Allows more time for participants to develop ideas with deeper reflection
Allows for asynchronous participation
Students with who might not speak up in a live class may participate differently
Allows others to peer review what others have submitted, (papers, presentations, media, etc)
Different ways to use Discussion Boards
Create smaller group sizes of four to five participants, assign each group the same question
Have one student lead the discussion topic
Create and assign a discussion to an individual person, (like a journal)
Have students post their answer to a question/topic before seeing what others have done
Best Practices
Use open ended questions that requires students to research and support their answers, have them include links to other articles or information
Create an introductory discussion activity for students to get to know each other
Model the behavior you expect from your students
Make sure that students understand the discussion board rules
a. What is the etiquette, formal, informal
b. How long should the post be, and what time do they need to be submitted
c. How will students be evaluated, and how will you give feedback
