How to do the assignment

• Read the questions below and find the one with your name. Respond to the question by 26th January. Also don't forget to focus on the special characteristics of a language course.
• In the title of your posting give a brief description of the subject. Respond to at least two threads of other participants. Moderate
• How will you be evaluated? To "earn the credit" you must post your answer on time and participate in two other discussions. When replying to others you should avoid using bland expressions like "I agree", "That's an interesting remark." Instead, try to add to the content of the discussion.
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• What might an online instructor/facilitator do in the discussion board section to stimulate learners to engage in higher level critical thinking? Ulrike
• In a course with one week discussion modules, at what point during the week do you think the instructor should contribute to the discussion? How much do you think he or she should contribute? Daniele
• A student in your online course logs in frequently, but, during the first two weeks of class, she or he has posted only one item. How you can help this person to participate more actively? David
• Under what conditions can a facilitator's participation in the discussion limit students' contributions? Jana
• A student in your course who is participating in a group project has become very frustrated with the technology. She or he is posting complaints on the discussion board and encouraging others to drop the course because neither the course nor the instructor is very good. You, as the instructor, are able to read the comments that have been posted in the group's private conference and so you are aware of the postings. How do you handle this situation? Helena
• Should facilitators in online courses adopt the same tone of voice as student participants, or a more formal tone? What can result from adopting one or the other? Karen
• One of your students is dominating the online discussion forums. The student's comments are excellent and extremely thorough. But, because he's one of the first to respond and responds 5 or 6 times more often than the next person, he seems to stifle dialogue. What do you do? Dobrinka
• A learner consistently offers very brief and superficial responses. Many of the answers are: I agree. I couldn't have said it better. Me, too! What are a few ways the facilitator might "move" the student to be more substantive in his/her responses? Alessia
• How do you deal with the issue of typos, spelling and other grammar errors in student postings? Should the online instructor have the same expectations in this regard about postings as he/she would have about writing assignments or oral communication in the f2f classroom? Hildegund
• Asynchronous online discussions are largely based on reading and writing. Some of the benefits of reading and writing are: they encourage more precise and concise thinking and a clearer focus on the topic. What other aspects are there that may contribute to online discussions being of a higher quality than f2f? Marian
• Is it ever (or when is it) appropriate for a facilitator to refrain from participating in a student discussion in the discussion board? Camilla
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• What is "lurking" in the online classroom? How can "lurking" impact on an online learning community? Andreas
• How can a member of the teaching staff begin to develop an "electronic" personality? Ernestina
• Because of the number of participants involved and the nature of asynchronous dialogue, there's a risk that online discussions may lose focus or go off topic. What can online facilitators do to keep learners on topic in their discussions? Karolina
• What are the reasons for adding asynchronous online conferencing as a required component of a face-to-face course?
• How are the roles of participants in an online asynchronous discussion similar to those in a f2f classroom? How are they different?
• Many facilitators believe that it is especially important for students to get to know one another in the online classroom. What are some ice-breaker activities that are well suited to the virtual classroom?