Class Discussions

Class discussions are a simple way of introducing active learning. They can help students learn from each other. However, you need to think through how you use and manage discussions to maximize their usefulness.

Synchronous discussion participation is somewhat harder to assess than asynchronous, as you must rely on your memory to make quick notes during class to keep track of who participates and the value of their participation. If this is important, you may consider asking students to rate themselves against the rubric at the end of particularly important discussions. See the section on class discussions for suggestions on increasing participation.

Mintz (2020) recommends that you:

• Don’t expect deference.
• Anticipate potential problems
• Strive to make your class a community of inquiry
• Make your classroom a “safe space” for intellectual exploration
• Be explicit about your pedagogy
• Do your darndest to embed multiple perspectives into your class

Helping Students Participate

Most discussions involve a small percentage of the students. Usually this is because:

• Some students are concerned that they will say something stupid.
• Some haven’t done the reading.
• Some are not interested in the subject.
• Some students would prefer to be able to think before talking; this may be particularly true of students with disabilities and students whose first language isn’t English.

To help these students and to also improve the overall discussion:

• Provide discussion questions focused on readings before the readings are due.
• Provide points for participation.
• Identify some non-threatening ways of correcting students. For example, you might say “That’s an interesting idea, what do others think?” or “OK, you have the right approach. Let’s see how that will work out.”
• Talk about why participation in discussions is important (Howard, 2019, p. 9).
  • According to research, students learn best from each other.
  • It’s good practice for the workplace where they will be expected to participate.
• Ask open, general questions such as “Where did you hear something like this before? How does this apply in that situation?”

Students will see a direct connection between readings, discussions, and grades. This will also help students both focus their reading and prepare for the discussions (Howard, 2019, p. 14).

You can also provide either a discussion board or a backchannel for discussions (see the section on asynchronous discussions below). This allows for thinking before writing and also for more equal ‘talk time.’

Howard (2019) suggests setting the stage on the first day by using small group discussions about the syllabus.

Discussion Tips

1. Watch how much you are contributing. It is important to show interest, but remember Mazur’s remarks (as noted by Demski, 2013) – participation by the instructor in certain online collaboration activities can lower student participation through intimidation (they may feel more likely that they would just say something stupid).
2. Provide points for participation. If you use a discussion rubric, share it with the students. Many rubrics are available online. If you build your own, consider some of the following categories: Level of participation or engagement, listening level, preparation, frequency, advanced the discussion, demonstrated understanding, writing and grammar  (for online), and attitude.
3. Specifically ask students for different ideas/approaches. But make sure you do not imply that a student’s comment was incorrect or unintelligent.
4. If you are looking for specific answers (such as math or other facts), consider making it more fun by using emojis or candy to reward answers – perhaps even incorrect answers to reward participation.
5. Pay attention to how students are engaged: Keep watch for interest level and switch activities if needed.
6. Quiz the students before class with short-answer questions, review the answers and use these as discussion starters (but do not use student names when providing quiz answers).
7. Ask different questions:
   • “Frame the question to inspire a range of answers (Howard, 2019, p. 7)
   • “Ask students to apply a variety of theories or perspectives to a particular example (Howard, 2019, p. 7)
   • “After illustrating a topic or concept, ask students to provide their own example (Howard, 2019, p. 7)
8. Pay attention to who is participating. Find non-threatening ways of including others in the discussions, such as:
   • Start by asking students to pair up to discuss a specific question before asking them to share with the whole class
   • Provide students with blank note cards or an in-class chatroom to ask question and make comments if they don’t want to talk aloud
   • If some students are dominating the conversation, ask them to hold their thoughts for 2 minutes or ask them to take the opposite view
   • Specifically ask students for different ideas/approaches

