The Writing on the Wall: Managing Discussion Boards

When planning your online course, you may want to consider using discussion boards. Discussion boards can be used to answer student questions, build rapport, and, of course, support class discussion. There are many ways a discussion board can be employed and several points to consider when deciding how to best mange the discussion board feature. This blog will outline various considerations and strategies for using online discussion boards.  

What is the goal of your discussion board? 

When considering using discussion boards in your online class, you should determine how they align with your course learning outcomes. You may be familiar with facilitating discussions in a face-to-face classroom, and an online discussion board can fulfill many of the same functions. 

Community. If you want the discussion board to foster a sense of community, you may want to begin your course with student introductions or ice breakers. It can be hard to feel connected to your students when you don’t see them in class every week, so you can use your discussion boards to get a sense of who they are. At the beginning of the course, you can ask students to share a bit about themselves, including where home is for them, their year and field of study, and maybe an interesting or funny fact that you can use to remember them by.  

Participation. Another way to use a discussion board is for encouraging participation. You can pose questions to the class about your lectures or the readings, and then students can share their thoughts and questions with one another and with you. By making the discussion board required by assigning a grade for participation, you spread out the weight of grades so that students have the opportunity to show their learning in a format other than tests, quizzes, or large assignments.  

Assessment. Beyond simple participation, you can use discussion boards as a form of assessment. You can create specific requirements for posting, including how you define quality engagement, and require students to interact with the forum in a meaningful way. For example, you might require students to provide a concrete example, either from current events or course content, that demonstrates the application of a theory and then also require students to engage with their peers’ examples through follow-up questions. This type of discussion board use will require more time for marking and feedback. However, it may be more fruitful than simple participation where students simply agree with one another rather than advancing the conversation.  

Things to Consider When Designing Your Discussion Boards 

Once you have decided on the purpose of your discussion boards, there are other considerations that will influence how you and your students engage through discussions.  

Clear Expectations. Once you have decided on the goal of your discussion board, you should clearly articulate this to your students. Outline the purpose of the discussion board and your expectations for the type of engagement you want to see, such as deep thinking and respectful critique. You can relate your expectations to your course learning outcomes so that students understand the reason for their participation. You should also include some ground rules or “netiquette” that outline what you consider to be appropriate and respectful discussion. You may also want to create a framework for responding and offer some examples. 

Designing Questions or Prompts. If you are expecting deep, critical discussions from your students, you need to provide good questions and prompts for them to engage with. It’s best to steer clear of questions with one single answer because this won’t stimulate discussion. Think of questions that engage with higher levels in Bloom’s taxonomy, such as analysis, synthesis, or evaluation. Ask your students to compare, contrast, or apply the content. Your questions may pose a problem that needs to be solved or may ask students to make connections or evaluations. It may also be helpful, especially if you are trying to build rapport and community with your students, to ask questions that require the students to make a personal connection or relate to their own experiences. However, be mindful of managing sensitive topics! 

Instructor Burden. An important consideration when designing your discussion board is how much time you’re willing to commit to managing it. Will you be engaging with the students regularly or only stepping in if necessary? When deciding between assessing quality of content or grading based on participation, you should consider if you have the time, or the TA time, to read through all the discussion threads. If you are grading on content, you should be providing feedback early to students so they can improve their discussion contributions. One strategy for assessment is to require students to reflect on their discussions at the end of the module or end of the course. Students can choose a selection of posts and comment or reflect on their engagement by explaining what they learned from the discussion boards. This reduces your overall marking burden while encouraging students to reflect on their use of the discussion board.  

Techniques to Try 

Depending on your goal for the discussion board, the size and level of the class, and your comfort with discussion boards, there are various strategies or techniques you may wish to employ in your course.  

Embedding Media. Instead of providing a written prompt, you could include a video or image for students to discuss or critique. Alternatively, you can encourage students to include media in their responses. For example, some instructors require students to provide photograph reflections to course materials. In the discussion thread, students post an original photograph and very short description linking their image to a reading or course theme. If you begin the course with an ice breaker, you could ask students to include a picture of something they enjoy, such as their pet, a hobby, or a favourite photo of their hometown.  

Multiple Deadlines for Engagement. To encourage thoughtful, ongoing discussion, it may be useful to set multiple deadlines for posting. For example, students must make an initial post by Wednesday and then a follow-up by Sunday. This can convey the importance and expectation of engaging frequently, as well as prevent a deluge of last-minute posts that don’t allow other students to respond. 

Small Group Discussion. In face-to-face classes, instructors often encourage students to break off into smaller groups for discussion. You can also use this technique in online discussion boards. Brightspace, for example, has a groups function through which you can assign a discussion board. This technique may be most useful in large classes where it may be difficult for students to keep track of numerous threads. It also allows you to facilitate multiple conversations within a specific group. 

Hidden Response Before Initial Post. A function that Brightspace offers is to require students to make an initial post before they can see what others posted. While this option may not make sense for all discussion topics, it may be helpful if you are asking students to respond to a specific piece of media or an assigned reading and you don’t want them to simply agree with other students. For example, if students are required to provide an analysis of a primary source, like a political cartoon, they won’t be able to read their peers’ responses until they post their own. However, be mindful when using this function that you may end up with several threads with repeated ideas since students can’t see that a similar analysis or response has already been shared.  

There are many ways that you can use discussion boards in your online class. Remember that not all techniques and functions will work for your course nor do you need to use numerous techniques. Focus on the goal of your discussion board and add strategies and suggestions that you think will provide value for your students. In the end, a discussion board is a place for students to connect, ask questions, and learn from each other. This space for connection is especially important as students are missing their face-to-face classroom interactions.  

Resources 

Mark Lieberman “Discussion Boards: Valuable? Overused? Discuss.” Inside Higher Ed, March 2019 

Ian Milligan “Setting up an Online Course in LEARN: One Historian to Another” April 2020 

Joanna C. Dunlap “Down-and-dirty Guidelines for Effective Discussions in Online Courses” In Lowenthal, Patrick R., et al., The CU Online Handbook, 93-99. 

University of Waterloo “Collaborative Online Learning: Fostering Effective Discussions”  

Vanderbilt University “Blogs and Discussion Boards”