Summary

In the learning management system Blackboard the forum is a course area in which asynchronous discussion is made possible. Contributions can be answered time-delayed and all of the participants in a course can participate in the discussion by posting in the forum.

Table of contents

Implementation forms


    • Introductory round
    • Clarification of seminar goals


    • Notice board for general information / creation of a FAQ list
    • Anonymous suggestion box for students
    • Collection point for questions that arise before office hours
    • Passing out worksheets, posting corrections/sample solutions
    • Supervision during an internship: Academic advice and exchange with other students
    • Practising the drafting of academic texts (simulation of the process "peer review")
    • Publishing student work and mutual feedback
    • Joint work on content or working on tasks whilst using the discussion forum with a subsequent presentation in a face-to-face session
    • Preparatory discussions for chat sessions
    • Role play (for/against):
      • Assigning roles to individuals or groups
      • Unifying these in the forum, virtual classroom
    • Tandem learning in language teaching
    • FAQ for the course: Posting answers to FAQs (reduction of the workload, increasing transparency) 


    • Revision for exam preparation
    • Final course feedback



    • Brainstorming (experiences made, opinions(, short contributions

    • Lecturer can take up opinions/questions/problems 

    • Collecting topics/discussion suggestions for the face-to-face sessions

    • Posting scripts/slides before the actual presentations

    • Collecting questions, problems (and maybe discussing these)

    • Giving a presentation as a keynote speech

    • Peer reviews of thesis papers, exposés

    • Undertaking research and providing the results so that they can be discussed



    • Summary of the discussion in the face-to-face sessions by students and supplementing these by further internet sources
    • One-minute papers (students: feedback on the course, what was learned, supports the semester-accompanying evaluation; starting point for further discussions)
    • Continuation of open discussions/questions
    • Experts' forum for questions and answers

    Implementation tips

    Practical examples at the Freie Universität

    Usage

    • Short guidelines for the forum in a  Blackboard course: How can I use a forum? (FAQ link)
    • Training courses and workshops: For lecturers at the Freie Universität Berlin (professors, employees, tutors) as well as lecturers from other universities CeDiS provides training courses and workshops to the topic of teaching and learning with digital media. These courses enable the participants themselves to implement online elements in their teaching.

    Data protection and terms of useVerknüpfung aufrufen

    • The posts in a forum of a Blackboard course are defaults and not anonymous; they can, however be anonymized via the forum settings.

    • The general terms of use for the learning management system of the Freie Universität Berlin provide you with information on the terms of use, for the registration, on improper use, on the exclusion of use, on liability, on usage rights and on changes to the terms and conditions of use. 

    • If you have any legal questions on data protection, data safety, protection of intellectual property rights etc. that crop up during the design phase of a course supported by e-learning, the usage of existing material or the implementation of tools then please contact the Office of the General Counsel of the Freie Universität Berlin. Written information on these topics can be found here (Login with FU-Account required).

    Further information

    • Landing page: Blackboard - Learning Management System 
    • An overview of the services for lecturers and researchers can be found here.

    Support offered by CeDiS

    • Consulting services for the implementation of digital solutions in teaching: The Center for Digital Systems (CeDiS) has extensive experience of many years when it comes to the implementation of digital media and systems within the fields of teaching, learning and research. We offer a wide variety of consulting services on the implementation of these tools and systems within the entire academic scope and especially at Freie Universität Berlin. 
    • Training courses and workshops: For lecturers at Freie Universität Berlin (professors, employees, tutors) as well as lecturers of other universities CeDiS offers training courses and workshops on the topic of teaching and learning with digital media. These course enable participants to implement online elements within their own sphere of teaching.
    • The Executive Board of the Freie Universität supports e-learning initiatives: With the e-learning funding program financial resources are provided to lecturers that enrich and improve their courses quality-wise by implementing technological and media-related support. All of the academic staff teaching, the lecturers or even the institutions of the Freie Universität - without the Charité-Universitätsmedizin - can be supported within this program.