Synchronous Discussions

1. During discussions, pay attention to who is talking. For students dominating the conversation, ask them to hold their thoughts for 2 minutes or ask them to take the opposite view.
2. Asking students who do not have their hand raised may encourage more participation but may also embarrass the student.
3. If not many students are responding to questions or participating in discussions, consider different interaction methods:
   • Have students think about question for 2 minutes before accepting responses.
   • Provide an in-class chat and either monitor it yourself or ask students on a rotating basis to monitor.
   • Use think-pair-share to start discussions.
   • Ask “Whose partner had a brilliant insight?” (Howard, 2019, p. 10).Provide students with blank note cards or an in-class chatroom to add questions and comments if they don’t want to talk aloud. Make sure this is monitored by you or a TA.
   • If you use students to monitor a backchannel, you may want to make it anonymous (If you receive inappropriate messages, let them know that you can check who is making comments).
4. Group the students and have them answer your questions on sheets of paper (or white boards), post them around the room then ask students to move around the room and add notes, comments, or additional questions. (This can be similar to an asynchronous, online class discussion.) (You can also pose different questions for each group)

Asynchronous Discussions

(For more on asynchronous discussion boards, see Lloyd, 2021).

(For different uses for discussion boards, see Chapter C7)

In a classroom or synchronous online discussion, there is one thread, and the discussion builds on that one thread. This single thread focuses on new considerations on the last comment or two, deepening the conversation. It also offers you the ability to guide the discussion and add information to enhance the discussion.

Often, in an online discussion group, the instructor asks each student to post an answer to an open-ended question such as ‘Create a short (200 to 300 words) reflection on… Please post your reflection on this discussion and then read and comment your peers’ posts.” Each student will read a few of the posts, but even if their comment carries the conversation further, the next student is more likely to comment on the original post rather than a reply to the post. The last student to post may have read other students posts and replies but may have been more focused on getting in the assignment – posting their own thread, as opposed to reflecting on other students before replying. If students are required to respond to other student posts, they may look for the shortest posts, rather than lengthy ones. Compared to the single, guided thread of the synchronous discussion, these online discussions typically remain light and often repetitive.

• If you are interested in receiving the initial thoughts about the topic from every student, requiring a post per student is appropriate.
• If, however, you are interested in a deeper conversation where students reflect on previous comments, you may want to consider a single threaded discussion, asking students to read the entire thread and reflect on the latest two or three, rather replying to the single thread, eliminating branching.

Encouraging Participation

• Award points on comments based on their quality, quantity, or a combination
• Give explicit instructions
• Tell the students how discussion forums can help them meet course outcomes
• Discuss forum posts and replies during class sessions
• Provide a discussion rubric and provide points for contributing

Establish Ground Rules

Darby (2020) suggests the following ground rules:

• Set two deadlines a week — the first for an initial post and the second for a minimum number of replies (usually at least two) to other students’ comments.
• Provide a rubric or a checklist (try using the rubric tool in your campus LMS; it really speeds up grading) to clearly communicate the criteria for success: How long should a post be? Can the style be informal and conversational? Is a scholarly citation needed?
• Discourage students — explicitly — from posting “Yeah, I agree” kinds of replies.

“Netiquette”

You can help your students tone their posts with guidelines on appropriate discussion and chat posts. Many institutions provide an online list of ‘netiquette’ guides. If your institution does not, you may want to review the 10 rules written by Shea (2011):

1. Remember the human
2. Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life
3. Know where you are in cyberspace
4. Respect other people’s time and bandwidth
5. Make yourself look good online
6. Share expert knowledge
7. Help keep flame wars under control
8. Respect other people’s privacy
9. Don’t abuse your power
10. Be forgiving of other people’s mistakes

These are defined on the Albion Publisher’s website (http://www.albion.com/netiquette/introduction.html). However, several institutions have adopted these and provided briefer descriptions. For instance:

• Colorado State University – https://coursedesign.colostate.edu/obj/corerulesnet.html.
• University of Connecticut – https://onlinestudent.uconn.edu/netiquette/.

Other institutions have posted different rules that might be more appropriate for your course:

• Rasmussen University – https://www.rasmussen.edu/student-experience/college-life/netiquette-guidelines-every-online-student-needs-to-know/.
• Columbus State University – https://www.columbusstate.edu/online-learning/standards/netiquette-guidelines.php.
• Marquette University – https://www.marquette.edu/online-programs/netiquette.php#:~:text=Netiquette%20refers%20to%20the%20guidelines,text%2Dbased%20discussion%20is%20essential.
• Texas A&M International University – https://www.tamiu.edu/distance/students/netiquette.shtml .

