Recently a faculty member asked, “How do I get more conversation out of online students during Wimba sessions?” (Wimba Live Classroom is a synchronous whiteboard tool and a building block in DePaul’s Blackboard installation.)
Here are two suggestions for discussion starters. I’ll cover some other strategies in later posts.
“Discussion starters” get students thinking and open up opportunities for more discussion. The key to these types of discussions is that there may not be one “right” answer—there is room for discussion. Here are two examples:
- Pros and Cons – Divide the whiteboard into two halves (do this with a pre-created PowerPoint slide). Have the students write on one side or the other. One side might be pros and the other cons to a particular issue. Can the responses be categorized? Do any responses appear on both sides?
- Create a poll on what students believe about a topic or concept—prior to presenting it or having them research it. Show the results and have students share why some believe a, or b, or c. Continue reading