Facilitating Virtual Discussions

Inclusive class discussions are meaningful in a variety of ways. Through open dialogues with students, instructors can receive direct feedback, gauge class climate and motivate students to learn from one another. Furthermore, increased engagement opportunities can help students gain a better understanding of course material.

The encouragement, motivation and feedback that students offer one another through online class discussions can help to improve engagement and promote an inclusive supportive classroom environment during disruption. Online discussions in both synchronous and asynchronous formats offer the same benefits, helping students to build and maintain relationships with peers when in-person meetings are not possible.

  • Before beginning a synchronous or asynchronous discussion, have you identified and communicated the learning purpose or goals, the ways you want students to engage with that task, and the criteria by which you would determine it’s success? Being clear on these details will help you design the assignment effectively, and will help students be most successful at achieving the goals.
  • Which technology will be most familiar for you and your students and best-aligned with your purpose?
    • Blogs, Moodle discussion forums and instant messaging, like the Microsoft Teams chat feature, are among online platforms that offer students a place to share reflections on course content or assignments.
    • Video conferencing with Teams or Zoom provides synchronous options for meeting with your students online.

Additional Resources