Suggestions Specifically to Support Diversity and Inclusivity

Some students may be subjected to microaggressions based on their race, gender-identity, nationality, etc. As an instructor, you have a responsibility to make your classroom safe and inviting for all your students.

Some students may be subjected to microaggressions based on their race, gender-identity, nationality, etc. As an instructor, you have a responsibility to make your classroom safe and inviting for all your students.

1. Include syllabus statements about inclusivity, civil discourse, and interaction expectations.
2. Begin “the course with explicit statements about the diverse nature of topics discussed in the class and how there was an expectation of respect and consideration for all perspectives and experiences” (Booker & Campbell-Whatley, 2018, p. 18).
3. Provide classroom discussion guidelines (Arkoudis et al., 2013, p. 230; Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning, 2020) or work with the class to co-develop classroom guidelines (Add et al., 2020; Arkoudis et al., 2013, p.230)
4. Pay attention for microaggressions (Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning, 2020). These may show as excluding students from discussions and activities, and stigmatizing students.
5. Students from some cultures may find it more difficult to share without having time to think first, so:
   • After asking a question, wait. Often students will take a while to formulate then answer. Count silently to 15 before talking again.
   • Start discussions by asking students to pair up to discuss a specific question before asking them to share with the whole class.
6. Be aware of ‘tokenism’ – that is, watch for signs that a person is being asked to speak for their entire culture, race, religion, disability, etc.
7. Use role modeling to demonstrate appropriate questioning and discussions. “Participants reported that they attempted to be role models by, (a) being open to minority opinions and highlighted contributions from underrepresented groups, (b) making extra effort to assure that students representing various minority groups feel welcomed and valued, (c) trying to make all feel valued as individuals, (d) noting conclusions that have been drawn from assumptions or superficial data, (e) assuring that all voices are heard, (f) taking advantage of ‘teachable moments,’ and (g) ‘treating everyone the same’” (Gordon et al., 2019, pp. 5–6).

Tense & Difficult Discussions

If you have discomfit about your ability to handle tense discussions in the classroom, then it is relatively easy to get support and prepare yourself for managing these before they happen. Your institute probably has an office for student diversity and inclusion or a TLC which can talk with you about strategies to help you:

• Feel more comfortable facing hot moments
• Manage student conversations
• Support effective student group work

At some point, you will probably hear discriminatory comments from a student. Be prepared on how you will manage them. Consider how you will handle comments from a student who is:

• unaware that comment is inappropriate
• aware their comment might be offensive (sexist, racist, or homophobic)

Difficult conversations may involve testing students’ values and beliefs. These are often very difficult threshold concepts. (Davis, 2014, p. 26) explains:

Research indicates that people may feel considerable internal conflict and tend to resist the implications of new information if acceptance would require a major cognitive reorganization (Anderson 1977:424–425). (The person fears to relinquish beliefs which have provided orientation for all of life, recognizing the difficulties inherent in a total reorganization.) This point has special application for cross-cultural educators and explains—from a psychological viewpoint—why new messages may be strenuously rejected.

Goodman (2022) reports that students’ “fear of being wrong, especially in the classroom, is especially prevalent when discussing highly charged issues.” To help students open up during these types of discussions, some instructors recommend adding principles of interaction to the syllabus such as freedom, charity and humility (Goodman, 2022). “It’s important to make the bounds and expectations of civil discourse clear from the start, and to remind students of them throughout the course” (Goodman, 2022).

One technique for supporting student thinking of difficult topics is to assign student groups to different sides of an issue and have them debate them. The students can then be regrouped and assigned sides again.

