Online discussions are sometimes difficult to get going, and often the students (at least at first) seem to respond too superficially, punctuated by an occasional treatise by an overeager student. Here's how to jumpstart discussions.
An integral part of nearly all online classes is the threaded discussion-it is where students interact on a nearly daily basis, posting their thoughts and information on main discussion topics, your postings, and the postings of other students. While you have measured control over the content, length, and tone of student postings, you have full control over your own.
Teaching advanced learners can be wonderfully rewarding and is rarely dull. However, it does require advanced preparation and attention to the teaching/learning dynamic to make sure learners respect the content enough to embrace it.