The students were advised on, and given practice in class, about what a contribution consisted of. This could include, among other things:
• a question to a member of the group
• an opinion about the article
• giving further information on the subject
• agreement or disagreement with a member of their group
• reasons for their opinions
• invitations to other members of their group to contribute
• asking other people about their opinions
• supporting and encouraging other members of their group
They were told to read all the contributions from their group members, not just those from the lecturer and furthermore to respond not only to the lecturer's points, but carry on a discussion with the other members of their group as well. Appropriate language needed to be used as this was a formal academic discussion, not an e-mail to a friend. Their contributions had to be written in accurate academic English and it might therefore be useful to compose their contributions in a word-processor, check it for accuracy and then paste it into the discussion. Their mark would depend on how well they achieved this task.