5 Strategies for Effective Discussion Questions

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5 Strategies for Effective Discussion Questions
Discussion boards are a great way to infuse inquiry, debate, and learning into a course. The ways a discussion board can be utilized within a course are as varied as the questions that can be asked of students. The possibilities are endless. The real difficulty is formulating questions that will engage learners, encourage discussion or debate, and will lead to new learning, understanding, ideas, or realizations.


Thought bubbles with objects representing thought, such as a brain, a ladder, a magnifying glass, cogs, and plugs.

Strategies:

1. Ask good questions.

Ideally, the question will encourage the learner to ask their own questions, which will then be a motivation for further learning.

Examples of effective question types:

  • Open ended - Questions that require a thoughtful answer that draws on the learners knowledge, thoughts, feelings, or experience.
    • Ex: What is it like to attend WMU?
  • Analytical - Questions that require the learner to draw on facts and reasoning to find an answer that may not be obvious, and that will inevitably draw out differing opinions, experiences, and viewpoints.
    • Ex: What is the meaning of…? How would you explain…?
  • Compare or Contrast - This type of question asks learners to compare, look for similarities, or identify differences.
    • Ex: What are the similarities between…? What is the difference between…?
  • Opinion - This type of question asks the learner for an opinion, typically backed by experiences, examples, or prior knowledge.
    • Ex: What do you think about…? How would you respond to…?
  • Clarification - This question type asks learners to explain.
    • Ex: Explain how… Explain why…

Examples of ineffective question types:

  • Close-ended, objective, or factual questions with a single answer - Questions that can be answered with a simple yes or no, one word answer, true or false, or agree or disagree, they typically have a predetermined number of correct answers. These questions will not foster discussion and are often answered by the first person to post, with no room for further exploration. These questions are a better fit for the quizzing tool.
    • Ex: What were the 3 learning theories discussed in this week's reading?

  • Loaded or leading - Questions that implies an idea or assumption that a learner may not agree with, or leads the learner to an answer.
    • Ex: Why is podcasting the best way to lecture?

  • Vague - This type of question leaves too much to be determined, and is not clear to the learner.
    • Ex: What about the theories listed in the last paragraph of the textbook chapter?

2. Ask varied questions.

Present learners with questions that require varied levels of thinking. Have them consider basic facts, ask them to explain or make connections, and then ask them to analyze and apply learned information. Formulate questions that will require learners to use higher order thinking skills. Factual questions, such as those connected to reading checks, short answer questions, and other straightforward questions, while an important part of student learning, are better suited for the quiz function.

3. Choose a high interest topic that invites conversation.

You might decide to include a controversial topic within your field, or maybe you will ask learners to relate events or ideas from the past to current events. Perhaps you want learners to take control of the conversation, and ask that they provide the topics based on experience or project creation or case studies. Maybe students will explore and attempt to solve a problem. High interest topics encourage exchange, analysis, and synthesis of ideas.

4. Provide a follow-up question for student response posts.

Response posts are an important part of discussion, without them, there would only be one sided conversation, after all! One way to make sure the response posts are the type that keep the conversation (and learning) flowing, is to pose new questions for the learners to consider when they are responding to their peers. Ask to students to respond with not only what they think, but also why they think what they think. Who or what influenced their thinking? Perhaps they should provide references or links to experts, studies, events, or other sources to support their thinking. Perhaps you will encourage them to pose questions to one another. Requiring them to search for meaning and summarize or question key ideas or assumptions.

5. Communicate clear expectations.

As with any other aspect of running a course, communication is key. In order to have the beneficial discussions that are a valuable, learner centered, interactive spaces we intend them to be, we need organization and expectations. Rubrics can be incredibly helpful when setting forth expectations for a discussion. In the rubric you can set forth number, length, and frequency of postings. You can also identify what the content expectations are, while also setting forth rules for protocol, communication, and interaction expectations. Another important aspect of discussions is setting a due date - one for the initial post, and a second deadline for their follow-up or response posts. A good rule of thumb is to set the discussion to be open for the duration of two weekends - one weekend for each posting - perhaps students can begin posting on a Friday or Saturday, with the initial post due mid-week, and then the final deadline for response posts would be the following Saturday or Sunday evening. Finally, while discussions are typically a formative tool for learning, it is important to allocate points to discussions in order to ensure lively participation.

Bonus tips on facilitating

1. Plan who will lead the discussion.

Will the discussion be student led? How will that work? Will it be instructor led? How will that look? These are questions to ask yourself as you go into planning.

2. Consider creating groups.

Break large classes into smaller discussion groups to create more meaningful interactions.
3. Model Socratic style follow-up questions.
Ask learners questions like: “Why do you think that?” “What is your reasoning?” “What would be an alternative?” or “What are the consequences of that assumption?”

4. Be present.

Part of creating dynamic discussions that engage students in meaningful conversation about content in the “real” world is instructor presence. Monitor and participate in these discussions, point out particularly well done student interactions in news announcements.
Discussions are a great place for learning and sharing to occur and can be used in an endless number of ways. They are a place for student centered learning to occur, and provide a platform for instructors to play the role of an observer, challenger, and monitor. What is most important is that the discussion questions be designed in such a way that they inspire thinking and learning, while also fostering a community of learners who benefit from the exchange with their peers, the course materials, and the instructor.

References:

Conrad, R., & Boettcher, J. V. (2016). The Online Teaching Survival Guide: Simple and Practical Pedagogical Tips (Second ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Falk, B., & Blumenreich, M. (2005). The power of questions: A guide to teacher and student research. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Johnson, A. (2013). Excellent! Online Teaching: Effective Strategies for a Successful Semester Online. Columbia, SC.

Stanford Teaching Commons: Designing Effective Discussion Questions. (n.d.). Retrieved July 26, 2018.

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