Discussion boards are one way of fostering peer-to-peer learning, but in order to have a meaningful online discussion, there need to be clear guidelines and expectations for the way in which this tool is used. The quality and concision of students' writing should be emphasized over mere participation. Writing something meaningful, and that moves the group conversation forward, should be the prize goal.

Setting Clear Expectations

When online is the only option for students to share their ideas and questions with one another, it’s important to set clear expectations for posting. Here’s an example: “Please post your first response by 8PM on Tuesday night. The post must be no more than 200 words in length, and should reference specific examples from the reading assignment. You must also respond to two of your classmates by Friday at 8PM. Your follow-up posts must be substantive (at least 25 words) and move the discussion forward. Simply saying, “I agree”, etc. will not earn credit.” Post comments that further the discussion by exploring the ideas more deeply. The best part of a discussion board is that you get lots of time to think before you post. Use it - you can draft your ideas in a Google Doc and polish them up before posting to the discussion board. Posts which get a lot of responses will receive extra credit.

Discussion Board DOs and DON’Ts for Students

Do think before you post. Complete the reading or preparation work before you write.

Do post your response early to give your classmates more time to reply. Check back later to see what comments have been added.

Do explain your opinion and use examples to help others understand your points.

Do remember that it is harder to tell when something is a joke online. Use humor sparingly because your comments can be easily misinterpreted.

Don’t agree with everything you read. It makes for a really boring conversation. Politely disagree when you have a difference of opinion.

Don’t reply to the same people each time. Try to bring in other voices.

Don’t get personal. Focus your criticism on ideas and arguments, not on your classmates.

Tips for Teachers Creating Discussion Board Prompts

Discussion board prompts are just like the prompts you use to start discussions in your class. You just need to adjust them a bit since you will not all be in the same room answering these orally. If you need a bit of assistance with this, here are some things to consider:

• Think about the learning you want students to gain from the discussion.

• What do you want to see in the responses? Convergent ideas (how, what, why), Divergent ideas (predict, if...then), Evaluative ideas (opinion, defend, what if)?

• Since you want to avoid yes and no responses, how might you frame the question in such a way that students have to think before posting and not just answer off the top of their heads?

• Remember, just like in a face-to-face class, sometimes questions just flop. Don’t give up; just adjust. Feel free to post a response that clarifies what you are looking for, gives more instruction, or poses a completely new question.

• Once you launch a discussion board, monitor it as you would in a face-to-face class. Avoid jumping in too soon or over-responding. You don’t have to respond to every post. Remember you set it up to where they have to respond to their classmates. Allow the exchanges to take place.

• When responding, be sure to model how you want students to respond. Consider including links to support your statements, quotes (cite them), restating a portion of the post you are responding to, and using the name of the student(s) to whom you are responding.

Providing Global Feedback to Your Class

The discussion board platform is also a great place for providing global feedback to students, just as you would in class if you were using a student sample to retool thesis statements or craft a stronger hypothesis. Just because we’re learning online doesn’t mean students have to learn in isolation. We can still insist on an environment in which mistakes are expected and growth happens in community. Ask students to post a draft of their project check-point. Tell them you will give feedback directly on the discussion board (and that students will receive their grade privately). This will likely feel very awkward at first. We often aren't used to learning and stumbling with an audience. It can be a very vulnerable feeling. Remind students that we learn more deeply when we learn in community. They’ll be surprised how much they grow by seeing the insights of classmates and the feedback to their challenges, which may someday be their challenges, too. Early replies from you to a few students will be seen by, and shape, the responses of other students.