at all levels of Bloom's taxonomy * Understand the impact of instructor engagement in online discussion forums