Sample Questions
Some suggested discussion activities are:
- Writing Groups
- Case Analysis
- Collaborative Writing
- Cooperative Debate
- Discussions of Course Readings
- Research Bank
- Brainstorming
- Problem-Solving
Examples from the Web
The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh has an excellent resource page at https://www.uwosh.edu/d2lfaq/teaching-resources/discussions/discussion-question-tips-and-pointers that lists examples of good discussion questions.
Example 1: Promote Discussion
This type of discussion is used to create background information that the students can use in the course. Copyright, plagiarism, peer review, and other specific topics are great for first week discussion postings as the information is used through the rest of the course.
Example 2: Reading Assignments
Example 3: Library Usage (electronic or for hybrid physical is also an option)
Example 4: Sources
Example 5: Project Development
Example 6: Creative
Example 8: Group Participation
Example 1: Promote Discussion
This type of discussion is used to create background information that the students can use in the course. Copyright, plagiarism, peer review, and other specific topics are great for first week discussion postings as the information is used through the rest of the course.
- Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of electronic communication.
Example 2: Reading Assignments
- Using the information from chapters 7 & 8 on emotional intelligence, give your own example that illustrates at least three of the author’s main concepts. You may use a personal experience or you may create an example.
Example 3: Library Usage (electronic or for hybrid physical is also an option)
- Part 1: Use the Polk Library Links to find an article about group dynamics that relates to today’s society.
Part 2: Give an overview of the article and discuss why this is relevant to your social or work life, using concepts from the article and the course readings.
Part 3: Be sure you cite the article and provide the DOI or link.
Important note! Do not use an article that a co-learner has already posted. Please contact the librarian if you are having difficulty, they are here to help!
Example 4: Sources
- Read the article attached to this discussion.
Part 1: Write your critical evaluation of the article and explain your points using examples from the article.
Part 2: Find two sources that support your evaluation of the article and give a brief summary of both.
Explain why you believe these sources are credible and they would, or would not, be valuable to this author.
Example 5: Project Development
- After listening to the podcast for this week’s assignments choose two of the main points and discuss how you can apply them to your final project.
Use the first paragraph of your response to summarize your final topic so your readers can make the connection to your choices from the podcast.
Example 6: Creative
- Review the photograph in Posting 7. Create a response with your interpretation of what this represents. What visual queues did you use to create your response?
Example 8: Group Participation
- You are hosting an important event on campus, the RSVP’s are in and there will be 100 guests (not fellow students) attending. You forgot to ask for help and the event is only 4 days away; it is now up to your group members to make this a successful event. Over the next week your group needs to identify tasks, set priorities and come up with a plan to make this happen.
- You cannot ask any other people to help
- You have a budget of 400.00
- You must post your plan and your reasoning behind the decisions and why your plan will make the event a success. Go!
- Part 1: Post the topic idea that you have formed for your final project using the template attached to this posting.
Part 2: Once you have posted your project template, find another student’s project posting and read their proposal.
Part 3: Develop two potential research questions that they may want to consider in the course of their project development. Make sure these questions require thoughtful responses rather than just looking up an answer or yes/no questions.
*Choose a classmate who does not already have multiple responses so that everyone receives a peer response
- Part 1. Post your rough draft for your final paper as an attachment in Discussion 12.
Part 2. After you have posted your draft, choose another student’s draft to review. Open their attachment and save it to your desktop; review and add comments to your downloaded copy and attach your edited copy as an attachment to your reply to this student.
*Comments to consider: Clarity, topic sentences, introduction and conclusion support the paper, grammar and punctuation, references, are points clear, does it flow in an organized format, are the required components included. Feel free to ask questions, ask for clarification, suggest literature review ideas, and respectfully identify items that could improve the paper.
We also found these great examples at http://www.designingforlearning.info/services/writing/ecoach/tips/tip3.html
Discussion Questions that Support Concept Learning
A good design approach for creating discussion questions is to base a question on one or more core concepts. These questions can provide opportunities for students to apply those concepts in different situations. The goal is to structure a question that leads students to think through the applications of those core concepts, resulting in integrated and useful knowledge.
Here are a couple of brief examples of discussion questions focusing on core concepts.
Business case studies
Additional Question Ideas
Here are a few more ideas representing all levels of questioning. You may find that one of these ideas spark a question particularly well-suited to your content and desired skills and behaviors and knowledge of your students. This list was adapted from Bill Peirce, Coordinator of a program for Reasoning across the Curriculum (2001).
Discussion Questions that Support Concept Learning
A good design approach for creating discussion questions is to base a question on one or more core concepts. These questions can provide opportunities for students to apply those concepts in different situations. The goal is to structure a question that leads students to think through the applications of those core concepts, resulting in integrated and useful knowledge.
Here are a couple of brief examples of discussion questions focusing on core concepts.
Business case studies
- What types of marketing programs, etc work best for small businesses? For technology innovation companies?
- Translating a good idea into a company. What are the different ways of doing this?
- What if your doctor could choose medical treatments, guaranteed effective, based on your genetic makeup? Resources at The Genetic Science Learning Center at The University of Utah
- Students assume the role of an osteologist and are tasked with identifying the bones found by a farmer. This idea was originally from this resource that is now lost. www.umuc.edu/virtualteaching/module1/problems.html
Additional Question Ideas
Here are a few more ideas representing all levels of questioning. You may find that one of these ideas spark a question particularly well-suited to your content and desired skills and behaviors and knowledge of your students. This list was adapted from Bill Peirce, Coordinator of a program for Reasoning across the Curriculum (2001).
- Conduct opinion polls/surveys before assigned readings to arouse interest in topics and to get indicators of students' prior knowledge
- Create cognitive dissonance with discomforting information or dilemmas.
- Assign writing-to-learn tasks for discussion
- Present activities that require considering opposing views
- Assign a mediatory argument promoting a resolution acceptable to both sides
- Adapt collaborative and cooperative learning techniques, simulations, and role-plays to online uses
- Ask students to evaluate Internet resources
- Ask students to reflect on their responses to the course content and on their learning processes in private journals
Models at home
We have great examples of stimulating and engaging discussion questions being used right here at home.
Examples to come.
Examples to come.