Articles That May Interest You

• For information on dealing with conflict or ‘hot moments’ in the classroom see Warren (n.d.)
• For a guide on dealing with difficult situations, see Student Care Team (n.d.). Although this has links to University of Louisville departments, it provides good advice on a variety of situations:
  • Self-Harm / Suicide Ideation Situations
  • Threatening Situations
  • Difficult Behavior Situations
  • Difficult Communication Situations
  • Well-Being Concerning Situations
  • Policy Involved Situations
• For information about faculty responsibility for inclusiveness in the classroom, see:
  • Quaye & Harper (2007). Shifting the onus from racial/ethnic minority students to faculty: Accountability for culturally inclusive pedagogy and curricula. Liberal Education, 92(3), 10.
  • Koolsbergen, W. (2013). Approaching Diversity: Some Classroom Strategies for Learning Communities. Peer Review, Association of American Colleges & Universities, 4(1). https://www.aacu.org/publications-research/periodicals/approaching-diversity-some-classroom-strategies-learning.

IDI & Class Discussions

The following describe actions you can take to use concepts from class discussion in the IDI model:

Step 3. How Will You Know If You Get There?

3.1 Develop Assessments & Rubrics

1. Provide points for participation in discussions.
2. Consider using a discussion rubric and provide points for contributing.

Step 4. How Will You Get There?

4.1 Develop & Teach Course

1. Include syllabus statements about inclusivity, civil discourse, and interaction expectations.
2. Identify some non-threatening ways of correcting students.
3. Identify how you will respond to inappropriate comments.
4. Identify methods for providing class and group discussions (synchronous and asynchronous, anonymous and identified).
5. Use quizzes to identify discussion starters.
6. Write discussion questions focused on readings.
7. If you use a discussion rubric and points for contributing, share it with the students.
8. Provide guidelines on acceptable language and tone. Include the importance of freedom, charity and humility.
9. Talk about why participation in discussions is important.
10. Discuss the importance of diversity  in opinions and respect.
11. Provide classroom discussion guidelines or build them with the class.
12. Ask open, general questions.
13. Watch how much you are contributing.
14. Use role modeling to demonstrate appropriate questioning and discussions.
15. Specifically ask students for different ideas/approaches.
16. Ask students for their own examples and applications.
17. Pay attention for microaggressions and ‘tokenism’.
18. Keep watch for interest level.
19. Watch for students having trouble accepting information that conflicts with their values and beliefs. Consider a closing activity that asks students to write to you about their conflicts and concerns.
20. Distribute discussion questions focused on next class reading.

Synchronous Discussions

1. During discussions, pay attention to who is talking. For students dominating the conversation, ask them to hold their thoughts for 2 minutes or ask them to take the opposite view.
2. Asking students who do not have their hand raised may encourage more participation but may also embarrass the student.
3. If not many students are responding to questions or participating in discussions, consider different interaction methods:
   • After asking a question, wait. Often students will take a while to formulate then answer. Have students think about question for 2 minutes before accepting responses.
   • Start by asking students to pair up to discuss a specific question before asking them to share with the whole class
   • If some students are dominating the conversation, ask them to hold their thoughts for 2 minutes or ask them to take the opposite view
   • Specifically ask students for different ideas/approaches
   • Provide an in-class chat (backchannel) and either monitor it yourself or ask students on a rotating basis to monitor. If you use students to monitor a backchannel, you may want to make it anonymous (let them know that you can check who is making comments).
   • Use think-pair-share to start discussions. Ask “Whose partner had a brilliant insight?” (Howard, 2019, p. 10).
   • Provide students with blank note cards or an in-class chatroom to add questions and comments if they don’t want to talk aloud. Make sure this is monitored by you or a TA.
   • Start discussions by asking students to pair up to discuss a specific question before asking them to share with the whole class.
   • Group the students and have them answer your questions on sheets of paper (or white boards), post them around the room then ask students to move around the room and add notes, comments, or additional questions.  (You can also pose different questions for each group)

Asynchronous Discussions

1. Provide ‘netiquette rules.
2. Provide a discussion rubric and provide points for contributing.
3. Award points on comments based on their quality, quantity, or a combination.
4. Tell the students how discussion forums can help them meet course outcomes.
5. Give explicit instructions.
6. If some students are not participating, check with them individually to see how you can help them.
7. Participate in the discussion forum just as you would a  synchronous discussion.
8. Consider grouping students and using a single thread for each group rather than a thread for each student.
9. Assign a question to small groups of students and ask them to discuss then post their conclusions and questions on a main thread. Assign dates for the small groups to post by.
10. Set ground rules for frequency and types of participation.
11. Monitor and adapt as needed.
12. Discuss forum posts and replies during class sessions.

