Discussions in Canvas

Canvas discussions are threaded text-based conversations on a single topic. They are asynchronous, meaning participants do not have to be online at the same time, making them an especially flexible communication tool for communication and assessment.

Online discussions can foster student engagement, reflection, and collaboration. They offer a space for students to think critically about course material, share diverse perspectives, and extend conversations beyond the classroom.

The following are examples of how you might use discussions in your class:

• Start the term with student introductions.
• Create a Q&A thread and ask students to post questions there instead of emailing you. Encourage peer-to-peer replies so students don’t rely solely on your response.
• Add a “water cooler” thread for off-topic conversation. This helps students build social connections and increases their sense of community.
• Have students work through a case or problem.
• Use multimedia prompts—like diagrams or videos—to spark conversation.

Meaningful discussions require some planning. By setting clear expectations, crafting strong prompts, and guiding students’ participation, you can create a space where students feel comfortable sharing and learning from each other.

Asking the right question(s) is vital to creating a good discussion in your course. Consider the following discussion prompt:

After reading chapter 5, please describe challenges that social workers face due to the social climate, economic changes, and political environment.

Once a few students answer, others may just repeat those ideas. Fact-based questions like this don’t invite students to identify knowledge gaps, explore different viewpoints, or make meaning of the content.

Instead, use open-ended questions without right or wrong answers. Strong prompts foster higher-order thinking—like analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Otherwise, discussions may feel like “homework out loud” and seem like busywork to students.

Questions that invite personal or professional perspective encourage variety in responses. For example:

How do you see that plan as adequate to the problem? What makes you think so? Where might that plan derail? What other plans are possible?

Discussions are meant to be interactions among learners – setting clear expectations for how these interactions will work is integral to creating a successful discussion. To support this:

• Use staggered due dates. For example, ask students to post by Wednesday and respond to a peer by Sunday. This helps avoid last-minute posts and gives students time to interact.
• Include discussion expectations in your syllabus. Outline netiquette, writing expectations, citation requirements, and how discussions will be graded (including both quality and quantity of posts).

Small group discussions are a great way to increase student engagement and support collaborative learning. They work particularly well when you want students to actively participate, process ideas more deeply, and build connections with their peers. Consider them for:

• Brainstorming and problem-solving. Small groups allow students to collaborate closely as they work through a problem. (e.g. ask groups to propose solutions to a real-world scenario and share their findings with the class).
• Collaborative projects and peer feedback. Small groups provide a focused space for students to exchange feedback or work together on shared assignments (e.g. groups review and critique each other’s drafts before submitting their final work).
• Community-building activities. Especially early in the term, small groups create a comfortable space for students to connect and build trust (e.g. use a group icebreaker where students introduce themselves and share what they hope to learn in the course).