At the heart of the modern online adult classroom is the growing art of conferencing. You have to move beyond saying, "Twenty percent of your grade is based on class participation," to guarantee that your discussions blossom beyond the mundane. Here are a few quick steps to insure that successful discussions develop within your conferences.

1. Be specific in setting out what you believe makes up a meaningful contribution to the discussions. Let your students know that to be meaningful, their entries must (a) address the specific comments or questions of others, (b) tie in with the issues or material under discussion, (c) advance the discussion a step further through thoughtful, personal observations, (d) serve to support to support the discussion, and (e) are addressed to others than just the instructor.
    
2. Set strict time limits to a discussion. It is true that the model of teaching followed by UMUC is asynchronous, but that does not mean that a student who posts to a discussion from the beginning of the semester at its end has made a significant contribution to the course. Let it be known that the discussion has a beginning and and ending date.
    
3. Listen well. Not all students are gifted communicators. Listen to what they say between the lines and help them clarify the points for themselves. An ounce of encouragement will pay off in pounds of participation.
    
4. Moderate—don't pontificate. Yes, it is your discussion. You set the rules and the tone for all that flows throughout the discourse. But you must remember that it is a discussion. Do not set yourself up as the sole voice in the room. Share the floor with others. They will still listen to what you have to say first and foremost.
    
5. Facilitate. Be aware that some students are shy. Reach out to them and pull them into the conversation.
    
6. Always use the Waltz method of questioning. It is a simple four-step process: (a) ask an open question, (b) at the appropriate point, follow with a slightly tighter question tied to the material, (c) at the appropriate point, follow with an even tighter question from the material, and (d) follow with a new open question tying the discussion to the material and the life experiences of the class.
    
7. Summarize. Never leave a discussion without summarizing the points that have been raised that you find of significant interest.

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