What is there to discuss in skills-based courses?
It is difficult to imagine just what kind of discussion questions can be added to an Accounting, Math, Technology, or similar skills-based courses. You teach them the skills; they demonstrate what they learned; and you give them a grade. What more is there?
A CASE Study: An accounting professor at San Diego Mesa College began using discussions for accounting calculations, to ensure that his online course did not become a correspondence course. His approach failed because "I found out that if the first person who did the calculation got it wrong, then the other students followed that student, and everybody got the problem wrong."
Consequently, he created discussion questions that do not involve calculations. "I am looking for them to come up with some kind of opinion and then back that opinion up with some facts that they've culled from the chapter, homework examples, or textbook appendices. I try to avoid pure accounting-type questions....I try to make the discussion revolve around general ethics or how an issue affects each student in his or her personal life." |
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"For example, one of our discussions is about future value and present value analysis. Why do people invest in retirement plans? How do they choose their retirement plans? ... I would have students think about their personal finances. What would be the advantage of getting started in some kind of retirement early in their career? I would come up with a discussion on that. How does this affect their lives?” (Kelly, 2010)
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Models at home
Sample discussion questions from skills-based courses to come.
Resources
Kelly, R. (2010). Making online discussion boards work for skills-based courses. Faculty Focus, Retrieved from http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/making-online-discussion-boards-work-for-skills-based-courses
Kelly, R. (2010). Making online discussion boards work for skills-based courses. Faculty Focus, Retrieved from http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/making-online-discussion-boards-work-for-skills-based-courses