Student engagement is essential in a classroom but can be difficult to maintain. Specifically in an online setting engagement needs to be a major priority so that students feel connected to the content and the rest of the class to achieve better learning outcomes. One way you can engage your students is using pre-discussion posts before a lecture on new content.
A pre-discussion post is a discussion board that asks learners questions on a topic before that topic is taught. The discussion board questions serve as a tool that creates curiosity and interest before the live lecture or before the recorded lecture is released. A pre-discussion post can be created in Canvas and used as an optional assignment or incentivized with a grade.
You can ask your students different questions depending on what is appropriate for the course content, but questions that gauge their previous knowledge or ask for their personal experience are two good options. Release the discussion board a few days or a week prior to when you plan on teaching to allow adequate time for students to meet the pre-lecture requirements. Implementing a discussion for each lecture establishes a rhythm within your course that requires students to contribute their knowledge or research information before the content is formally introduced.
Additional context and structure should be included from the instructor in the discussion prompt so students can correctly understand their task. You could attach a video, article, or instructions on where they can find their own information that relates to the topic. This boosts engagement in both an online and in-person classroom setting since students will be encouraged or required to seek information themselves instead of only receiving it from the taught lectures.
Students will be primed for the new lecture content that is ahead. Differing the types of questions between theoretical and experiential will require students to contribute their opinion and experience as well as the information they have gathered from the resources you have provided. You could even have students find their own source and include it in their pre-discussion post. When the content is introduced to the class or your students watch your lecture videos they will already have some familiarity with the topic which increases their ability to retain and engage with deeper information. They will be more likely to want to learn more and ask questions for topics they don’t understand. Try implementing pre-discussion posts into your lectures as a way to boost engagement in any classroom setting.
King, Tierney, director. Engaging Your Students with Mini-Lectures, Prediscussion Posts, and Interactive Starter Activities. Apple Podcasts, 22 June 2022, Faculty Focus Live.
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Clemson Online – Where Tech and Teaching Meet
Discussion board groups are an easy way to break up a large classes and connect students to the course.
Here are some strategies for increasing student engagement in your course through encouraging learners to make deeper connections with the course content.
Build presence in your online course through discussion boards. From the Archives: Monday's blog introduced the importance of building cognitive, […]
