How to Create Engaging Online Discussions

One thing that I love about teaching online is the creative possibilities. When I first started teaching online, however, I did not find that my course was very creative at all. In fact, I thought it was boring. Since I use the Discussion Board often, I had to come up with a way to make my discussions more engaging. Today I'll share some blog posts I've previously shared that highlight tips that I have perfected over the years on how I make my online discussions more engaging.

Strategies to Develop Stronger Discussion Questions

In this blog post I shared about the PEAR Approach which is a strategy that has changed my entire perspective on discussion board questions. This is the primary technique I use to develop engaging discussion questions

Re-imagining The Discussion Board

In this blog post, I walk you through the actual process I use to revise/update my discussion board questions to make them more engaging. You can adapt this process for any of your "boring" forums that you may want to jazz up!

Setting Clear Expectations for Discussion Board Assignments

One of the best things you can do to help students engage is to provide clear instructions. If students start off frustrated, they're not going to be in the mood to engage with others. Use the tips in this blog post to develop better guidelines.

Assignment Spotlight: Discussion Board Samples

Instead of telling you what I do, this blog post gives you examples of some of the discussion board questions I have use in my online courses. They will give you an idea of how I engage my students. Enjoy!