Discussion threads and posts are asynchronous—they don't take place in real-time. This is advantageous: it allows students and instructors to think about a question before responding online. Students are interested in their classmates' thoughts and experiences. The Discussion board is a great place to have lively interaction and conversations in your course.

However . . . 

Discussions cannot take the place of teaching. Discussions should be used to further understanding, to generate questions, to provide examples, and so on. But they cannot be the sole online teaching platform just as discussions are not the sole face-to-face teaching platform.

Here are 8 tips for online discussions

1. Provide structure
Discussion forums, especially in very large classes, can sometimes become confusing or even a little chaotic. Creating a simple yet clear and logical forum structure before class begins will make them more usable and, consequently, more conducive to sustained conversations. Consider organizing forums by unit, topic or some other sensible measure.

2. Set clear expectations and policies in advance
You can help set the stage for civil and respectful discussions by creating clear expectations for student behavior. Establish some basic rules of forum etiquette and incorporate them into your syllabus or course guidelines. Explain the consequences of uncivil, antisocial, or hostile behavior.

3. Remain consistently active and visible
When instructors and teaching staff participate frequently in online discussions, the quality of student participation often improves dramatically. Taking part in the conversation demonstrates how much you value it; it also helps to model engagement with the ideas of others. Try to check in regularly, even if you only have time to post one or two very brief responses.

4. Respond quickly
Students often use discussion forums to pose questions or report problems, and waiting days for a response can be frustrating. While other students often try to help their classmates, nothing beats a direct response from the instructor or teaching assistant. If you post a prompt or create a new forum thread, be sure to respond to the discussions that ensue. Instructor-initiated discussions will quickly die out if you don't remain involved.

5. Moderate with a light touch but intervene when necessary
Discussion forums constitute a vital social and intellectual community. Most of the time this community is self-regulating, but on occasion something goes wrong. Be prepared to intervene quickly if antisocial behavior threatens to derail productive conversations, but try to keep such interventions narrowly focused. Deleting an entire thread because of a single inappropriate comment is an extreme response that will do more harm than good.

6. Offer Groups and Discussion Board Alternatives

If you have more than fifteen students, consider creating discussion groups. It will be easier for your students to stay on top of the discussion as they won't feel that they have to read everything everybody posts.

Consider offering live discussions. Students often take online courses because their schedule or personal life does not allow them to go to class twice a week. It does not mean that they can't attend live sessions. Students who take part in the live session can skip the discussion board, but the expectations are the same: they must prepare responses to the questions. Live sessions are recorded and posted to the LMS. In some courses a live session could be hold every week, while others have just one or two throughout the course.

7. Create Questions You Care About
Asking questions that you are really interested in discussing. The questions should be open-ended that gives students a chance to express their opinion and increase interaction between them.

8. Know when is time to stop posting
Discussion forums provide students with spaces that are, in many ways, their own. They inhabit and actively shape them through their participation, and you can't control everything that takes place there. Instead of seeing this as a disadvantage, consider online discussions a flexible, open environment where you and your students can meet on a more equal footing.

Three specific suggestion for communicating with students:

1. Send a welcome message through Canvas, or student e-mail
2. Send status updates through announcements
3. Send weekly updates, through announcements or making a quick video message

Walking into a classroom and engaging students is not as daunting a task when teaching in person. Teaching online provides its own set of challenges. As you prepare to teach online it may be best to create a strategy of how you are going to engage students. One of the best ways to do this is to be yourself, be authentic, and remember that you and your students are humans. Below are 7 strategies to help you as you consider your engagement strategy:

1. Communicate in multiple formats
2. Provide active learning opportunities
3. Make learning social
4. Gamify with badges and certificates
5. Provide timely and useful feedback
6. Add self-assessment opportunities
7. Improve course accessibility for all

7 Tips for Increasing Student Engagement in Online Courses Links to an external site.

As a faculty member, you are not running an online business. However when it comes to online presence some of the same strategies are good to keep in mind. Here are a few:

1. Create value
2. Be active online
3. Analyze your results
4. Have a social media presence
5. Produce content
6. Develop relationships

16 Effective Ways to Build Your Online Presence Links to an external site.

Youtube is a free service that allows you to store videos (You do not need a Google account). Closed captioning is by default available on all videos. Various privacy settings are available. For more information on YouTube watch our 4 part series on creating, uploading, and sharing videos. 4 part YouTube Series Links to an external site. 

 Canvas Studio is "a communication tool that allows instructors and students to actively collaborate through video and audio media. Learn more about Studio on the Studio website." For instructions on using Canvas Studio visit the Studio Guide Table of Contents Links to an external site.

Flipgrid "is a simple, free, and accessible video discussion experience for learners and families." It allows for faculty to create discussion topics and allows students to respond using video. With mobile integration, students can use the technology they already have to engage. It also comes with a video capturing tool that allows for filters and other fun settings to be applied to videos. Want more info? Ask an NLC Instructional Designer. You can also visit Flipgrid Links to an external site.