Module Three Article Review

Module Three Article Reviews
Stephanie Sullinger-Dukarm

“Improving the Use of Discussion Boards”, Academic Technology Center, 2008, www.wpi.edu/Academic/ATC/Collboratory/Idea/board/benefits.html.


In the article, “Improving the Use of Discussion Boards”, the author give specific ideas on ways to engage the students in meaningful conversation in the discussion board. Using good discussion and moderation techniques, giving the students a rubric on how their posting will be assessed, and stating clear expectations for the discussion participation are all topics covered. Using role play, keeping a good balance of postings, and guided questioning will help the students stay interested. Empowering and encouraging the students will make even the shy students feel comfortable in participating. Providing sample postings and giving clear expectations and rubrics is good practice for having successful discussion boards. The information in the article about leading good discussions was very helpful, and the example of the rubric gave me some good ideas that I will incorporate in the painting class. I would have liked to see actual examples of postings and how to respond to them in the article. I would recommend this article; it contained valid, simple ideas that can make the discussion board more meaningful.

“Benefits of Using Discussion Boards in Your Classes”, Academic Technology Center, 2008, www.wpi.edu/Academic/ATC/Collboratory/Idea/board/benefits.html.

The positive aspects of discussion boards were the main emphasis in the article. Developing a sense of community, encouraging higher level thinking skills, and greater equity are all benefits of opening communication in online courses. Discussion boards give the students the opportunity to become more actively involved with other students in the class, and participate in meaningful forums based on the subject matter, and goals of the course. The students are more apt to participate in online discussions, than in a regular classroom setting. The students are given the chance to give their opinion without feeling overwhelmed or anxious. They are also able to be themselves without the chance of bias based on race or gender. I thought this article was helpful in giving a better perspective on the importance of including discussion boards in online courses. I would like to see more ideas to use in an art related course. I would recommend this article to someone just starting out in online teaching. The article gives good reasons why you need to develop a learning community to make the process more appealing and meaningful to the students.