The discussion forum is the heart of the online classroom.  It is where the students spend most of their time and where the majority of teaching takes place.  An argument can be made that as goes the discussion forum so goes the course.  So how can we, as instructors, help create an active, vibrant, interactive discussion forum where students are actually discussing the course material rather than just answering the discussion questions?  Below are five tips I have learned over the course of my first year as an online instructor. 

1. Contribute 15-30% of All Posts.  If you are teaching in the ANGEL system, you can find your percentage of posts easily by switching from the default "threaded view" to the "at a glance view".  There you will find a pie chart that lists your percentage as well as those of the students.  The 15-30% range provides a good balance.  It tells the students that I am interested in carrying on a discussion with them but also that I do not wish to control all of the discussions. 
2. Draw Other Students Into a Discussion: Great discussions happen when there are multiple people involved.  Thus the goal is to get a long threaded discussion that involves multiple people.  In order to do this, you need to draw other students into a discussion you started with one student.  One of the simplest ways to do this is to title your replies with questions/statements that will encourage students to click on the post.  For example, in week three of my Christian Worldview course we discuss issues related to sexuality.  Invariably there is always a student who says something to the effect that God "limits" the pleasure of sex by only allowing sex within marriage.  In this case, I would respond to the student's post and in the title write, "Is God a killjoy when it comes to sex?"  Lots of students see this question and then jump into the discussion which can become quite lively! J       
3. Set a Thread Length Goal:  I always seek to have at least two threaded discussions of at least ten posts each week.  This helps in two ways.  First, it motivates me to continually ask follow up questions which allow us to get deeper and deeper into the subject matter.  Second, it is a visual picture to the students in the class that this is a place for discussions.  When the longest threads are only 2-3 posts in length then visually there does not appear to be any discussions taking place, which is probably an accurate assessment. 
4. Always Ask, Always Respond:  Utilize the Socratic Method often.  Ask students to clarify their post, answer a devil's advocate question, or follow up with a related question that requires critical thinking on the part of the student.  Typically when you ask a question the student will respond.  Now you got them!  Respond to their response and ask another question.  You are now on your way to one of those ten post threaded discussions as mentioned in #3 above.  By the way, make sure you always respond to a student that has responded to you.  Ideally, you should get online the last day of class and make sure to answer anyone who has responded to you.  Students will then become confident that you will read their responses thus encouraging them to contribute more to the discussion.
5. Be Aware of Teaching Moments:  While your goal is to get students engaged in the weekly objectives, do not be afraid to go off topic if you sense a student has a special interest or concern.  Sometimes these "off topic" issues may end up moving to email or the phone if the student wants (or needs) a more private setting.  The majority of the time, however, other students are also interested in the discussion.  For example, in a recent Critical Thinking course, we had a long discussion about how to create proper citations and a reference page even though the objectives of the week had nothing to do with this.  They were ready to learn because they had received their first drafts the week before and many realized they still could not cite or reference properly.

There is much more that can be said about increasing communication in the discussion forum, but five tips are enough for now.  If you have other tips or comments on these tips please pass your great ideas along. 

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. - Proverbs 27:17

Blessings,

Scott