Creating Magic in Discussion Forums

It is hard to manage a full course load at maybe one or two universities, plus advising, plus developing, and whatever other responsibilities someone may have, to take the time to create. To make magic. And learning how to make media, of any kind is a commitment.

But, there’s an easy way to put magic in a class. And it’s something courses, especially online, asynchronous courses, rely on: discussion forums. Research shows that engaging forums, such as those which combine a prompt with technology makes learning more engaging and effective. Moreover, creating options for students will personalize the learning and strengthen their engagement (Aderibigbe et al., 2023).

Consider the ideas below when creating a discussion forum. They may not all apply to you, but hopefully a few will.

Updated: January 2024

Reference

Aderbigbe, S., AbdelRahman, A., & Othman, H. (2023). Using online discussion forums to enhance and document sutdents’ workplace learning experiences: A semi-private emirati university’s context. Education Sciences, 13(5). https://doi.org/10.3390/edusci13050458