4.2 Assess Students

1. If you use a discussion rubric, share the results for each student early and frequently to emphasize the importance of participation.

Step 5. How Did It Go?

5.1 Evaluate Course Success

1. Use the class outline to note how discussions worked.

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References

Arkoudis, S., Watty, K., Baik, C., Yu, X., Borland, H., Chang, S., Lang, I., Lang, J., & Pearce, A. (2013). Finding common ground: Enhancing interaction between domestic and international students in higher education. Teaching in Higher Education, 18(3), 222–235. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2012.719156.

Booker, K. C., & Campbell-Whatley, G. D. (2018). How Faculty Create Learning Environments for Diversity and Inclusion. InSight: A Journal of Scholarly Teaching, 13, 14–27.

Darby, F. (2020, August 24). The Secret Weapon of Good Online Teaching: Discussion Forums. CHE. https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-secret-weapon-of-good-online-teaching-discussion-forums.

Davis, P. M. (2014). Cognition and learning: A review of the literature with reference to ethnolinguistic minorities. Summer Institute of Linguistics.

Demski, J. (2013, January 23). 6 Expert Tips for Flipping the Classroom—Campus Technology. https://campustechnology.com/articles/2013/01/23/6-expert-tips-for-flipping-the-classroom.aspx.

Goodman, S. (2022, August 29). What Does It Take to Have Civil Discourse in the Classroom? The Chronicle of Higher Education. https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-elusive-civil-classroom.

Gordon, S. R., Yough, M., Finney, E. A., Haken, A., & Mathew, S. (2019). Learning about Diversity Issues: Examining the Relationship between University Initiatives and Faculty Practices in Preparing Global-Ready Students. Educational Considerations, 45(1). https://eric.ed.gov/?q=Diversity+in+the+classroom+better+student+learning&ff1=dtySince_2016&ff2=eduHigher+Education&pg=2&id=EJ1219107.

Howard, J. (2019, May 23). How to Hold a Better Class Discussion. CHE. https://www.chronicle.com/article/how-to-hold-a-better-class-discussion/.

Koolsbergen, W. (2013, October 2). Approaching Diversity: Some Classroom Strategies for Learning Communities. Peer Review, Association of American Colleges & Universities, 4(1). https://www.aacu.org/publications-research/periodicals/approaching-diversity-some-classroom-strategies-learning.

Lloyd, D. (2021, December 9). A Paradigm for Consequential Discussion Boards—OLC. https://onlinelearningconsortium.org/a-paradigm-for-consequential-discussion-boards/.

Mintz, S. (2020, July 15). A Prediction: More Contentious Classrooms. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/higher-ed-gamma/prediction-more-contentious-classrooms.

Quaye, S. J., & Harper, S. R. (2007). Shifting the onus from racial/ethnic minority students to faculty: Accountability for culturally inclusive pedagogy and curricula. Liberal Education, 92(3), 10.

Shea, V. (2011). The Core Rules of Netiquette—Excerpted from Netiquette. http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html.

Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning. (2020). Effective Teaching Is Anti-Racist Teaching. Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning, Brown University, 1812. https://www.brown.edu/sheridan/teaching-learning-resources/inclusive-teaching/effective-teaching-anti-racist-teaching.

Student Care Team. (n.d.). Response Guide for Difficult Student Situations. University of Louisville. Retrieved October 2, 2020, from https://louisville.edu/dos/facultystaff/difficult-student-guide.

Warren, L. (n.d.). Managing Hot Moments in the Classroom. Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, Harvard University, 5.

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