Blackboard - What are Discussion Boards?

WHAT ARE DISCUSSION BOARDS? Discussion boards are a way for a group of people to communicate ‘asynchronously’ online, i.e. not occurring at the same time, unlike messaging tools such as Skype or WhatsApp. One person may log in at any one point and leave a message, another user could access the board later, see that message and reply. Similar to emails, you can also attach files to discussion board messages.

Discussion boards have an advantage over email in that you can read them when you want to, not have your inbox overwhelmed with messages you don’t want! They are also more structured than email and are broken down into three levels: 

Forums – like seminar rooms at a conference, each with a specific theme/topic of conversation.

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Threads – separate conversations within a forum; a forum can have many separate threads.

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Messages – a single reply ‘posted’ to a discussion thread.

Overview of discussion board structure

TYPES OF DISCUSSION BOARD Within Blackboard courses/organisations, you can set up two different types of discussion boards:  Course/Organisation Discussion Board – which is shared by all users enrolled on that course/organisation. 

Group Discussion Board – are private, only accessible by the predefined ‘group’ of students. The ‘group(s)’ would be set up by the

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course instructor and there is usually one discussion board per group.

FORUMS The discussion boards can contain one or more forums (the seminar rooms) where topics can be discussed. Within the Course/Organisation Discussion Board, only staff can set up forums, whereas in the Group Discussion Board(s) you can choose whether students can/can’t create forums. Students and staff can then start threads (separate conversations) within a forum and post messages as replies within threads.

You can create forums for various purposes. For example, to allow discussion of specific course topics or to provide an area for student peer support or coursework queries. Students can respond to posts and create new threads.

Every Blackboard site has the ability to provide a discussion board, accessible to all users enrolled on the course/organisation. However, in order use this functionality you will need to provide a link to the discussion board either on your course/organisation menu or within a relevant content area. If you have set up groups on your site, then each group may also have its own discussion board, accessible only by members of that particular group.

TIPS FOR CREATING SUCCESSFUL ONLINE DISCUSSIONS Discussion boards can be a useful way of encouraging group working and are particularly valuable for distance learners. They have the advantage that people can refer back to the discussions later and help to build an online community. However, it is not always easy to encourage people to participate. Here are some tips:

GETTING STARTED 

Ensure participants know how to use the forums effectively - If they can't navigate through the forum(s) and aren't sure how to read and post messages then it will put them off from engaging.

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State the purpose of the discussion clearly - Make sure everyone is clear on the purpose of the discussion and what they need to do.

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It is useful to start with an 'ice-breaker' - This should be something easy that will encourage people to post a message. An example could be to ask people to introduce themselves and share something about the course that they are looking forward to or are apprehensive about.

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Set clear ground rules and expectations for the students and the tutors - Examples are to keep messages fairly short and to respond positively to messages from other people.

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Integrate the discussion with another activity - Students need motivation to take part in online discussions, so it is a good idea to integrate the discussion with other activities, preferably those that are assessed.

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Be friendly and encouraging in your instructions and posts - This will motivate people to contribute. Also, encourage members of the group to respond positively to each other’s posts.

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Take part in the discussion - State in advance that you will be monitoring the discussion and will post a summary at the end of the week. You may want to post more messages in the early stages of the discussion to show the group that you are reading their posts.

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If someone hasn't participated in a discussion within 3 days, consider contacting them by email - You can check whether they have any problems accessing the forum(s), or aren't sure what is required. This will also encourage them to contribute.

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It can be useful to ask questions - You may want someone to provide more detail or to think about something more deeply. You can also encourage members of the group to ask each other questions to further the discussion.

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Quote other people when replying to messages - To link messages and create an effective discussion, it can be useful to quote previous messages and highlight the quoted text in a different colour.

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Change the subject line or title of your message to reflect the contents - This makes it much easier for people when looking at the forum to see what the messages are about.

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If you need to move a discussion in a different direction, it is useful to summarise contributions so far - You can then add some information of your own and ask a question to move the discussion in a different direction.

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To bring a discussion to a close, post a summary and thank everyone for their contributions - This can also help clarify the outcome for people and act as a useful reminder when they look back at it later.

FURTHER GUIDANCE For further guidance on how to incorporate discussion boards within your teaching, speak to Faculty Learning Technologist.

For detailed guidance on how to create and use discussion boards, please see: 

The Blackboard Help tab;

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Blackboard’s own online guidance.

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