Managing and moderating discussions is crucial for effective discussion forums, the following are some guidelines to consider;   

• Ensure all topics have a brief description so students know the purpose of the discussion (add topic description in Brightspace).  
• Give a specific time (apply start and end times in Brightspace) and clear instructions on what students are expected to post and how often (give specific instructions in the topic description). 
• Where relevant as the lecturer/tutor create the initial post and direct students to reply to the thread or to start a new thread (as is appropriate to the discussion). 
• Lead by example, making sure you exhibit the behaviour you expect from your students in your own discussion posts. 
• Encourage students to reply to each other’s messages right from the start of the module particularly for Module FAQs Forums (direct students to reply to others students’ questions). This will save time and will encourage the development of an online learning community, which all will benefit from.
• As the lecturer maintain a regular presence in the discussion forums, check the discussion forums on a regular basis to; probe responses and provide encouragement, monitor student engagement and contributions, prompt further discussion, keep students on topic (in academic and activity-specific discussion forums) and guide students to further readings/resources and relevant content links.
• Weaving: When you want discussions to continue, use the technique of weaving (Salmon 2004); by drawing together a collection of statements from the discussion, relating them to theories or concepts discussed in the learning materials or use them to introduce a new concept. Try to end your responses to student postings with an invitation for further comment or by a question to encourage further participation.
• Summarising: When you want to draw a discussion to a close, use the technique of summarising (Salmon 2004); by providing a summary of the main points raised during the discussion, it should also acknowledge contributions from students, highlight individual contributions, refer to related ideas and add suggestions for further reading or reflection. The summary is also a useful technique to refocus and redirect discussions that are flagging or have gone slightly off topic or simply for drawing discussion topics to a close.