Developing Online Discussion Forums to Promote Higher-Order Thinking Quality Matters East Coast Regional Conference Friday, March 23, 2018 Dianna Sand & Elizabeth Jones Holy Family University

Major activities of the Session Discussion / Review of Research / Examples Application and Activities Sharing of Results Conclusions Major activities of the Session

Learning objectives Participants will evaluate stated learning objectives using the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy Consider how to develop prompts that promote higher-order thinking for online discussion forums Develop questions which align with student learning outcomes Learning objectives

Question for participants What challenges have you encountered when using discussion forums in online or blended courses? Question for participants

Our Issues – Our Focus Research Question How can we use online discussion on forums to promote higher-order thinking and also align with course learning outcomes? Problem Statement Students may perceive discussion forms as “busy work” when forums are not perceived to be meaningful. Discussion forums are sometimes used to check that students completed the readings by asking students to provide the single right answer. Student motivation to participate in discussion forums directly relates to the nature of the prompts or questions posed. Discussion forums emphasizing only recall or understanding do not lead to active debates among the students. Our Issues – Our Focus

Highlights Theoretical Perspectives & Literature Review Learning in a social context is as important as individual characteristics Online discussions can promote higher order thinking, especially at the application and analysis levels. A variety of discussion forums which increase in the cognitive presence (e.g., structured, scaffolded, role- playing, and forced debate) are best Reflection is important in online discussions Highlights Theoretical Perspectives & Literature Review

Best Practices: Quality Matters Rubric Course Activities / Learner Interactions 5.1 Learning activities promote achievement of stated learning objectives and competencies 5.2 Learning activities provide opportunities for interaction that support active learning Quality Matters Rubric Course Technology 6.1 Tools used in course support learning objectives and competencies 6.2 Course tools promote learner engagement and active learning Best Practices: Quality Matters Rubric

Best Practices: Forum Structures Connect online discussions with overall course learning outcomes and course activities Provide students with sufficient time to think deeply about important topics, ideas, and issues Give students multiple opportunities to express their thinking about issues or topics through discussion forums Develop discussion forum prompts and questions which can inspire students to apply, analyze, and evaluate information See Bloom’s Taxonomy Revised (Krathwohl, 2002) View online discussion forums as formative assessments See Christopher (2004) Best Practices: Forum Structures

Examples Forum Questions to Promote Higher-Order Thinking Forums Connected to Learning Outcomes What does "learner-centered" mean to you? What does it mean to be a good reader? How can you encourage students to blend their interests with classroom projects? How does project-based learning help students advance their learning? See handout, pages 6 - 7 Examples

Analyze learning outcomes from using the adapted Bloom’s Taxonomy-Revised matrix Select one or two learning outcomes from a course and develop prompts or questions for a discussion forum that could be utilized and reinforce course learning outcomes See examples above for several course learning outcomes and higher-order thinking questions linked directly to learning outcomes Activities

Designing Effective Assessments Discussion See handout Designing Effective Assessments

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