How to Design (Better) Discussion Prompts 

Consider what activities you can do on the web, that face-to-face classes can’t always do, and think about how people communicate and interact in online spaces…what do we want to uplift, and what do we want to avoid?

Sample Discussion Activities:

  • Web Field Trips: Instructor provides a link or a series of links to resources, simulations, websites, blogs, applications or tools. Students follow the link(s) and report back through an instructor-defined set of questions.
  • Brainstorming: Students set forth a series of ideas on a given topic without evaluation.
  • Problem-Solving: Small groups work out a solution to a problem.
  • Writing Groups: Students work together in groups of four or five to share drafts and provide peer-response and peer-editing.
  • Case Analysis: Students work independently on a common case followed by group analysis in the board.
  • Collaborative Writing: Workgroups work together to create a single document – proposals and analytical reports work well – which they then post to the larger group for critique.
  • Cooperative Debate: Workgroups present perspectives on a particular issue, followed by a whole-group consensus-building discussion.
  • Discussions of Course Readings: Instructor creates threaded discussions around assigned readings. Threads may include pre-reading (anticipation) activities, interpretations, evaluations, etc.

Research Bank: Students and instructor contribute links and citations to a common area for a class-wide research topic.

illustraion of two women, silhouetted, conversing

Writing Good Discussion Questions

As you prepare questions for a web-based discussion, think about the precise targets for that discussion. What is the most important thing your students know and understand as a result of a discussion around this particular topic? Shape your questions with that goal in mind. Avoid questions that prompt a yes or no answer or that require students to simply regurgitate facts that their classmates should already know after having done the reading themselves. That is, discussions are not a good place for quizzing students about the reading. Instead, ask students to think deeply, analyze content and make connections to each other’s posts, justify their responses with evidence and reasoning, and draw in current events when possible.

Convergent Thinking Divergent Thinking Evaluative Thinking

Usually begins with: 

  • Why
  • How
  • In what ways . . .

Examples: 

  • How does gravity differ from electrostatic attraction? When replying to peers, ask clarifying questions that can help your classmates provide more detail about the process.
  • How was the invasion of Grenada a modern-day example of the Monroe Doctrine in action? When replying to classmates, take an opposing viewpoint and provide evidence to support your claim.
  • Why was Richard III considered an evil king? When replying to peers, take the persona of one of the members of Richard III’s court and defend or attack the claims of your classmate while maintaining that persona.

Usually begins with: 

  • Imagine
  • Suppose
  • Predict
  • If . . . , then . . . 
  • How might . . . 
  • What are the possible consequences of. . . 

Examples: 

  • Suppose that Caesar never returned to Rome from Gaul. Would the Empire have existed? When replying to classmates, take an opposing viewpoint and defend your claims.
  • What predictions can you make regarding the voting process in Florida? When replying to classmates, refer to evidence around the voting process in another state to support your claims.
  • How might life in the year 2100 differ from today? When replying to classmates, take the role of an “alien” experiencing human existence for the first time. Ask clarifying questions and pose alternate ways of viewing the “future.”

Usually begins with these words or phrases:

  • Defend
  • Judge
  • Justify
  • What do you think about . . . 
  • Clarify your opinion about . . . 

Examples: 

  • What do you think are the advantages of solar power over coal-fired electric plants? When replying to classmates, describe the impact you think your classmates’ claims have on residential living in your region.
  • Is it fair that Title IX requires college to fund sports for women as well as for men? When replying to classmates, research and refer to ethical arguments you find available on the web.
  • How do you feel about raising the driving age to 18? Why? When replying to classmates, choose a demographic and target your evaluation of your classmates’ proposal to barriers specific to that demographic.

Adapted from Generating and Facilitating Engaging and Effective Online Discussions, The University of Oregon Teaching Effectiveness Program.

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