Introduction Forums: Are They Really Important?

In most online courses, and in all of them at GMC, professors make use of what we call an introduction forum.  In our courses, this opens one week prior to the start of the term.  Students go to the forum and post an introductory statement that their classmates can see and post a response.  While this activity is not required, thus there is no grade assigned, it just might be one of the most important parts of the course. Here is why.

1.       An introduction forum allows students to see what other students are taking the course, as well as find out a little about their backgrounds and familiarity with online courses.  Most students who have taken online courses before will talk about their past experiences with them in the introduction forum.  Here at GMC, we ask our students to talk about their nervousness, or lack thereof, when it comes to taking an online course.  They do this in the introduction forum. 

2.       The professors participate. While most professors divulge something about themselves in the course syllabus, they feel more inclined to elaborate and connect on a more personal level in the introduction forum.

3.       These forums plant the seed of the online learning community.  That is important in online education. According to Aaron Johnson, educational technologist at Denver Seminary and author of the book Excellent Online Teaching, “What studies found was that students who experienced a higher sense of community in their online course were more likely to achieve the learning outcomes.” (Johnson 32) There are usually multiple forums in an online course, but the introduction forum is usually the only one devoted to getting to know the members of that particular online learning community.

4.       These forums can be disarming.  That’s right. Many students, even those that have taken online courses before, feel a certain amount of trepidation about online courses right before they commence. Beginning with an assignment like this can help disarm the course and open up an opportunity for interaction between students well before the course starts.

5.       These forums give professors an opportunity to get to know the students. This interaction and knowledge can become very important as the course unfolds.

The main point here is that what sometimes seems like an activity that a student in an online course can skip, might just be the jewel in the crown. Take advantage of every opportunity in an online course. Introduction forums are wonderful and only work well if students participate in them and interact. In my online history courses, I notice a great deal of participation, and I learn a lot about my students that comes to bear when we are making our way through the course.

-Dean Jeff Wells