Deepening Discussion in Online Learning Through High-Impact Practices

A cornerstone of online classes, the implementation of asynchronous discussion across online learning platforms is positively perceived (Alshahrani & Walker, 2016; Parton, 2014). Discussion forums are excellent avenues for an instructor to interact with students in a large class setting while engaging critical thinking (Crispin & Lane, 2004). Furthermore, participating in online discussions can improve learning outcomes while enhancing learning (Green et al., 2014; Hamann et al., 2012). In one study, students in an online communication course felt online discussions were more effective than traditional classroom discussions. A voice was afforded to everyone, and conversation points could be revisited. Conversations rarely veered off task (Jacobi, 2017). Concerns, however, do accompany the inclusion of asynchronous online discussions. For instance, in one study regarding the quality of online discussions, students reported that meaningful dialogue and interactions were all too often peripheral and lacked depth and meaning (Putman et al., 2012). Instead of being a mainstay of the classroom, in one study, discussion forums were considered only important occasionally instead of being a center of activity (Cramp, 2015).

In summary, one study posits, “Discussion posts have often remained linear, textbased, and cumbersome despite changes in technology that would allow for more natural interactions” (Parton, 2014, p. 11). Using research-based practices, instructors are uniquely positioned and called upon to develop more productive spaces for online discussions. Researching pedagogically sound practices and including such best practices will deepen learning experiences associated with higher achievement. In combing through over 40 articles centered upon online discussion, five main approaches to deepening discussion emerged.

Frameworks are essential to every infrastructure and are no less important to asynchronous online discussions. Thomas et al. (2019) note that “online instructors should provide Bloom’s taxonomy instruction to students in online courses to assist students in displaying higher order thinking, leading to more effective and meaningful online discussions” (p. 1). Using the framework of Bloom’s Taxonomy, which is built upon six cognitive processes, instructors can introduce the taxonomy, model its use, and then require students to include such processes in their answers. Such implementation effectively increases higher order thinking in discussions (Thomas et al., 2019). Requiring Bloom’s Taxonomy to be used by students is not the only recommended use, however. Instructors, too, should implement Bloom’s Taxonomy as a guide for creating discussion prompts. Bloom’s Taxonomy focuses on the six domains: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. By focusing on the higher level domains and including them in prompts, an instructor requires students to engage with and reflect on content under study thoroughly. Facilitating discussion through higher level questions results in boosted learning and increased individual reflection in responses (Woods & Bliss, 2016). Using Bloom’s Taxonomy as a support to both students and instructors ensures sound pedagogy guides the deepening of discussion from various angles.

Deeper discussion is also achieved using a case study style approach. Students were presented with a hypothetical case study to be examined for a discussion response in one study. Doing so improved engagement by providing students with the opportunity for practical application of knowledge through the examination of case studies (Crispin & Lane, 2004). Furthermore, posing case-based discussion prompts that include or combine social events, life experiences, or reality-based experiences “enhance the students’ level of knowledge construction” (Liu & Yang, 2014, p. 327). Interestingly, in one study, student satisfaction was highest with simplified discussions on basic concepts.

In contrast, student satisfaction was lowest with case-based prompts, yet regardless of satisfaction, student performance correlated the highest with casebased discussions (Richardson & Ice, 2010). However, it should be noted that with intentional adjustments, satisfaction could be improved through variances to the discussion prompt. For instance, providing a variety of case studies from which the students might select a preferred case would allow for individual interest and investment, possibly improving engagement and satisfaction. Case-based discussions hold overall great promise for adding both rigor and depth to discussions.

Yet another approach to deepening discussion includes adding audio or visual elements to enrich the online learning environment. Using this approach, instructors can include videos or graphics in discussion prompts, or instructors can ask students to answer using videos or graphics as an alternative to drafting a text-based answer. Importantly, video-based materials correspond with increased retention rates for at-risk students (Brecht, 2012). Greenberg and Zanetis (2012) also noted that “video supports cognitive development and improves academic performance” (p. 19). Additionally, videos enhance the learning environment by lending authenticity, memorability, realism, and differentiation to the classroom (Kellam et al., 2012). While video inclusion lends itself to many benefits in online classrooms, infographics offer similar advantages. For instance, infographics require a synthesis of graphic and textual information, which engages higher order thinking skills (Lindblom et al., 2016). Through infographics, learner engagement and concept memorability are also improved (Bellato, 2013). As an added benefit, collectively, audio and visual elements appeal to learner dual-coding needs while enhancing understanding (Clark & Mayer, 2011). The creation of a community within the online classroom is also supported by audio and visual elements, serving to personalize and humanize classrooms (Covelli, 2017). Clearly, there are many research-based reasons to include audio or visual elements in one’s classroom, further validating this alternative way to deepen discussion practices.

