ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the use of online discussion forums in a course that unites the study of film, literature and history. The aim is to discuss how asynchronous forums can be designed in such a way that they encourage students’ dialogue and promote their analytical skills while at the same time remaining respectful spaces. Key issues discussed here are group size, the role of the teacher, cyberincivility, session length and instructions. This chapter argues that the number of participants and session length have to be carefully considered in order to avoid groups that are too large or forums that are open for too long, because both are seen to decrease student interaction. Other considerations are the inhibiting effect that active teacher participation tends to have in the forum and the role of instructions given to students to avoid cyberincivility.
