Leading Discussions

Discussion Strategies

In an online platform, as in an on-ground class, some students may feel hesitant to speak up during class, while others can be overpowering.

Here are a few strategies for addressing these concerns:

  1. Set clear expectations for discussion. Students benefit from specific directions about discussion. Will you be cold calling on them? How often should they speak in order to earn participation credit? Be sure to let your students know how you expect them to communicate: Would you like them to raise their hand on webcam? Use the “raise hand” emoticon on the Participants list? Speak at will?

  2. Start with a “silent” activity. Try sharing your screen as a blank whiteboard and posing a broad question. Have students jot down their answers simultaneously on the whiteboard and draw lines to connect their thoughts with their classmates, creating a large mind map. After a few minutes, pause the activity and call on students to share their responses and how they saw connections being built. By starting with a silent activity such as writing, quieter students have an opportunity to gather their thoughts and feel more comfortable sharing. You can also do activities like this using the Chat feature.

  3. Encourage students to play "volleyball.” Class discussions can easily fall into a simple back-and-forth with the professor; the instructor asks a question, a student answers, then the instructor asks another question, and another student answers. To elevate the conversation, try to take a step back as the facilitator and encourage students to bounce off of one another. Students should feel comfortable questioning each other and thoughtfully disagreeing.

  4. Using the Chat. Sometimes good discussions start in the chat feature; you do not always need to limit discussion to verbal dialogue in the live session classroom. In the live session classroom students can share links and documents to outside resources they may have found helpful when working on their asynchronous work during the week or professional resources they use in every day life. In the case of good questions, answers, thoughts, and sharing in the chat, you may want to save the chat as a reference.


You may want to share documents or other resources in class, which we cover in Using Visuals »