Discussion Feedback for Online Interaction The instructor may want to open this page simultaneously with the e-course, to facilitate a cut-and-paste mass customization approach to giving feedback to students. Change - Completion - General - Reinforcement

The most frequent complaint from online Park University students about their online instructor is that they receive insufficient feedback.  Although each student must log in multiple times per week and turn in assignments on time, some feedback fail to give grades and substantive feedback efficiently and sometimes at all.  Effective and prompt feedback is crucial to student learning.  Below are some feedback prompts designed to help you think of student and assignment-specific feedback responses as a type of mass customization for your course.

Analysis in your writing can be challenging.  Here is a website that may give you some ideas http://www.goshen.edu/english/litanalysis.html

Application of course learning materials would be helpful in understanding your ideas.

Argument analysis can be an interesting process.  You may be interested in some of the many websites on the topic, such as this one http://philosophy.tamu.edu/~gary/bioethics/reasoning/evaluating.html

Citations from the textbook and other learning courses can help you state your case.

Cogent writing enables a quick grasp of ideas.  Although the discussion board is an opportunity to express yourself, other class participants will appreciate focused postings.  You can find many helpful websites to improve your writing skills, such as http://www.ccc.commnet.edu/writing/writing.htm

Collaborative learning is one of a the most effective methods for a wide range of people, and online discussion can contribute to the collaborative learning process.  That's why you will want to go beyond just posting your assignment to the discussion board and become actively engaged with other course participants so that you can work together to master the course content, skills, and values.  Collaborative learning is used in more than 1/3 of higher education courses today http://www.ion.uillinois.edu/resources/tutorials/pedagogy/instructionalstrategies.asp#COLLABORATIVE%20LEARNING

Comfort in online learning will facilitate the process.  I'm not sure if you previously have been required to work online in the ways required in this course.  You may want to look at some of the may sites that provide tips for online learners, such as http://distance-ed.math.tamu.edu/tipsforonline.htm

Community and a sense of belonging to a group of learners is one of the key benefits of discussion board work.  Online students can feel disconnected from each other and from faculty because of the distance learning format.  Come back several days a week to see what other people in the course are thinking and saying.  You will want to be actively engaged each with by posting, reading what others post, and posting again to the discussion group.

Comparative analysis can be a useful approach in learning.  You may want to learn more about the process of comparative analysis, such as through this article http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~wricntr/documents/CompAnalysis.html

Controlling your course learning and assessment is a rewarding element for most online students.  Your course participation is one area where you can enhanced your learning.  You have the opportunity to post information about your learning and receive a portion of your grade based on your active engagement with other students in the course.  You will want to make sure your postings go beyond opinion and reflect that you read the weekly assignment and can apply the course readings and learning materials.

"Discussion is the instructional strategy most favored by adult learners because it is interactive and encourages active, participatory learning. The discussion format encourages learners to analyze alternative ways of thinking and acting and assists learners in exploring their own experiences so  they can become better critical thinkers. The discussion is often the heart of an online course."  Illinois Online Network http://www.ion.uillinois.edu/resources/tutorials/pedagogy/instructionalstrategies.asp#DISCUSSION

Equality is one of the benefits of online course discussion participation because each student has the ability to "speak up."  You will want to take advantage of that benefit and actively engage in the course discussion board as a way of being actively involved at your peak learning times.

Ethical reasoning is a useful process that challenges us all.  You may enjoy looking for ethical reasoning sites on the Internet, such as this one about classroom dialog with children http://www.goodcharacter.com/Article_3.html

Flaming is the process of using inflammatory language or content online because people are not face-to-face and do not see the hurt looks of each other.  Respect and sensitivity will help students in this course feel safe to share ideas and risk expressing themselves, which is a crucial part of the collaborative learning process.

Focus on this week's learning objectives and materials will help facilitate your learning processes.  Although fun on occasion, we don't want to waste time off topic.

Group dynamics often come to play in online discussion and can serve as a learning laboratory.  If you are having difficulty with this element of the process, you may want to investigate online (e.g., http://tlt.psu.edu/suggestions/discuss/ ).

Leadership includes effective communication.  Do any of these mind tools make sense to you?  http://www.mindtools.com/page8.html

Mid-term can be a tough time for discussion board participation.  Often students are deep in their major project and are tempted to let the weekly readings and discussions slide.  Your continued and consistent discussion board participation is required in this course.  If you need an idea about how to help yourself and others maintain the momentum in this course, here are some ideas http://users.chariot.net.au/~michaelc/olfac.html#momentum

Moderators can be assigned by the course instructor, and I'd like you to moderate next week's discussion.  If you need ideas about how to moderate the discussion of course participants, you can read relevant websites, such as this one http://www.emoderators.com/moderators.shtml

Motivation in a course can be enhanced through use of online discussion because students feel empowered through their expression (Kubala, 1998).  You'll want to use interactive discussion participation to reflect and learn in this course.

