DB or Not DB?

That Is the Question!!

Training Notes

Even if you are an experienced

online instructor, if you havent yet
used Discussion Board, you might
find it somewhat intimidating.
Lets face it: many of us only use DB
because weve been told we need to:
because it can foster connectedness in a
medium where isolation runs rampant
because its generally considered to be
evidence-based best practice

Discussion Board hasnt been met with

universal approval by either faculty or
studentsbut that may be related to a
limited understanding of the uses and
benefits of this handy online tool.

Some instructors merely post their DB

forums each quarter, barely skimming
through student responses, grading
simply on the number and length of
posts, rather than on content
and never actually responding to
student posts.

Most faculty use DB to have students

discuss topics covered in their
readings. Most dont actually take
part in the discussions, feeling DB is for
students only.
Others use it as a repository for a
second level of assignments (regular
assignments being submitted,
obviously, under Assignments instead
of Discussion Board).

Rationale for a two-tiered system of

assignment submission?
Students dont expect any feedback
from me on Discussion Board, and
You have to keep them really busy
so they dont get bored or start
feeling that online classes are just an
easy A.
Are these the best reasons for assigning
extra work?

Some faculty never actually read DB

posts or assignments, though they might
skim for key words to suggest whether
theyre on topic.
Some give credit/no credit, based on
whether or not the student completes the
assignmentcontent doesnt really matter.
All of this does tend to fit with the general
student opinion of DB which is that its
busy work that instructors rarely seem to
read and to which they rarely provide
appropriate feedback.

Most instructors of online classes work

very hard and spend long hoursoften
many more than they spend on their
face-to-face classesensuring a quality
learning experience for their students.
But their Discussion Board efforts dont
always reflect that!
However, even if youve heard both
faculty and students alike complain
about DB, dont let that deter from
using this excellent tool!

Once youve decided to use Discussion

Board in your course, youll want to sign
up for the next available Blackboard DB
training session.
This will provide you with a good
overview of how DB works, with some
very useful step-by-step written
instructions (tutorials).
Meanwhile, consider what youd like DB
to accomplish in your class.

When you know what role you want DB to

play in your coursewhat goals you hope
to accomplish by adding DB to your
repertoire of toolsits time to get down to
business.
Deciding how you intend to implement DB
is critical in figuring out how you want to
implement it in your courseso this is
something that must be determined even
before you develop your course syllabus.

Some possible ways to use DB in

various types of courses:
To replicate the kind of group
participation thats typically lost in an
online course, develop forum topics that
expand on readings and lectures, and get
students thinking/talking.
Consider a weekly topic, or one per
learning module.
Think of what grabs students attention in
the face-to-face setting, and build on that.
Combine topics where appropriate, to help
students make additional connections

 To expand the discussions you begin in the

classroom, create and post forums that
follow up on what was discussed in class that
day.
Did you run out of time in the midst of a
really interesting interaction? Let
students continue the discussion online.
Was the topic too sensitive for students to
feel safe speaking aloud? DB can provide
anonymity.
DB can be used for extra credit
opportunities, or as part of the
participation part of students grades.
Be sure to establish expectations/ground
rules in advance!

 To enhance students ability to think

critically, develop forums that require them
to really thinkas opposed to simply
regurgitating what you or their textbook has
told them.
Encourage students to question the
obviousdont just accept the status
quo.
Require them to apply scientific method
in their reasoning, and to explain their
thought processes.
Where applicable, allow students to
discuss their own culture, values, beliefs,
and experiences, and to recognize the
impact of seeing (whatever the topic is)

 To give students an opportunity to show

each other how they solve problems
(this one is pretty obvious):
Give a specific problem as the forum topic; students
create threads with their solutions to the problem.
Problem-solving processes can be typed in, or if
work is done via a special software program or by
hand (e.g., math problems, scientific formulas),
documents can be saved or scanned and
uploaded/linked to DB.
Students view each others work (although there
are also other ways to accomplish this besides DB),
and can critique or even grade each others work if
the instructor desires.

