Supporting Student Engagement Through Three Discussion Formats in Graduate Teacher Education Course

Abstract Discussion boards are a common component of asynchronous online courses. While many teacher preparation courses utilize traditional text-based discussion boards, university faculty are increasingly designing innovative approaches to asynchronous online discussions. There is significant research regarding the effectiveness of varied discussion formats for traditional in-person courses, but there is limited research on their use in online courses, particularly for asynchronous discussions. This manuscript presents the results of a study that investigated student participation and engagement in three different discussion formats within the same special education teacher preparation course: (a) traditional text-based, (b) jigsaw, and (c) choice-based. The researchers found that student engagement was similar in all three discussion types. Implications for practice and suggestions for future research are offered.