Netiquette is essential in online communications.  There are many websites that will give you ideas http://www.sofweb.vic.edu.au/internet/netiquet.htm or http://songweaver.com/netiquette.html

Online learning can be challenging, and the extensive course participation in the discussion board may feel different to you.  If you're still trying to become comfortable with the process, you can find many helpful websites designed for online learners, such as  http://www.uwsp.edu/natres/rwilke/eetap/Tips.htm

Opinions have stronger impact if supported by research-based information.

Participation online can be challenging.  You may benefit from reading though this tutorial of tips for more effective online learning http://www.jibc.bc.ca/virtualJIBC/online/about/tip.htm

Perception sharing is one of the key advantages of using a threaded discussion.  While a focus on learning course knowledge, skills, and value is essential, by reflecting on course content you can shape your perceptions effectively.  You'll want to integrate perceptual sharing in your online discussion.

Perceptions may be clearer if explained in more detail.  You will want to give us enough information so that we understand your point of view.

Prepare for your online discussion through careful reading of the course materials each week.  If you contemplate the course content, you will be able to reinforce the new knowledge, skills, and values you learn in this course.

Relevance takes on a different meaning in online discussion.  Consider this quotation:  "In a face to face conference if someone raised an issue that was not really relevant, you would "set that issue aside" and move on. You might even forget about it. In an asynchronous environment, the idea remains, you might even think about it and use it later." http://tlt.psu.edu/suggestions/discuss/ (Penn State e-Education)

Sharing online is not cheating.  Consider this quotation from Penn State e-Education:  "Common reasons students do not collaborate on-line

• students do not want to leave their best ideas on-line
• students feel they are "cheating" when they see other students' ideas
• students feel it is difficult to follow a discussion on-line without leadership

Most educational environments are organized to favor independent knowledge acquisition and individual performance. A major challenge is for students to learn to abandon the individualistic notions of learning traditional schools cultivate."  http://tlt.psu.edu/suggestions/discuss/   Are you sharing information and keeping academic integrity in this course?

Shy or reluctant discussion participants often feel it easier to participate in online discussion forums than in face-to-face courses.  You'll want to be an active course participate to benefit from the online learning format.

Spelling appropriately in online communication shows a professionalism that translates well to the work place.  The speller in eCollege is the "A-B-C" icon.

Small group work online may see a little odd at first, but this online assignment creates transferable skills for professional work contexts.  You may want to read a little about the process in online courses http://www.ion.uillinois.edu/resources/tutorials/pedagogy/instructionalstrategies.asp#SMALL%20GROUP%20WORK

"Threaded discussion users have the option of responding to one another directly. Although there may be a general topic, as in the discussion example above, subtopics emerge as students respond to specific postings."  You may want to read more about how to participate interactively in online learning formats http://www.dartmouth.edu/~webteach/articles/discussion.html 

Time commitment is required in this course.  The traditional 7 1/2 hours per week of work expected is crammed into an 8 week course with a 15 hour work ethic.  The online interaction fails to work effectively unless you log in and participate multiple times during the week.  Consider these suggestions regarding discussion board participation from the University of Wisconsin http://www.uwsp.edu/natres/rwilke/eetap/Tips.htm

• Participate in the virtual classroom 3-5 days a week
• Respond to classmates' ideas and questions
• Be able to use the technology properly
• Be able to complete assignments on time
• Enjoy communicating in writing

Time management is crucial to effective learning online.  The accelerated pace and high degree of independence requires discipline at a relentless rate.  Make sure you login and work inside the course multiple times a week, contributing to the discussion board multiple day a week.  There are many website that offer tips about effective online learning, such as http://onlinecampus.uwf.edu/Class/learning.htm

Application of course learning materials is plainly stated.

Collectively, the course is underway with many comments about the initial course content.  As you read the week's assignment, you will want to reflect on the content and how it fits with your previous knowledge and experience.  I appreciate your willingness to contribute online, and I look forward to seeing what you have to say next week.

Concise, value-packed contributions to the discussion board are appreciated.  Thanks for your effort.

Ethical reasoning has implications regarding employee monitoring too.  You might like looking on the Internet for more ideas, such as http://www.stedwards.edu/newc/capstone/sp2000/rights/ethical.htm

Ethics and technology are a crucial topic of discussion.  You may want to investigate ideas further, such as through this site http://aux.stedwards.edu/newc/capstone/sp2000/rights.htm I hope you'll continue to make such worthwhile contributions to the course.

