Do discussion boards promote learning?

When did online discussion boards get such a bad reputation that they became the target of internet memes?!

Discussion Boards have become an integral component of most online courses. The real question is - how effective are they in terms of supporting student learning? Could they be better?

I ask because I have yet to encounter a student who says, "Yay! Discussion boards! I learn so much from them!" In fact, here are some more typical responses that I have gotten when I've asked online students 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."

Faculty Focus has SO MANY useful resources for educators - this week I selected 5 articles that deal with online discussion boards (they also have excellent write-ups on face-to-face and synchronous online discussion management, but those will have to wait for another day...). 

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HAPPY TUESDAY, EVERYONE!
Mary