How to Set Up a Discussion Board Forum

1. First, log onto Blackboard and open your
course.
2. From your Home page, click on Tools,
and then on Discussion Board. (I always
create a direct link to DB for studentsthat
way they see it any time they open Bb).
3. When you open DB for the first time, youll
see no content, but you WILL see a box that
says, Create Forum. Click on the box.

The next screen walks you through

setting up your discussion forum.
Give your forum a title, and enter
that in the Name box.
Under Description, describe the
topicexplain what students need to
do to respond to the forum.
Under Forum Availability, check Yes
but be sure to specify immediately
under that the time frame for the
forum to be available to students
(unless there are no restrictions).

Under Forum Settings, your first choice is

whether or not to allow anonymous posts.

Online courses have a high degree of

built-in anonymity, so I dont allow
anonymous posts in those classes.
However, if youre using DB in a hybrid or
web-enhanced face-to-face course, giving
students the option of posting
anonymously will usually encourage them
to speak more freely.
Check the box if you want students to
post anonymously; leave it blank if not.

These are the settings options I suggest:

Allow Author to Edit Own Published Posts (hey, we
all make typos or inadvertently write something we wish
we hadnt!
Allow Users to Reply with Quote (if thats okay w/you)
Allow File Attachments (ditto)
Allow Members to Create New Threads (there might
be times when, for example, you only want students to
respond to your thread, or you create multiple threads
and ask students to choose one or more of these threads
to which they wish to respondin which case you would
want to UNselect this option!)

 I personally do not allow students to

delete, tag, subscribe, or rate posts,
nor do I force moderation, as these
things dont fit my course. But they
might fit yours, so check with the
experts for more info about them!
(For more info on any of these options,
review the DB tutorials or contact Jane
Chinn or Delayna Breckon).

Your last choice is in grading the forum,

youll need to give this some thought.
Bb will not let you grade forums that allow
anonymous posts. So if youve checked
Allow anonymous posts, you cant check
Grade Forum. And if you check Grade
Forum after having checked Allow
anonymous posts, it will UNcheck Allow
anonymous posts. Very frustrating!!!
But fortunately, there is a way to get
around this!

Heres what you need to do:

Click Allow anonymous posts, but do NOT
click Grade Forum. This means there will
be no column for your DB forum in your
Grade Center, so you will need to manually
add one.
You will not be able to grade this forum in
the same way that would be possible were
you not allowing anonymous posts, but
with a few very simple extra steps, you can
grade your forum as you wishthe process
is described later.

When youve checked all the

appropriate options, click Submit,
and your first forum is posted.
I strongly suggest that if you intend to
use regular (for example, weekly)
forums, plan them ahead of time, and
have them ready and waiting.
I know from experience its far too
easy to forget if you procrastinate in
posting weekly forums!

Note: forums not yet available to students

will not show up when they visit DB; theyll
only see those forums currently active.
Once a forum opens, you can leave it open
for the remainder of the quarter, or you
can close it any time (or designate this
ahead of time, so it automatically shuts
down when you want it to).
Unread posts are noted by boldface type
so you can easily see which ones need to
be read.

Some general tips to keep in mind while

developing and using DB:
Provide specific topics with well-defined
parameters for each forumand make them
relevant to whats being covered in the
course itself.
Read every single post! You dont need to
respond to each one, but you DO need to
know whats going on in your class.
Stay actively involved in DB, but dont take it
over! This can be a temptation, but let
students do most of the talking (plus, DB can
become WAY too time-consuming if you let it).

 Check DB frequently, because:

Its overwhelming to log on and find
67 posts waiting to be read.
Students appreciate seeing that others
are reading what they have to say.
You DO want to know whats going on
sometimes youll need to clarify,
correct, edit, maybe even deleteand
on occasion, you might need to
referee or intervene in some other
manner.

I recommend you begin with a forum in which

everyone introduces themselves to the class.

In addition to the usual ways students

identify themselves, include some
questions like:
What interests you about this course?
What other courses in this field have you
taken?
What experiences have you had with online
courses before this one?
What would you like others in the class to
know about you?

