Creating Engaging Discussion Questions

The presentation will provide faculty and course creators hands-on exercises on how to create engaging discussion questions for online courses. The 12 Principles to Guide Class Discussion will be covered as well as some examples from specific disciplines. Research-backed methodologies will be broken down into easy "how-to" strategies. The audience will have the chance to identify quality discussion questions and provide feedback for examples that need improvement. Furthermore, the audience members will be invited to create a discussion question in their own discipline and allow feedback from their peers. Because discussion questions are meant to be a collaborative experience, the session will focus on doing exactly that: inviting the audience to discuss and collaborate on tactics that will enhance the discussion forum element of their online courses. The presentation will provide clear and easy steps on how to take initial discussion question ideas and enhance them.

Vanessa Leonardo
NJIT, Newark, NJ, United States

As online learning grew, so did her interest in educational technology and design strategies. After obtaining a certificate in Instructional Design, Vanessa began her career as a designer and has worked for several universities in New York and New Jersey including Kean University, Seton Hall University, and CUNY. Her passion lies in making courses equitable for all students, especially those whose first language isn't English. She has presented at many conferences on the different design strategies and even how to create escape rooms! She is currently an Instructional Designer at the Office of Online Programs at NJIT.

Melissa Battista
NJIT, Newark, NJ, United States

Melissa Battista is an Instructional Designer for NJIT. She has been in the field of higher education since 2009 and has experience in teaching and in curriculum and course development and design. In her current role, she provides faculty with professional development and works with instructors to develop fully online courses. She designs and builds courses in Canvas, creates standardized templates and rubrics and reviews courses to ensure they are in compliance with the NJIT Quality Assurance Rubric and ADA Standards for Accessible Design.

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