Community Building and Student Learning in an Online Course: Alternatives to “Initial Post, Two Replies”

Concurrent Session 6

Session Materials

Brief Abstract

A traditional discussion board is the standard approach to developing community in the online classroom. Students are often asked to “initial post, two replies”. The cursory student submissions only minimally enhance student interaction, engagement, and learning. This session addresses pedagogical strategies for enhancing student engagement and learning while building community.

Presenters

Lead Presenter: Christa Sandidge, Northwest Nazarene University

Dr. Christa Sandidge is the Director of the Center for Professional Development at Northwest Nazarene University (NNU); in addition, she is an Assistant Professor in the area of Leadership and Professional Studies. Christa holds a B.A. in Elementary Education, a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction, and an Ed.D in Leadership and Professional Practice. Her primary areas of focus and expertise include online teaching, online course development, leadership development, and team development. She is strongly committed to improving leaders, teams, and teachers through professional and leadership development.

Co-presenter: Bethany Schultz, Northwest Nazarene University

Dr. Bethany Schultz serves as the Director of the Center for Instructional Design and Technology at Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho. She is an experienced grant administrator and educator in blended and online learning in Higher Education and K-12 settings. She has helped build an online general education experience for students at NNU through the development of NNU Online. Previously at NNU, she served as a project manager for a grant-funded center for innovation called the Doceō Center. Overall, Bethany has secured and been a post-award grant administrator of $15 million of projects and initiatives to spur innovation in higher ed and K-12 education through the effective use of technology.

Extended Abstract

Building a sense of community within an online classroom enhances the learning experience for students. The conventional approach to building community within the online classroom is the traditional discussion board in which students are asked to provide an “initial post, two replies”. This approach usually elicits perfunctory student involvement in the discussion. Given the increasing enrollment in distance education courses, it is critical to enhance the pedagogical approaches to online instruction. The traditional methods for building community and enhancing student learning in the online classroom can be improved upon with alternate pedagogical strategies. 

When asked, students describe traditional discussion boards as artificial, repetitive, and forced. Research shows that students who experience traditionally structured online discussion boards are not satisfied with the level of interaction and depth of learning. If learners do not engage in the discussion boards well, the desired outcomes, cognitive and social interaction are unlikely to occur. In contrast to the traditional discussion board format, students valued learning opportunities which included opportunities to ask questions and provided learner choice. Restructuring the pedagogical approaches in online instruction that drive toward building community and enhancing learning to be more inclusive of factors that students value and have benefited from can impact student learning and engagement in positive ways. 

Student satisfaction, engagement, and learning in an online course are influenced by many factors, including student to student interaction, student to instructor interaction, and student to content interaction. Therefore, intentional focus on effective pedagogical strategies which enhance student satisfaction and engagement can impact student learning positively. Online instructors have been using the “initial post, two replies” discussion board format for decades. Through continual pedagogical innovation, alternative strategies for building community and student learning include students guiding and creating content, meaningful reflection of learning, and wrestling with complex problems and topics. Integrating discussion boards strategies which are more effective in building community within the online classroom impact and improve student satisfaction and engagement within an online course.

Level of Participation: This session will be an interactive and discussion based learning experience. Individuals who attend this session will have the opportunity to discuss in small groups key questions and information related to discussion boards and how they facilitate community building and student learning. In addition, participants will interact with different pedagogical strategies, considering their relevance and applicability in their own context. Strategies explored include reflection, content creation, and activities in which students wrestle with content.

Session Goals: Individuals who attend this session will learn about how online students perceive traditional discussion boards, both in regards to community building and student learning. Many instructors have defaulted to traditional discussion boards in their online course. Through this session, participants will be shown several alternatives to the traditional “initial post, two replies” approach. Participants will gain a toolbox of alternative pedagogical strategies with the end goal of growing student engagement in order to build community and enhance student learning.