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Forums

Forums allow students and teachers to exchange ideas and communicate in ways that mirror a face-to-face group discussion. Each forum post, called a “thread” shows the sequence of exchange between each person in the group.

Relating Forum to Instructional Objectives

Class of media: E-Learning

Characteristics: virtual group discussion

Application to types of learning:

Cognitive objectives:  using digital text to create new perspectives on topics and exchange ideas and facts with others in the group.

Psychomotor objectives. Generally does not apply

Affective objectives.  Generally does not apply

Advantages and Disadvantages of Forums:

Advantages

• Interesting. Students often find discussions more interesting than sitting and listening to someone tell them facts.
• Challenging. Discussions challenge students to think about the topic and apply what they already know.
• Inclusive. Rather than having only a few students answering teacher questions, discussion provides opportunities for all students to speak.
• Opportunity for new ideas. Discussions can be a way to bring in new ideas to the information presentation.(Smaldino, p. 70)

Disadvantages

• Potential for limited participation. Not all students participate in discussions; therefore, it is important for the teacher to be certain that everyone has a chance to talk.
• Sometimes unchallenging. Sometimes students don’t learn beyond what they already know and are not challenged to extend their knowledge during a discussion.
• Difficulty level. Some questions asked to elicit a discussion may be too difficult for students to consider based on their level of knowledge.
• Age appropriateness. Discussions may not be an effective strategy to use with younger students without teacher direction.(Smaldino, p. 70)

 Considerations for Selecting and Developing Forums for Instruction

• conversation can only be as good as the questions being asked, so ask questions that need an in depth response
• implement rules on digital stewardship if needed
• If grading forums – use a rubric that explains what is expected

References:

Smaldino, Sharon E., Deborah Lowther, Clif Mims, James Russell. Instructional technology and media for learning, 12th Edition. Pearson, 20180110. VitalBook file.