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[cranefly]

Hello
This is my first semester teaching an online course. I've got discussion points for each week, and a grade for overall discussion contribution. So far, though, no students are using the discussion board. I have a feeling once it gets going, students will feel more comfortable, but are there any useful icebreakers I can do online with them to get them to use the board?
Thanks

[magistra]

Start a Meet & Greet thread and have everyone do a "test" post.  This will ensure that they know how to post, but will also give them a chance to get to know one another, let you get a sense of them, etc.  Just something cheesy like "give three facts about yourself", and you start it off.  If possible, reply to their posts too.

It's too late now, but in future semesters you can require it as a first-week exercise -- something that has a grade.  It's true, many of them won't bother until they absolutely have to.

You can try starting threads yourself, or better yet, get a ringer to do it.   The first student who e-mails you about something even vaguely interesting or on-topic, ask them to post instead.  Linking to a relevant article or video might work.  Threatening e-mails reminding them that this is part of their grade every week might work.  For some, nothing will work, but that's not your fault.

One more thing -- make sure your grading rubric for posts is clear.  If you have the time, e-mail each student and assess their posts and posting grade.  They'll appreciate the feedback -- and hey, it is part of their grade -- and it'll give you a chance to get on the case of those who are posting insufficiently.

[finallyfullprof]

I require my students to post on an "introduce yourself" thread after they complete the orientation. It gives all of us a chance to get to know each other.  Another tip I found helpful is to give students guidance concerning exactly what you want on the discussion board. I used to leave it open for each unit with just some general guidelines. I ended up with a lot of summaries and "me too" posts. Now I provide them with several options to write about (open-ended questions) for each unit. That way they have something to latch onto and can then grow their ideas from that point.

[zuzu_]

I have one that I've developed over a while, and it works quite well in online classes.

PM with a real email address, and I'll send it to you as an attachment.

[infopri]

I'm teaching two online-only sections of a course this semester.  (This is my first time teaching online, too.)  Participating in the discussion threads counts for 25 percent of the course grade.  Each week, I start three or four discussion threads on the topic at hand, and I also invite students to start additional threads.  The two classes (which are about the same size) are identical--same lecture material, same readings, same web links, and same initial posts (from me) on the discussion threads.

Yet, in one section, the students are going like gangbusters in the discussions, while the other class has barely gotten its collective ass out of gear.  (We're in week 4 right now.)  Of course, both sections have students who are running a zero so far (have never posted), but the core of active posters is much, much bigger--and more engaged--in one section than the core in the other.  As instructed, they have been doing outside reading (mostly news items, relevant web sites, and the like) on their own, and then bringing their discoveries (complete with citations and/or links) into the discussion.  The other class, not so much. 

I have no explanation for the difference between the sections, except that sometimes you just get a particularly good (or mediocre) collection of students in a single class.

BTW, I did what magistra and finallyfullprof suggest:  The first week, everyone was required to introduce themselves, identify which master's program they're in (this course is required by all of them), and talk about their area(s) of interest--and post a photo.  Again, far more people in the one section followed these instructions than in the other.

[sequoia_sun]

We used a "two truths and a lie" assignment as an initial icebreaker/introduction for some of the courses we are teaching. Have students posts two things about themselves that are true and one that is not and have other students try to guess which one is not true of each others postings. It can be a fun introduction activity.

One more thing -- make sure your grading rubric for posts is clear.  If you have the time, e-mail each student and assess their posts and posting grade.  They'll appreciate the feedback -- and hey, it is part of their grade -- and it'll give you a chance to get on the case of those who are posting insufficiently.

This is also helpful. I use the announcements frequently to remind students about postings, assignments, etc. as well as the calendar. I definitely assess intial postings more immediately with very specific feedback based on the rubric so the grading criteria is clear.

[georgiaprof]

I teach an astronomy class online.  I use the "post an introduction" thing and also I post a question that is astronomy related and also an opinion question.  I ask things like "Should the federal government fund astronomical research?"  I usually point them at a website for some of the latest in research.  The first 3 days, I generally see nothing but "Oh yes, professor, this should definitely be supported!"  If no one offers the opposite opinion, then I play devil's advocate to try to get them to see that they won't get in trouble for having an opinion as long as they can speak intelligently and back up what they say.

Then, if the discussion starts to lag, i post another one to get them checking again.

[road_not_taken]

I use an 9 noun introduction, where everyone posts 9 nouns about themselves and how they relate to themselves. I start out by posting an example so that the students understand what I'm looking for and then invite them to post their own nouns. I post things like:

learner
photographer
reader

It is kind of a different introduction and low pressure. Plus, I teach developmental writing, so this helps me figure out if my students know what nouns are. :-)

[zuzu_]

Plus, I teach developmental writing, so this helps me figure out if my students know what nouns are. :-)

LOLOLOLOLOL