Examples from personal experience--like you gave--help use make sense of the information we are studying in the course.  I aprpeciate your comments.

Examples from professional and work experience are useful in understanding the material.  Thanks.

Factual emphasis--such as taking information from course materials--helps your peers to learn course information.

Fallacies in our thinking can lead us to inappropriate reasoning. You may want to investigate fallacies at a website like this one http://www.fallacyfiles.org/introtof.html

Frequency of participation is important in addition to quality of interaction.  You'll want to post all discussion board assignments each week and respond to the information and ideas of your peers. 

Opinions are clearly explained.

Perceptions are clearly explained.

Proof-reading and using the spell-check improves communication because the reader is less distracted and can focus on ideas.

Quality contributions like you have made show your knowledge of course materials and growth in understanding.

Reading assignments from this week had considerable substantive content to contemplate.  My hope is that you can translate the reading into pragmatic applications to your professional life.  I appreciate the factual contributions in this week's discussion and the perceptual interpretations expressed by many students. 

Reasoning well is something that both instructors and students could do better.  You might find this article or other articles on the Internet to be interesting.  http://www.criticalthinking.org/resources/articles/why-students-teachers-dont-reason.shtml

Rereading the assignment from last week may be useful because some students seem to misunderstand the content.  You will want to master course knowledge before moving on to the next set of principles and theories in the course, so feel free to review the reading.  Sometimes after you read what everyone has to say, then reread the week's assigned readings, you can come to a new understanding.  Learning is about changing attitudes, knowledge, skill, and perceptions.  Sometimes what we think we know from experience turns out to be a narrow interpretation of the world.  I hope this course is opening the world to you in new ways.

Substantive comments show thought and understanding of course content.  I hope you will continue with more of the same quality.

Tight content and reasoning convey your thoughts effectively.  Your writing makes your ideas easy to grasp.  I appreciate your effort.

Class, you are demonstrating the ability to analyze well.
Delighted with the progress you are showing in this discussion.
Do you feel as good about your progress as I do?
Extensive contributions worth reading.
First-rate work on your discussion board assignments this week, Class.
Full credit for everyone who participated in this discussion.
Fun reading for me today.
Great examples that explain why I like teaching.
High quality work on this week's discussion, students.
I am delighted with the progress of students in this course!
I am pleased with your discussion board effort everyone!
I am satisfied with the effort from all course participants!
I found this discussion session worth reading!
I liked your comments, Class.
I sincerely appreciate your discussion board work this week, Everyone.
I sincerely appreciate your effort in this course, Everyone!
I so enjoyed reading your discussion, Class!
I think you understand the concepts you are discussing, Class!
Interesting comments.
Learners, respectable work on your analysis. 
Made me think today, Class.
Reading your discussion board was a nice way to spend my time, Class.  Thanks.
Respectable work on your analysis. 
Solid work on this week's discussion, Class.
Students, I liked hearing your ideas!
Students, you are mastering so much in this course!
Thanks for the chance to read your work, Class!
Thanks for the postings. 
Thanks for you effort
Thanks for your quality work!
What a pleasure to read this week's discussion board!
Worthy effort on your work this week.
Yes, yes, yes.  This report has the kind of discussion I like to see!
You are grasping the ideas, Class.
You see, reading student work like in this discussion is one of the key reasons I like teaching!

Absorbing analysis as far as __.
Alluring thinking about __.
Appealing information about __.
Attention-catching concept regarding __.
Attention-grabbing comment about __.
Captivating idea about __.
Delightful concept regarding __.
Delightful concept regarding __.
Discerning comment regarding __.
Exciting observation about __.
Eye-catching research about __.
Fascinating concept regarding __.
First-class work on your assignment.  Next, I would like to see __,
I liked hearing about __.
I liked your information about __.
I liked your observation about __.
I liked your observation regarding __.
I need to clarify this week's content about __.
I particularly liked __.
I read with interest your example of  __.
I think you are using critical thinking effectively as far as __.
I think you're on the wrong track about __.
In your next assignment, I would like to see __.
Intelligent comment about __.
Interesting information about __.
Interesting point about __.
Intriguing idea regarding __.
Next week, I hope to see __.
Now I liked what you said about __.
Oh yes, I liked your information about __.
Out-of-the ordinary comment about __.
Perceptive research about __.
Remarkable analysis as far as __.
Remarkable research as far as __.
Research worthy of note is __.
Sharp observation about __.
Sharp observation regarding __.
Shrewd perception about __.
Worthwhile analysis about __.
Wow, some good thinking regarding __.
You certainly seemed to understand __.
You have a solid grasp of  __.
You seemed to use creative thinking as far as __.
Your creative juices were flowing regarding __.