Center for Excellence in TeachingChallenging discussions 6: Managing upset
Strategies for addressing students who become upset during academic discussions
Resources: Discussion
Challenging discussions 5: Lead a challenging discussion
Techniques for leading academic discussions, including defining terms, including all voices, and warning signs that a discussion is becoming challenging.
Challenging discussions 4: Plan a challenging discussion
Strategies for planning class discussions, including a positive class atmosphere, discussion norms, grading discussions, and acceptable sources of information.
Challenging discussions 3: Speaking about race and gender
Strategies to consider when discussing topics such as race and gender in classes.
Challenging discussions 2: Inclusive course design
Inclusivity considerations when designing courses and syllabi, including discussions about controversial topics.
Netiquette considerations
“Netiquette” or “internet etiquette,” describes the recommended communication and behavior of online communication. Having a netiquette policy for your course can help minimize the chances of miscommunication and perceived disrespect.
Challenging discussions transcript
Transcript for the Challenging Discussions modules
Strategic questioning techniques for discussion
A guide on how to use the strategic questioning process and strategic questions, with sample questions for each step of the process, for class discussions that may become challenging because they touch on personal or social change.
Discussion forum best practices: an introduction
A robust primer on online discussion forum assignments
Student-led discussions for onground and synchronous online classes
A stepwise procedure for implementing student-led discussions, from syllabus design through classroom facilitation. Also included are tips on promoting a positive classroom environment for student-led discussions.