4. Student-Student Interaction

Research is mixed on the academic value of student-student interaction, but it has been found to improve a student’s sense of community or belonging when student-student interaction is encouraged and frequent, and students are frequently more satisfied with their course experience when student interaction is built in. Here are ideas for online courses:

  • Students work in small groups to complete a study guide in a collaborative Google Document.
  • Students take a low-stakes Moodle quiz in small group Zoom breakouts.
  • Students answer each others’ questions in a Help or Q&A forum.
  • A collection of readings can be split among small groups to report back in a discussion forum.
  • Peer review can happen in collaborative documents, forums, or using Moodle’s workshop feature.
  • Students can discuss topics or explain questions in video discussion boards like FlipGrid.
  • Jigsaw-based discussions or projects in forums can create collaborative learning experiences.