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Asynchronous, text-based discussion can provide rich learning opportunities, offer greater flexibility to students, and can be simpler to set up. 

Why asynchronous?  

Live, or 'synchronous' learning activities and assessments can disadvantage students when they are based in different locations and time zones. For example, a quiz set for 2pm London time will open in Australia at 1am. 

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To hear first-hand benefits and experiences of using asynchronous discussion forums, watch the following short video (run time: 6m 41s, courtesy of UNSW, Australia).   

General principles 

Discussion forums should have a clear purpose and build towards an outcome so that students are motivated to participate. To deliver a successful forum activity you should: 

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Avoid grading discussion posts as this may deter students from posting developing ideas or cause them to overly plan and perfect their posts. Instead, consider having the discussion feed into future assessment. For an example of this see the Critical Review section below. 

Moodle recommendations 

  • Use Advanced Forums; they are similar to regular Moodle forums but allow you to search for author or keywords, and there is a quick summary report so you can gauge participation. 
  • In large cohorts, assign students to Moodle Groups to make the discussion more manageable.  
  • When setting up a Forum:  
    • Add brief but clear instructions to the Description. This is the first thing students see when they open the Forum. 
    • Use Discussion locking to make forums read-only after a set amount of time. This keeps the discussion focused.  
    • Consider setting the Group mode for your Forums to Visible Groups so that students can see, but not post, to the discussion of other groups. This can allow students to see a range of responses and feedback. The alternative is to set Group mode to Separate Groups in which students can't see each other's group discussion. 
    • Release your forum on a specific date by using Restrict access. 
    • Integrate your forum with other Moodle activities; to spark discussion, add a reading using the Reading List activity or a Video. After the discussion, use the Choice activity to poll student's on whether the forum debate changed their view.  

Example approaches 

Asynchronous discussion forums can be used to teach and support a range of assessment tasks. Some examples are given below. These examples can be adapted for a wide variety of academic disciplines and are not intended to be prescriptive. 

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titleRole Play

Aim and description: 

Encourage empathetic and critical thinking by having students research and act out given roles. A student's responses must demonstrate their understanding of the role as applied to a scenario provided by the teacher. For example, a discussion of sustainability where students are given the role of conservationists, scientists, politicians, NGOs, stakeholders (see Oliver 2016). Alternatively, roles could be distinguished using a theoretical model or level of analysis, e.g. “explain the phenomena of hyperinflation from one of the following perspectives: Post-Keynesian, Monetarist, Macroeconomic, Microeconomic, or Behavioural Economics.” 

Suggested assessment: 

Students are assessed on their knowledge of the role as applied in the given scenario, as well as their presentation, communication skills, and group contribution. 

Actions Required by Learner: 

Collaborate with other group members to respond to the scenario and present to the class. Engage with and critique other presentations. Respond within the time allowed to follow up questions. 

Actions Required by Tutor(s): 

  • Create Advanced Forum: 
    • Forum type: Standard forum for general use. 
    • Group mode: Visible groups (so that all students can view). 
    • Create a topic discussion with opening scenario. summary of any instructions for students to follow. Pin it to the top of the forum. 
  • Create Rehearsal Forum for students to discuss their roles, research the scenario, practice order of speaking. 
    • Forum type: Standard forum for general use. 
    • Group mode: Separate groups (so that only the students in the group and moderator can see the rehearsal). 
    • Create a topic discussion with example scenario. 
  • Moderate forum:  
    • Release forum. 
    • Post scenario and invite responses.  
    • Ask follow up questions to the group or individuals e.g. “How would each of you respond to the claim that X?” “Michael, what would you consider is the key difference between your explanation and that of Y?” 
    • Facilitate any questions from the audience.  

References: 

Oliver, Simon. (2016). Integrating role-play with case study and carbon footprint monitoring: A transformative approach to enhancing learners’ social behavior for a more sustainable environment. 11. 1323-1335. 10.12973/ijese.2016.346a. 

Further examples

There are a range of research-backed, practical guides and resources online which can assist you to design and use asynchronous discussion effectively.

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