1. Collaboration to improve conversations
Discussion Boards
Collaboration to improve conversations

2. Start Early
If you’re given a discussion board deadline, that’s the day to end the conversation, not to begin it.
Begin several days before to open the dialogue with your classmates. This is a conversation, so it should not merely be an initial post and then a comment to a classmate or two. Also, classmates (and I) will respond with questions, so ensure you continue the conversation.
Think of our discussion boards this way: would you want an in-class discussion to be one-sided? Would you want a dinner conversation to be dull?
Student 1: I really enjoyed reading “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan because it reminded me of some of the stories my mother told me about her relationship with her mom.
Student 2: Me, too!
Student 1: Did you have a family like this, too?
Student 2: [No Reply]
Don’t ignore your classmates!

3. Start Early
Instructors want thorough, thoughtful discussions that display a depth of knowledge and an increase in understanding of the topic from the beginning of the conversation to the end of it. Rarely can this happen in a discussion board that begins the day it is due. There just isn’t enough time to get the full class to participate and to share content. To ensure students begin participating early and regularly, sometimes instructors have a portion of their discussion board rubric set up for participation. The example on the left shows that a student who participates frequently and throughout the week with a variety of classmates may earn an A, but a student who only participates the day assignments are due may earn an F regardless of the quantity or caliber of the posts.
Participation
Excellent (9-10)
Participates frequently throughout the week. Interacts with a variety of participants
Good/Average (7-8)
Participates regularly throughout the week. Interacts with several other students.
Fair (5-6)
Sporadically provides comments. Interacts with only one or two students
Unacceptable (0-4)
Only participates the day assignments are due. Provides minimal comments and information to other participants.

4. Share Information
We learn from each other in discussion boards, so please share content: your ideas, your arguments (claims/theses), and the sources for your information.
Be as specific and concrete as possible.
When referring to literature or research, use the author’s name and page numbers.
If you provide more background information, add a link or mention the source so we can learn from your research, too.
If you have first-hand information, please say so. How is your expertise helping you formulate an opinion?
We want to converse, even debate our ideas, in these discussion board assignments.
Share your information so the class can learn together.
Simply agreeing with someone else doesn’t continue the conversation because how will people reply to you? Share content in each post.
Student 1: I really enjoyed reading “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan.
Student 2: Me, too!
Student 3: I agree with the two of you. It was good.
Instructor: Um, why did the three of you like the story? From the content in these posts, I can’t even tell that you’ve read it.

5. full of information and keeps the conversation going!
Share Information
Student 1: I really enjoyed reading “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan. One thing that I kept thinking was of how Tan showed the love and guilt involved in mother/daughter relationships very accurately.
Student 2: I like Amy Tan as an author, and she does like to examine family relationships between her women characters. Has anyone seen this interview clip on YouTube?
Student 3: Thanks for the clip! I like hearing authors talk about why they write. In the video, Tan talked about why she might or might not write a story focused on men in her next book. That got me thinking: would the mother in “Two Kinds” have treated a son differently than she treated her daughter here?
Instructor: Thank you for sharing this content. You have the beginnings of a great conversation about family dynamics, socialism, and even gender studies. I look forward to seeing how your classmates join the discussion.
This example is
full of information and keeps the conversation going!

6. Reply to Many Classmates
Think about a discussion in a classroom. There are multiple questions, tangents, asides, and a lot of comments shared. If you only heard the portion of the in-class conversation immediately preceding or immediately after your own comments, you’d miss a great deal of information.
Online discussions run the same way, so post and then reply often! As the discussion board develops, join several conversations, not just the one you began. You’ll learn more about the topic as a whole if you are part of the entire discussion.

7. Reply to Many Classmates
Discussion Board without depth
Discussion board with depth
Student One Initial Post
Student Two Reply
Student Two Initial Post
Student One Reply
Student Three Initial Post
Student Three Reply
Student One Initial Post
Student Two Reply
Student Three Reply
Student One Reply
Student Two Initial Post
Student Three Initial Post
Which Discussion Board shows conversations in progress?

8. Collaboration to Improve Conversations
Start early
Share information
Reply to many classmates to continue the conversations