One assignment that I require in several of my courses involves a student or a team of two-to-three students to facilitate an online discussion for a week. As part of the assignment, students are to author a summary of the week’s discussion and to write a reflective “debrief statement” that shares how responsibilities were divided between cofacilitators and what they learned as a result of facilitating the week’s discussion. I require the discussion facilitation assignment because I believe it is imperative that today’s online students engage in determining the course of their own and their peers’ learning, experience first-hand what it is like to be in charge of an online discussion (an activity they may be responsible for leading at some point professionally and/or personally), and examine the course content from different perspectives. In many ways, this assignment mirrors my constructivist (Duffy & Cunningham, 1996; Fosnot, 1989, 1996) educational philosophy.
Natalie B. Milman, Associate Professor, George Washington University, 2134 G ST NW, Washington, DC 20052. Telephone: (202) 994-1884. E-mail: nmilman@gwu.edu
Natalie B. Milman, Associate Professor, George Washington University, 2134 G ST NW, Washington, DC 20052. Telephone: (202) 994-1884. E-mail: nmilman@gwu.edu
For some students, facilitating (individ-ually or in a team) a week’s discussion can seem overwhelming because they are often uncomfortable with serving as leaders on topics new to them. And, it certainly can be very challenging, particularly if students are required to facilitate without any support. I assure my students that any feelings of unease are normal. Moreover, I actively participate in discussions to ensure that the discussions are going well and inaccurate information is addressed (if facilitators do not catch such inaccuracies). However, I also emphasize that I am available to answer questions, as well as help them.
To scaffold the facilitation of online dis-cussions, first I share guidelines (see Figure 1) and resources (see Figure 2) for facilitating the discussions. Second, I model how to facilitate discussions the first few weeks of class. Third, about a week before leading a discussion, I e-mail a draft of the lecture to the upcoming week’s facilitators (see Figure 3). This allows them to read the lecture ahead of time, to ask questions about the material, to craft discussion questions, and to become more comfortable with facilitating. In some courses I supply the questions for discussion and in others I require students to create them; if so, I provide examples of questions that they may use, modify, or cut. The approach used depends primarily on the course objectives. Finally, if experienced facilitators (those who have taken other courses previously with this same assignment) are enrolled in the course, I pair them with students new to the program/course so that they learn from their more experi-enced peers.
Overall, I have found this assignment to be very rewarding; not only for students, but also for me. I have to admit that it is difficult to relinquish the direction of our course discussions sometimes, but this is part of the learning process where learning is in the hands of students—and not just their instructors. Anecdotally, the debrief statements, the reflections on how respon-sibilities were divided, and lessons learned, present a picture of student learning that is far richer than if I had led the discussions. Often, students describe their surprise at how much they have learned, as well as how much effort was involved in facilitating a discussion.
Engaging students in meaningful online discourse is a major responsibility for any distance educator. Another formidable task is to foster instruction in such a way that students experience ownership of the content and the learning process. Facilitation of online discussions provides students with the opportunity to gain first-hand experience managing online discussions, determining their own learning and that of their peers, and sharing their own expertise in a content area.
