Discussion Boards
Why use discussion boards?
In a classroom, conversations happen organically. Students talk, expound upon, disagree, and learn from each other. In an online class, discussion boards serve as a place for students to do this. While the discussion board system is imperfect, it does allow all voices to be heard, and gives students time to process their thoughts before posting or replying. In a discussion board, you are never put on the spot to come up with an answer in the next five seconds!
Tips for Discussion Posts and Replies
Read the prompt. What, exactly, is the professor asking you to post? Do you need sources? How many people will you respond to? When are the due dates for this discussion post?
Read the rubric. Usually there will be a rubric detailing how the professor grades discussion posts and responses. Read it to get a sense of where points will be allotted.
How to Express Disagreement
Discussion Boards work best when there is some disagreement!
Don't attack the other student personally. Think of the person as sitting across from you, not as a faceless keyboard warrior on a Twitter thread.
Remember that your body language and facial expressions are not available. Use emojis if that helps to get your point across.
Acknowledge other positions and state why they are understandable, then:
Explain why you disagree. Use facts and logic, not emotion.
Ask questions! Get clarity on the student's post. Perhaps the disagreement is actually miscommunication.
Example disagreement response
Josh, I can understand your argument that "fake news" is not really an issue in our society. After all, how many college students really pay attention to the news? We are mostly glued to social media, right? However, I wonder what you would make of the fact that most people who get their news from social media are less knowledgeable about current events, or that social media use contributed to "increased belief" in COVID misinformation? I have to disagree with you here- I think that fake news has created a lot of barriers to truth in our society.
Disagreement template
(Student name), I can understand (student's point of view). It's understandable because (reason). However, I wonder what you think about (different point of view). Additionally, (add a fact or statistic here- don't forget to add links to credible sources if you have them). Would you still say that (their point of view) is always correct?