Transitioning discussions to a remote environment can be difficult, but keeping these going during a prolonged disruption and remote instruction can promote student community and learning. This guide offers some effective practices for facilitating online discussions. The UW-Madison Discussion Project also has some quick tips and a sample rubric (see #10 on the list) for assessing remote discussions.

If you choose to record any course activities, such as a lecture, group discussion or office hours, using audio or video, please refer to the Provisional UW–Madison Online Collaboration Session Recording Policy for guidance on how to ensure student privacy and abide by FERPA regulations. In general, please keep the following in mind:

If the recording only includes the instructor or other instructional staff such as TAs, it is not a student record and is not considered protected by FERPA. It can be shared through course-specific and public channels.
If the recording includes students – asking questions, presenting, etc. – and those students are identifiable because they are heard, seen or named, then the recording is protected by educational records.
- The recordings can only be made available to course instructors, students enrolled in the course or student officials with legitimate educational interest. It should not be shared through public channels.
- If the recording is made accessible to individuals outside of the class, written consent from identifiable students is required prior to the release of a recording, unless the recording has been edited to remove the portions that identify students.

ASYNCHRONOUS DISCUSSION

Like lectures, instructors are encouraged to use asynchronous discussions, especially with large courses (500+ students), to reduce technical or scheduling difficulties (e.g, internet connectivity and bandwidth issues, learning remotely from significantly different time zones, or limited access to web conferencing tools in China) and to better ensure the ability for all students to participate. The Discussion tool in Canvas is recommended for most courses, while Piazza is particularly useful for formula-heavy or other STEM courses.

As you prepare for remote discussions, consider important differences between remote and face-to-face communication, and urge your students to do the same. Tone of voice, body language and general demeanor often translate poorly into verbal or text-only communications. Here are some more tips on making remote discussions more effective, as well as five specific approaches recommended by Morton Ann Gernsbacher, PhD Vilas Professor and Sir Frederic Bartlett Professor of UW–Madison.

ASYNCHRONOUS GROUP DISCUSSIONS

You can conduct group discussions using similar principles as noted above. Canvas supports the creation of groups, where each group in your course will have its own homepage including its own discussion area. Group activities can be particularly useful in supporting class cohesion during remote learning.

SYNCHRONOUS DISCUSSIONS

You can organize a synchronous discussion session using Blackboard Ultra, Google Hangouts Meet or Webex. Like synchronous lectures, it is recommended that you record your synchronous discussions so that students who are unable to attend the live session due to technical or scheduling difficulties (e.g, internet connectivity and bandwidth issues, learning remotely from significantly different time zones, or limited access to web conferencing tools in China) can still access the content and continue learning.

SYNCHRONOUS GROUP DISCUSSIONS

Blackboard Ultra also allows you to use breakout rooms, where you can break your students into smaller discussion sections and then bring them back together in the main room. Breakout rooms only work for sessions with 250 participants or less. If you need to have more 250-500 participants in an Ultra Conference, you will need to set up a large scale session.

GROUP PROJECTS AND ASSIGNMENTS

Group projects and assignments can still be conducted remotely and can help students connect with each other and create a sense of community. By making groups in Canvas you can automatically create a virtual space for students to work together. You can also create group-specific Blackboard Collaborate sessions to help students meet and work together. The Google Docs integration with Canvas through Canvas Collaborations also allows students to easily create and share Google Docs together, and submit a Google Doc for an Assignment in Canvas.