Instructor’s Role in Ensuring Successful Online Discussions
Abstract: With proliferation of online access in educational settings, online discussion has been integrated not only in online courses, but also in blended and even face-to-face courses. The instructor’s role is essential in ensuring successful online discussion. The instructor needs to wear various hats in designing, facilitating, and assessing online discussion. This presentation discusses the instructor’s role in online discussions. Through the practice of offering discussion-based online courses, the presenter identifies seven roles the instructor plays: (1) instructor as an instructional designer; (2) instructor as an architect; (3) instructor as a regulator; (4) instructor as an organizer; (5) instructor as a facilitator; (6) instructor as a problem-solver; (7) instructor as a summative assessor; and (8) instructor as a formative assessor. This presentation details each role illustrated with examples from real world practices of designing, facilitating and assessing online discussions.