A post that you make in response to another student in an online discussion forum should not be simply a note of praise or a repetition of what that other student said. You should add something to further the discussion, take it into a new direction, or challenge it with an alternative perspective. As you contribute to the discussion, try to tie what you say into what the previous post said, so that we come out with a narrative that flows. Here are some probes that can help you write better response posts by ...

• summarizing (“Let me summarize what you said …”)
• questioning (“I don’t think that statement is supported by the evidence”)
• challenging (“You said …, but you don’t offer any evidence”)
• encouraging (“I would encourage you to take a look at …”)
• elaborating (“What you wrote can further be described as …”)
• extending (“That also applies to …”)
• adding ("Yes. And I would add to that …”)
• paraphrasing (“I would put it this way …”)
• clarifying (“Let me make sure I understand what you’re saying.”)
• interpreting (“You may have felt that way because …”)
• evaluating (“Your analysis lacks clarity.”)