Facilitating Online Discussions in Quercus

About Anna Limanni

Anna is a treasured member of FASE's very own Education Technology team! In the past, she has worked closely with CTSI and ACT teams to develop and deliver innovative teaching strategies and educational technologies.

Series Details

There are many challenges to discussions in an online classroom such as over/under-contributions from students, inappropriate comments or sometimes even dead silence! However, we can all agree that an online discussion, when done right, can have potentially increased participation and engagement from your audience. 

This 2-part webinar series is intended to help support your decision process for selecting online discussion tools. If you'd like help with facilitating online discussions specific to your course, you can schedule a consultation and we'll get started.

Table of Contents

1. Types of Discussions
2. Asynchronous discussion tools
3. Synchronous discussion tools
4. Strategies for facilitating online discussions

Picking Between Asynchronous and Synchronous Discussion Modes

Just like how you can pick between asynchronous and synchronous lecture delivery, the discussions you faciliate in an online classroom can be asynchronous or synchronous too! You can choose the mode of delivery based on the type of conversation you wish to have.

Asynchronous Discussion Tools

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Asynchronous discussions happen on discussion forums like Quercus Discussions, Peppr and Piazza. All of these tools are integrated into Quercus and are very easy to implement in your course! See Which tool should I use for asynchronous disussions?

Quercus Discussions is a topic-based discussion board built into Quercus. You can easily create discussions for a course or a project group. You also have the option facilitate graded discussions, connecting student marks directly to Quercus Gradebook. 

PeppeR is developed by U of T's OISE as a discussion forum alternative. Similar to Quercus Discussions, discussions can be easily created for a course or a small group of students. It features a unique folder organization system as well as superior discussion analytics showing impact reports and student connections.

Piazza is a Wiki-style Q&A platform that supports collaborative responses. It is a popular choice among instructors who wants a threaded discussion board. 

Ed is a recent addition to our discussions toolbox. Out of the four options, it features the most user-friendly interface.

Synchronous Discussion Tools

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Synchronous discussion tools supports real-time communication and quick responses. We use videoconferencing softwares like Bb Collaborate, MS Teams Meetings and Zoom to faciliate these conversations. See Which webinar tool should I use?

Strategies for Facilitating Online Discussions

A well-designed discussion can go a long way of increasing student participation and engagement! Next time you design a course discussion for your students, consider the following:

1. Purpose: What are the desired learning outcomes from the discussion exercise?
2. Alignment: How is the discussion related to the course?
3. People: Who are the participants and what are their roles?
4. Prompt: What is the question/activity and what are the expectations for the students?
5. Assessment: What are the criteria for participation? Can a grading rubric be prepared?
6. Technology: What applications can I use to best facilitate this discussion?

Before you go, here are some tips for facilitating discussions: 

•  Manage your time
•  Preempt questions
•  Participate in the discussion yourself
•  Keep conversations on track

Further Help

If you need further help with anything education technology related, please reach out via email or schedule a consultation! Our technical help guides are also available here.