Asynchronous Icebreakers
Reading Time: 4 minutes
Looking for some icebreakers and discussion prompts for your asynchronous online course? Use or adapt these ideas to build community and rapport and help students build confidence using the discusion board in your eConestoga learning environment.
As you develop your icebreakers activities, you may wish to consider the following:
- “Subscribe” to a discussion forum to alert you to new posts.
- Provide the first “reply” to give a helpful model response for students.
- Warmly encourage students to post, and reply to each other’s posts, to build interest.
- Other D2L tools beyond written text, such as Video Note, may be used.
- Other tools beyond the discussion forum, such as Padlet, may be used.
- Give additional how-to tips by including a short video about using the discussion forum along with your instructions.
- Remind students that all communications (images, links, etc.) should be appropriate for a classroom environment. Prompts about personal private information must be avoided.
- Let the icebreaker run for the first few weeks for latecomers to participate.
Note: Students may be hesitant at first to post publicly. Choose or adjust your icebreaker for your group so that your students will feel more comfortable taking a small risk and posting. Share your appreciation!
Your Life in 10 (20, or 30 Words)
Provide a prompt in which you invite students to share ONLY 10 words to share about themselves. Encourage students to use not 9 or 11 words, but 10 only. You can adjust the number of words to any length!
Instructions: Reply to the discussion post below. Write an autobiography of your life in only 10 words – not 9 or 11, only 10! Then, review two classmates’ biographies and ask a question or find something that you have in common!
e.g., Makes art. Loves cats. Owns 500 books. Doesn’t like gardening.
Your Life in Pictures
Provide a prompt in which you invite students to share a picture that represents something they care about. Encourage students to share a few words about why they chose the picture. It doesn’t need to be a picture of them, just something that matters to them. You may wish to provide some creative commons image databases so that students can find an image.
Instructions: Find or take a photograph of something that you care about, or that symbolizes something about you. Reply to the discussion post below and insert your image. Share a few words about why you have selected this image. Note that if you use an image someone else has taken, include the attribution information for the image. You can use Unsplash or Pexels to find an image to add. If you need instructions on how to add an image to your reply, see this video.
Instructional Plan Scavenger Hunt
Provide a prompt in which you invite students to share a picture that represents something they care about. Encourage students to share a few words about why they chose the picture. It doesn’t need to be a picture of them, just something that matters to them. You may wish to provide some creative commons image databases so that students can find an image.
Instructions: Find or take a photograph of something that you care about, or that symbolizes something about you. Reply to the discussion post below and insert your image. Share a few words about why you have selected this image. Note that if you use an image someone else has taken, include the attribution information for the image. You can use Unsplash or Pexels to find an image to add. If you need instructions on how to add an image to your reply, see this video.
- What is the email of your professor? ___
- Does this course have an eText? ___
- What date is the first assignment due? ___
- How many discussion posts are required for assignment 2? ___
- What week is Student Success Week? ___
Two Truths and a Lie
Re-create this synchronous icebreaker online! Write three statements, with only one being a “lie.” Invite students to reply to your post with a guess about which one is the lie. Encourage students to do the same.
Instructions: In a reply to my post, guess which item is NOT true about me (your professor). Then, start a new thread of your own that includes three things about you (two are true and one is not true) and reply to the posts of other students in our class!
- I have owned a pet cat.
- I have owned a pet spider.
- I have owned a pet chicken.
Emoji Introduction
Invite students to use emojis to represent different aspects of your personality, interests, or experiences. Share a sentence or two explaining the meaning behind your chosen emojis. Share the Emojipedia web link and explain to students they can search the database to copy and paste their chosen emojis.
⚽ – I play soccer on the weekends.
😂 – I love laughing with my friends.
🥣 – I love ramen soup.
Name Acrostic
Invite students to create an acrostic poem using the letters of the student’s first name to describe their interests, goals, or personality traits.
E – Enthusiastic
L – Laughter and jokes
A – Animal lover
N – Naps every day
Bucket List Item
Explain that the expression “bucket list” means having a list of goals one wants to accomplish one day, big or small. Invite students to share something they have already crossed off their “bucket list”, i.e., have already accomplished and am proud of. As well, have students share something that is still on their bucket list, something they want to accomplish or achieve someday.
Elan’s accomplished bucket list item – When I was 19 I went skydiving. I was really scared, but I loved it!
Elan’s to-do bucket list item – One day I would like to train to get my motorcycle license. I probably won’t ever buy a motorcycle, but it would be fun to drive one!
