A few of our recent blog posts have focused on utilizing discussion forums as an active learning strategy within the hybrid or online classroom setting. We’ve reviewed some examples of how well constructed discussion questions can help to facilitate engaged and purposeful discussion among instructors and students in these courses. However, should discussion forums be limited to only faculty and students? Could these discussions be enhanced by allowing subject matter experts and those currently working or practicing in the specific field of study to participate?

A large majority of online discussion forums are held within a course management system such as Blackboard or Moodle. Thus, access to course discussions is limited to the participants who have current access to a course. Is it possible to move these discussions outside of the classroom and include participants from around the world? How about having the ability to continue the conversation past the end of the course or academic term? 

One option to move the conversation outside of the course management system that most hybrid or online courses are housed within is to utilize a social media tool such as Twitter or Facebook. With Twitter, hashtags can be created which help those who are following certain topics to keep up with the ongoing conversation. Of course, Twitter limits each tweet to 140 characters which can be a challenge at times when sharing ideas or resources. Facebook allows the creation of a page dedicated specifically to a topic (or in this case a course) and allows longer posts to be submitted. With each of these social media tools, the outside world can be allowed in to participate in class discussions. 

There are numerous experts from fields such as education, nursing, medicine, etc. who share information and resources daily related to their field of expertise via social media. Social media is a great way to open the door to the virtual classroom and invite folks in for a chat!

Interested in other ways to use Facebook and Twitter in the classroom?
28 Simple Ways to Use Twitter in the Classroom posted by the te@chthought blog that includes some ideas that can be incorporated into the HigherEd classroom
Using Facebook and Tumblr to Engage Students posted by ProfHacker in The Chronicle of Higher Education

Image obtained from http://hazzbrogaming.deviantart.com/art/15-Free-Social-Media-Icons-427513982