How can we transform our discussions from read, write and post into deep engagement and critical thinking? Consider incorporating a role-play scenario in your discussion! Darabi et al. (2011) found that when learners are provided with a realistic situation and are assigned different roles, they engage in critical thinking and knowledge construction more than in a standard open-ended discussion.
Role-play discussions enable, “students to think critically and achieve levels of knowledge construction they might not achieve if they were solely focused on their own perspective. In many online discussions, students might not encounter another viewpoint until the discussion has progressed beyond the initial post. A strength of the role-play strategy, therefore, is that students begin the activity by considering a viewpoint that may be different from their own.” (Berry, L., & Kowal, K. 2022. p. 15)
In addition to sharing their perspectives in the discussion, encourage students to reflect on the learning process at the end of the week. This will help students process and reflect on how they took Role-playing helps students consider other points of view and can push students into knowledge construction and beyond (Berry, L. & Kowal, K. 2022. p. 15).
Example:
Discussion Aim: In this discussion, you’re presented with a twist! You will be conducting research about work-from-home policies from an assigned role or point of view. Your goal will be to share research about working from home from your perspective clearly with others and to explore other viewpoints.
Initial Post:
Your organization is considering initiating a Flexible Work policy and you have been asked to be a part of the research committee. Your role is assigned by the first letter of your last name:
- A-H: You are the Chief Networking Officer. You manage information technology and security for 100 employees at your company.
- I-R: You are the supervisor of the marketing department. You have quick turnaround times and you manage a team of 10.
- S-Z: You are a project manager for the whole organization and you frequently work with members of other departments.
You will conduct research (using our course resources and outside resources) about the policy from your perspective. By Wednesday, you will summarize what you learned and your recommendations in a post to the committee. In your post, please include:
- A summary of your findings based on your perspective.
- Your recommendations to the committee.
- The title, author, date, and hyperlink for each resource at the end of your post.
Reply Post:
By Sunday, after reading the summaries and perspectives of everyone else on the committee, write up a reflection about the Flexible Work policy. What value did you find in the other posts? From your own? What would you suggest to the committee as a next step? Your reflection should be around 250 words.
References
Berry, L. A., & Kowal, K. B. (2022). Effect of role-play in online discussions on student engagement and critical thinking. Online Learning, 26(3), 4-21.
Darabi, A., Arrastia, M. C., Nelson, D. W., Cornille, T., & Liang, X. (2011). Cognitive presence in asynchronous online learning: A comparison of four discussion strategies. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 27, 216–227.