Combined, the strategies these professors use to help them use ADB successfully in their courses and those from the literature seem to fit best into two categories:

Interaction

• Encourage participation by letting your students know that ADB is available and how to access it. Lead them through this process the first time. Have technical support resources ready at the beginning of the semester.
  
  
• Start the discussions: post a question, post your thoughts or ideas, and post your introduction.
  
  
• Establish the level of informality. Model this in your introduction. Tell them if you like to be called by your first name or a title.
  
  
• Provide LOTS of encouragement and support. Model this type of online behavior for your students. Commend individuals via email.
  
  
• Have a posting requirement written in your syllabus or course expectations. Reinforce this in your comments with each new discussion.
  
  
• Make participation a requirement as part of the course grade. State this very clearly in your syllabus.
  
  
• Suggest time management strategies for students who are slow to post.
  
  
• Provide Netiquette Guidelines to all participants.
  
  
• Set up separate discussion areas for social discussions between students.

Instruction

• Put your grading schema in writing to let students know what your expectations are. Possible criteria for grading: quantity, quality, peer evaluation, or a mix of these.
  
  
• Post questions that will stimulate discussion; re-word the questions if necessary to elicit better responses.
  
  
• Give LOTS of timely feedback. Establish in your syllabus or course guidelines a time frame in which you will respond to postings.
  
  
• Don't LECTURE in ADB; re-work your content if need be to make it more learner-centered, project-based, or collaborative.
  
  
• Divide class into smaller groups for discussions and collaboration. Have them assign one person who will post the groups' response.
  
  
• Put a time-limit on how long the discussion will be open.
  
  
• Resist the temptation to jump in too often, don't teach, but let the discussions flow, only stepping in when required or necessary.
  
  
• Write a summary of the discussion to bring it to a close.
  
  
• Manage emotionally charge discussions directly with individuals through email or phone calls.