Discussion Boards, Redux!

Online discussions, redux! One year ago, I posted about asynchronous online discussions; this week, you can revisit old ideas, find new ideas, read suggestions from colleagues, and maybe even get some inspiration for revitalizing your own class discussions...

Remember last year, when I asked why Discussion Boards have become a prime target for internet memes? 2022 update: Nothing has changed on the meme front, except that maybe there are even more than ever before:

Discussion Boards have become an integral component of most online courses. Many instructors see them as a Great Equalizer - all students are given equal opportunity to give voice to their thoughts (something that may not happen in the in-person environment, for any number of reasons).

And yet, the more online classes a student takes (as so many have had to do over the past two years), the more disgruntled they seem to become with the standard "one post, two replies" model of discussion.

Here are some typical responses that I have gotten when I've asked online students for their opinion on the matter:

• "A lot of times, the prompts would be better served by a different type of assignment."
• "Don't just give discussion boards to have an assignment."
• "If the student has to comment on all classmates' posts, he/she is at the mercy of other students' poor time management skills."
• "More meaningful discussion would come out of discussion boards if there weren't so many of them."

Are there ways to better leverage discussion boards, and/or use other tools to facilitate more meaningful (asynchronous) conversation and learning?
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In response to last year's post, I received feedback from colleagues here at CGCC who report that they have had continued success with discussion boards over the years. What's their secret? It's all about the prompt.

For example, one faculty member shared:

"Discussion boards are only as good as the prompt/activity the faculty member creates. My online students regularly say in their final reflections that the discussion boards were one of the most helpful activities we did in class, both for deepening their learning of complex concepts and for writing their essays. But as with any tool, they can fall into that rote must-have-discussion-boards-each-week category, where they are assigned, but not given as much thought as needed..."

If you are looking for inspiration for your online class discussions, Faculty Focus has a 5-part series of ideas: 21 Ways to Structure an Online Discussion.  The author, Annie Prud'homme-Généreux, does an amazing job of laying out the structures, examples, and how they add to student learning. In addition to the "21 Ways" series, I have included a couple of introductory articles about student integrity/originality, and instructor engagement with discussions.  Click the image for a downloadable PDF of these articles!

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HAPPY TUESDAY, EVERYONE!