Instructional Technology
Conference 2005
Proposal #36

Title: Facilitating Online Discussion

Name: Lucia Vanderpool, Associate Professor

Audience Level: All

Audience: General

Length: Two Hours

Abstract:
What better way to build a community of online learners than through interactive discussions?

Participants in this hands-on workshop will have the opportunity to create topics, set up discussion groups/teams as a course facilitator, and also experience, first hand, the practice of actively engaging in online discussions as a student.

WebCT will be the example tool used for hands-on practice, but the class activities and information presented will be applicable for Blackboard as well as other course management programs.

Description:
What better way to build a community of online learners than through interactive discussions? In fact, the Discussions tool or Discussion Board has proven to be one of the most effective communication tools for online learning by promoting dialogue not only between instructor and student, but also between student and student.

Participants in this hands-on workshop will have the opportunity to create topics, set up discussion groups/teams as a course facilitator, and also experience, first hand, what it is like to take part in online discussions as a student. A sample online course will be used, and each participant will be given two IDs – one for student access and one for instructor access.

This workshop will address some of the effective uses of discussion boards and look at some of the most successful ways in which this tool has been used. Topics will include:

WebCT will be the example tool used for hands-on practice, but the class activities and information presented will be applicable for Blackboard as well as other course management programs.

Session Type:Hands-on Workshop or Pre-Conference Workshop

Contact information/affiliation:
Lucia Vanderpool, Associate Professor
Baptist College of Health Sciences
1003 Monroe Avenue
Memphis, Tennessee 38104
lucia.vanderpool@bchs.edu
901-572-2515 (office)
901-353-4227 (home)
and
Regents Online Degree Program Instructor
and RODP Faculty Mentor

Equipment: A computer lab with access to the Internet
An instructor workstation with a projector and screen


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