BOOK: AOD Foundations
Completion requirements
This book will provide an overview of some of the background and considerations in designing and facilitating an AOD. It's full of resources and examples to inspire your thinking.
6. Writing a Prompt
Now we come to the heart of the manner: Writing a prompt for an AOD.
We know that the way in which a question or prompt is written will influence the engagement and depth of the online conversation (Bradley et al., 2008; Ertmer et al., 2011).
Choosing a structure (which we explored in the previous chapter - structures such as role play) can help shape the task and assign roles to learners. But what if you don't want any of these bells and whistles, and instead want to engage in a traditional, question-and-answer type discussion. What are tips and tools for writing an effective and engaging prompt?
In the subchapters that follow, you can peruse some of the frameworks for writing a discussion prompt. They include:
We know that the way in which a question or prompt is written will influence the engagement and depth of the online conversation (Bradley et al., 2008; Ertmer et al., 2011).
Choosing a structure (which we explored in the previous chapter - structures such as role play) can help shape the task and assign roles to learners. But what if you don't want any of these bells and whistles, and instead want to engage in a traditional, question-and-answer type discussion. What are tips and tools for writing an effective and engaging prompt?
In the subchapters that follow, you can peruse some of the frameworks for writing a discussion prompt. They include:
- Blooming questions
- The CREST+ Models
- Socratic Questions
- Habits of Mind
- Critical Incident Analysis
- Andrews' Question Nomenclature
- Insights from Prompt Engineering
These represent but a sample of available frameworks.
A very nice summary of questioning frameworks (not specific to online discussions) is found in Tofade et al (2013). It includes Bloom, Socratic, and Andrew's question taxonomy, but it also describes two other methods (question circles and Knowledge Dimensions). Another nice summary is provided in McComas & Rosier (n.a.).
If you are looking for additional (fantastic!) resources, take a look at the Suggested Readings at the bottom of the Facilitating Effective Discussions Tip Sheet.
References
Bradley, M. E., Thom, L. R., Hayes,
J., & Hay, C. (2008). Ask and you will receive: How question type
influences quantity and quality of online discussions. British Journal of Educational Technology, 39(5), 888-900. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8535.2007.00804.x
Ertmer, P. A., Sadaf, A., &
Ertmer, D. J. (2011). Student-content interactions in online courses:
The role of question prompts in facilitating higher-level engagement
with course content. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 23, 157-186. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12528-011-9047-6
Tofade, T., Elsner, J., & Haines, S. T. (2013). Best practice strategies for effective use of questions as a teaching tool. American journal of pharmaceutical education, 77(7), 155. https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe777155