Another best practice grounded in research involves providing students with the opportunity to generate a unique discussion response. In studying nine different approaches to discussion, Dennen (2005) reported that the liveliest discussions essentially encouraged diverse and personal perspectives. For instance, instructors encouraged personal stories or hypothetical answers. Additionally, discussion topics should prompt students to “explore the tasks, appreciate diverse perspectives, create solutions, and apply solutions to their life” (Kilis & Yildirim, 2019, p. 190). Providing the chance for students to construct personal meaning and reflect uniquely on content also ensures the instructor does not inhibit discussion by being assumed to be the sole purveyor of knowledge as students themselves are instead encouraged to coconstruct knowledge (Blackmon, 2012). Furthermore, students appreciate intentionally designed and pertinent prompts, which upon reflection, are more readily applied to their real life experiences (Jacobi, 2017). The active construction of unique and distinctive discussion posts encourages students to engage more deeply with peers and content in more powerful ways.

A final approach to boosting participation and engaging students in deeper conversations involves incorporating small groups into discussion. Because repetition when contributing to conversations is an irritant to online students (Phirangee, 2016), one way to reduce repetition is to split classes up into smaller groups. Six to eight participants is the optimal number for small groups (Seifert et al., 2020). Other benefits to using a smaller group setting are that the conversation is more manageable due to fewer posts, and students appreciate how a smaller setting is more conducive to fostering closer connections between peers (Jacobi, 2017). Because student isolation and disconnection is a concern and contributing factor to low retention rates in the online environment (Phirangee, 2016; Rath et al., 2019), smaller groups advantageously work to address this concern. Finally, smaller groups provide greater opportunities for nurturing higher order critical thinking (Hamann et al., 2012). Given the many advantages of implementing smaller groups into discussion, it is evident that the practice is beneficial for deepening discussion and learning.

Challenges may be associated with the implementation of alternative discussion practices. While instructor involvement concerning course design is paramount, instructor presence and regulation emerge as the main source of concern related to deepening discussion practices. To explain, dominant and overly involved instructors can negatively impact student interaction by causing “students to default to the student-instructor relationship” (Blackmon, 2012, p. 15). The overinvolvement of an instructor can thereby reduce meaningful interactions between students, as illustrated in a study where a teacher minimally facilitated discussion and required students to respond to each other, resulting in conversations that were more fluid and reflective of greater social presence (An et al., 2009). To address such concerns, a subtler and more removed moderator style within the discussion forum in conjunction with meaningful and individualized feedback also was recommended as being most effective for an instructor’s role (Jacobi, 2017). In fact, Dennen (2005), in her analysis of nine different approaches to discussion in the online classroom, noted that the most preferred instructor presence was one where students felt their discussion contributions were acknowledged only conversationally rather than the instructor taking on the “expert” role (p. 145). Therefore, less formal discussion interactions with instructors are highly valued by students, while personalized and expert feedback is anticipated and appreciated through the more private mode of personalized feedback. Intentional designs and plans can circumvent such discussion challenges, thereby ensuring a more enriching learning experience for students.

Specific high-impact practices, such as those explored here, can encourage superior engagement and achievement to improve retention rates in online education. Such approaches optimize discussion while meeting the learning needs of today’s online learners. Research indicates that participation and dialogue in the online classroom increase “by showing curiosity, recognizing multiple perspectives, and by illustrating that knowledge is ambiguous and equivocal” (Gonzales et al., 2019, p. 38). The approaches outlined here strive to encourage inquisitiveness, value various viewpoints, and emphasize an openness to interpretation regarding knowledge. In diving deeply into such practices when facilitating online instruction, instructors enrich the online learning world, which has become a mainstay of education because of its benefits and the circumstances of unprecedented times such as those encountered in 2020–2021. Because online learning is here to stay, it behooves educators to embrace tools and approaches to deepening discussion, learning, and connections for all students.