During the AALS Section on Technology, Law and Legal Education webinar yesterday, I mentioned I would share my “How to” for Discussion Boards.
This is the explanation I give to students for How to use a discussion board.
How to Use Discussion Boards
VIISTA takes full advantage of online discussion boards. We believe that discussion boards help to:
Build community;
Engage in-depth reflection by giving students time to reflect on their thoughts and compose a thoughtful response;
Give and receive advice from colleagues (the immigration law community is super supportive and connected; through VIISTA we are modeling how to participate effectively in on-line professional communities);
Practice expressing and responding to the viewpoints of others;
Develop writing and critical thinking skills;
Share opinions and ideas with others and to see the world through the perspectives of others; and
Practice providing constructive criticism and sharing differing viewpoints.
Tips for Effective Use of Discussion Boards:
Use Meaningful Subject Lines: Subject lines are often overlooked, yet they can play a key role in effective communications. Oftentimes, people choose whether to open an email based on the subject line. Practice using the subject line to your advantage.
Take Chances: Online discussions are “rough drafts” so feel free to brainstorm your ideas, even if half-baked. Use the online discussion boards as places to test your ideas, which you can later refine after receiving comments and feedback from colleagues.
Share Viewpoints from All Sides of the Debate: VIISTA Discussion Boards are spaces where you can share beliefs or opinions (even those that you may not yourself hold) in order to begin to see situations from different perspectives. Immigration is a topic that arouses emotion and fear in many people. In order to become effective and successful advocates, it is vital to understand differing viewpoints and perspectives. On our VIISTA Discussion Boards, we encourage you to share viewpoints that you have heard, even if you do not yourself believe them, so that the community can begin to build the tools and responses needed to change hearts and minds about immigration. Successful advocacy involves being able to argue a point from all perspectives and this type of discussion is a cornerstone of law school courses. In law school, we often ask students to frame a situation from the perspective of the plaintiff, and then, within minutes, to switch sides and argue for the defendant. We want you to practice those skills of argument and understanding differing perspectives through the VIISTA Discussion Boards.
Replying to Another’s Post: When replying to the post of a colleague, strive for quality of thought that seeks to respectfully add to, challenge or confirm the responses to which you are replying. Do not simply state the obvious or summarize. Aim to add your perspective so that the author can better understand how his or her ideas are being received and any perspectives he or she may have overlooked.
Formatting: use single space formatting, double spaces between paragraphs. (e.g., hit ENTER key twice). Sign the contribution. It is a way to build community and get to know each other.
Discussion Threads: Threads in Discussion Boards allow us to follow the conversation on a topic and see the responses by everyone on that particular topic through one threaded discussion. Remember to hit REPLY so that your contribution remains in the proper thread.
Use Names and Specifics: Remember that people will be coming in and out of online discussions. Aim to have your reply stand alone to a new reader to the thread. If you agree with what someone said, add the name of the person with whom you agree. And repeat back what you agree with. For example, “I agree with Ahmed that migrants flee for various reasons and that we should not assume they are just seeking to take away the jobs of the native born.”
Invite Participation: Use language that will invite people to comment on your posts. Blogs are great at this. At the end of blog posts, we often see that the author invites comments below, or uses simple phrases like “I am curious to see if you agree with me” or “what are your thoughts?” If you seek comment on a particular aspect of your post, ask for specific feedback.
Proofread: Note that we will not grade discussion boards on grammar. Regardless, we want you to practice proofreading your work. Professionals are always “on” in the sense that we are always being judged by the quality of our writing, even in emails and posts. So, begin a practice of proofreading before you hit SEND. Proofreading is essential to effective communication and will eliminate the need to fix, clarify or confirm down the line.
Show Respect: Treat everyone seriously and respectfully. We are all seeking to learn and improve. We learn best through constructive criticism, which appreciates the good and offers suggestions on how to improve, new ways of thinking about a problem, etc. Here are some resources on etiquette: https://www.webroot.com/hk/en/resources/tips-articles/netiquette-and-online-ethics-what-are-they;http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html
Logistics for Using Discussion Boards
You may want to create a habit of drafting your submissions first on your computer. Then, you can copy and paste it into the Discussion Board. We encourage you to work in this way, first, because it is easier to draft in a word document than it is to draft in a Learning Management System and, second, you will have the saved draft on your computer for future reference.
After you have written your reflection, review the Rubric - Assessing Reflections. This document will provide guidance on the criteria that will be used to assess your reflection. When you feel comfortable with your submission, post your reflection on the Discussion Board.
You will also be expected to comment on the posts of two colleagues (50 words each). Before you comment on the submission of your class colleagues, refer to the Rubric – Peer Review. When responding to the posts of your class colleagues, we encourage you to consider and share alternative positions and viewpoints (even if you do not yourself hold them). Immigration is a topic that rouses emotion and fear in many. Like typical law school class discussions, we aim to use the Discussion Board as a space to debate all perspectives, even those that we may not personally hold. In that way, we can equip ourselves with the tools for effective and respectful advocacy.
To learn more about VIISTA, visit immigrantadvocate.villanova.edu