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…