Post 371: The Importance of the Discussion Forum in An Online Classroom

Post 317:  The Importance of the Discussion Forum in An Online Classroom

The Discussion Forum is the most important/vital part of the online classroom. This is where the student share information about each other, get to know each other, do projects together, form a community of learners and bond.

It is through this discussion in the forums that students learn and master the core concepts in the class. This is where I do the majority of my teaching, lecturing or bonding with students.

For me, the most rewarding part of teaching online is participating in the forums. I like to talk with the students to get to know them, I like providing insights into the core concepts of the class, and as the class progresses, I like seeing the improvements in my students' writing skills as my students gain confidence in learning argumentation, in critical thinking skills, and in learning how to write an academic essay.

Students love the results of their peer review of other student papers because peer reviewing helps students learn the writing process. They learn if a paper has a thesis statement, if the paper makes sense, and if the paper has correct grammar.

The forums is equivalent  to classroom discussion and classroom group work and projects in a face to face class. The forums is where students get to feel like a community since learning online can be so isolating.

If students do multimedia projects, it is in the forums that students can exchange projects and talk about each other projects and work collaboratively on improving each other's projects.

When the class is over, it is the forum participation that I miss the most because it is through interaction with students between student to student and between student to faculty that students learn the best.

If you are a novice online teacher, and you are looking for some topics for professional development, I suggest you start by taking classes on how to keep online students engaged in the forums.  One of the most important aspects of online teaching is engaging personable and fun forum discussions that motivate students to want to learn more.