A discussion board (also known as discussion group, discussion forum, message board, and online forum) is a general term for any online "bulletin board" where you can leave and expect to see responses to messages you have left. Or you can just read the board.

The discussion board is a great tool for engaging class participants in a dialog about specific topics. In one study, faculty found that "online discussions among distance learning students were deeper and more diverse, engaging greater numbers of students in the conversation, than equivalent classroom-based interactions" (Cravener, 1999). "The asynchronous environment that provides threaded discussion, combined with creative use of Internet resources and multimedia, forms the most effective combination for successful student engagement."

The instructor defines the focus of the discussion (based on learning objectives) in the appropriate learning module or in the discussion board forum itself and students post their contributions.

The instructor should not respond to each posting. Instead the instructor's role is that of moderator. The instructor needs to review postings regularly and intervene to reinforce a good point or if the discussion loses focus, takes a wrong direction, stalls, or fails to get to the important issues. If it is necessary to address inappropriate responses or netiquette violations with a specific participant, the instructor should counsel this student via email outside of the discussion board.

Requiring a specific number of postings as part of the course grade may encourage participation for beginning online learners. For example:

"Online participation is measured by completion of module discussion boards and quizzes. Students must complete at least 7 out of 10 discussion board assignments + 9 out of 12 quizzes by the weeks assigned for each quiz or discussion board in order to earn the participation points (5% of course grade)."

The following instructions to students in a mental health nursing course describe the instructor's expectation for a single discussion board:

"Join the "Psychotic Disorders" discussion board. Post your comments on relapse prevention. Minimum requirements: one original comment and one response to the comment of at least one other student."

Examples from a leadership/management course:

"Post an example on the "Change" discussion board of a needed change you have identified in the clinical practice area and how you would approach it."

"On the "Managing Conflict" discussion board, briefly describe a recent conflict in the health care setting, analyze the outcome (win-lose, lose-lose, or win-win) and comment on one other student's posting."

References:

• Cravener, P.A. (1999). Faculty Experiences With Providing Online Courses: Thorns Among the Roses. Computers in Nursing, 17(1), pp 42-47.
• Caldwell, S. (1998). Going the Distance with Online Instruction, VSTE Journal, p. 3, 6.
• http://www.ntlf.com/html/lib/suppmat/103chap7.pdf