Discussion Boards: how to make them more engaging and equitable

This session will cover specific policies, practices, ploys, and prompts for making asynchronous discussion forum posting more engaging and equitable. Specific examples will be given for psychology, critical thinking, and world religion courses. We look at examples of what does not work and what has worked (for me). The guidelines include: 1. using content that is student-generated, rather than regurgitated, 2. securing structure with useful templates, 3. getting students to read each other’s posts. Examples will include how to use threads based on : 1. examples of course concepts, 2. YouTube videos, 3. scholarly articles, 4. field trips, 5. research project development, 6. critiquing each others’ projects, 7. reviewing for the exam. Tough questions such as feedback and grading will be addressed.

Session Outcomes:

• Construct effective discussion board threads.
• Give useful feedback on student posts.
• Factor discussion board participation into student evaluations and grades.