Online discussion forum and its importance in an ODL project

The online discussion forum can be a great ally in the pedagogical strategy of your online course.

One of the main challenges of a distance learning project is to get students engaged, either with the content or with the environment.

The forum plays a major role in an online course.

It is through the forum that students feel part of something bigger, something that really is collective (even when studying alone on their computer), chatting, debating and answering questions with their fellow students.

It is also through it that tutors propose debates, problems and scenarios based on reality and which connect with the content being seen by the students within the course, provoking discussions and solutions.

The forum is the tool where the student realizes that the content received through the online course can be applied in a practical way in situations outside the virtual environment, whether in everyday life or in the workplace.

With the growth and constant use of social networks, today around 70% of the global population has at least one account on one of these networks.

Now, you're probably asking yourself: "But what is the relationship between social networks and discussion forums on a distance learning platform?"

And the answer is simple: online social interactions. Just like debates and discussions on social networks, the forum has the role of provoking these interactions, communication between students and engagement.

We can say that the discussion forum of an online course is the social network of your distance learning project.

Along with the choice of distance learning platform for your project and the quality of the content of your online course, it is very important that you also take care of the quality of the tutoring of your students in the forum.

Don't abandon your students!

Regularly create topics that provoke participation from your students.

Don't delay in answering your questions and messages left on the forum!

Show your students that they are not alone in their environment.

If you don't get a lot of support from your students on the forum within your distance learning platform, try creating a group outside of it, such as on Facebook.

Students of online courses love doing activities outside their virtual learning environment.

Along with the creation of the discussion forum comes the importance of establishing rules of behavior and posting. The forum is not a place for empty and unnecessary debates. The messages posted there must be related to the content of your online course. The forum is a space for acquiring knowledge through sharing and exchanging ideas, questioning and curiosity.

What is the tutor's role in the online discussion forum?

The role of the tutor within the forum is something that must be very well observed and planned. The tutor is responsible for guiding the discussions in a timely manner with questions and exposing reflections, but always letting the students take charge of the debate process.

It is very important that the tutor always makes occasional interventions in the discussions so that they remain aligned with the proposed themes. As soon as the tutor realizes that a certain idea has been fully discussed and explored, it's time to redirect the debate to another topic so that all the subjects in the course are addressed in an interactive and qualitative way.

Many students may feel reluctant to share their ideas in a discussion forum in a virtual learning environment. The tutor should always be responsible for promoting the interaction of these students and ensuring that they are not judged. If some students do not interact in the forum, it is important for the tutor to be attentive and contact them privately (via e-mail) to understand why.

Present the topics to be discussed well in advance. Send an e-mail with the topics proposed for the week so that your students have the opportunity to delve deeper and study the subject, thus raising the quality of the debate.

Use complementary materials and multimedia within the Forum

Promote debate, assess knowledge retention and refresh your students' memories by using files and supplementary materials already used within your online course.

Use other resources such as links to articles, YouTube and Vimeo videos that are related to the content taught in your course to engage and inspire your students.

Other functions of a discussion forum

In addition to promoting discussions and debates on the topics covered in the course, a discussion forum can also be used for:

• Updates on the content of your online course;
• Notifications about important activities in the calendar. Example: Assessment dates.
• Changes to activity delivery dates;
• Changes to an online event. Example: video conference;
• Answer students' questions.

Did you like this article? Do you use discussion forums in any other way within your online course? Share it with us! Comment below!