 Consider 2 forums for the first and

last weeks:

First forum: introduction

Second: that weeks course topic
Penultimate: that weeks course topic
Last: Closure (saying goodbye, final
comments)

This has worked quite well for me,

although it does make for a lot of extra
reading those 2 weeks.

 Give students something to look forward to!

Make the topics INTERESTING!
When possible, let students express their own
thoughts and feelings, instead of merely
regurgitating what theyve read/heard in the
readings or lectures.
If that doesnt fit, give them thought-provoking
topics that really do make them think and that
stimulate creativity.
Use the same kinds of techniques in DB that you
employ to make your in-class interactions
noteworthy.

 Try not to censor the discussion, unless its

truly necessary.
Students will typically confront each other for
any inappropriate posts; most tend to tactfully
assume their peers intentions were good,
despite what they may have actually said.
If you must edit or delete a post, consider
emailing that student privately with an
explanation, to avoid publicly humiliating
them. If you feel you must address the issue
in the open forum for teaching purposes,
model the tact and professionalism you wish
the rest of the class to learn and practice.

If something a student has posted

suggests to you that they may need
counseling or other resources, offer
support and provide a referral to
appropriate resources, when necessary.

I have, for the most part, been more than

pleased at the degree to which students
have provided support and validation to
each other.

If that always happened, our jobs as online

teachers would be so much easier!
But of course, not everyone responds to
others in a positive, supportive manner
and you will encounter students with
mental health issues, students with
spiritual or political beliefs they feel
compelled to share with everyone,
students with extremely narrow minds who
are unwilling to listen to opinions which
differ from their own, etc., etc., etc..

This, of course, is a major reason why close

monitoring of DB is important:
You will need to intervene promptly if
students behave online in a matter that
causes concern (e.g. if theyre responding to
the material or to each other
inappropriately)just as you would in class.
In fact, since youre not there in person, its
even MORE important for you to respond
accordingly as quickly as possible!

Tips on grading DB
An effective grading rubric is essential!
Use it to grade each forum as objectively
and consistently as possible.
Students need to have easy access to your
grading rubric, so they understand clearly
your expectations when they post DB
entries.
Make it as clear, concise, and unequivocal
as possibleadmittedly challenging when
youre seeking quality and not quantity.

Keep your grading rubric

understandable and easy to use.
Once you get used to grading DB
forums, if you decide you need a
more detailed grading rubric, you
can always develop that for later use.
Keep in mind that students must be
able to understand it, if theyre going
to be able to comply with your
expectations!
Keep it simple!

Grading DB forums, step by step:

For a forum in which anonymous post
are not allowed, its quite easy:
1. Open DB, and click on the title of
the forum you wish to grade.
2. Click on Grade Forum.
3. Choose the student whose forum
you wish you to grade, go to the
column labeled username, and
click on the double-down arrows
after the students user name.

4. From the drop-down menu, select

Grade. Youll then see each post
the student has entered into that
forum (both their original thread(s)
and any responses to other posts).
5. Determine the students grade
based on the grading rubric, and
enter the appropriate number of
points in the box near the top of the
window that says Grade. This will
enter the points in your Grade
Center.

To grade a forum in which anonymous posts

are allowed, a bit more effort is involved.
1. Remember that you will need to manually
create a column in your grade center for
each forum you intend to grade.
2. Open the Performance Dashboard (Course
Mgmt EvaluationPerformance
Dashboard), where youll see an
alphabetical list of all students in the class.
[Please note that when you use
Performance Dashboard, the tabs on the
left will disappear. To get them back, click
on the little arrow in the margin on the left.]

3. Select the student you wish to grade, then

locate the Discussion Board column, and
click on the underlined number, which is a
link to a list of the forums in which that
student has participated.
4. When that list opens, go to the forum you
wish to grade, find the column labeled Total
Posts, and click on the underlined number,
which is a link to a page showing each entry
that student has posted under that forum.
5. Determine the number of points earned for
the forum, and enter it in the appropriate
column in the Grade Center.

A few concluding thoughts.

When I first agreed to try teaching online,
I was both scared and skepticaland one
of my biggest areas of concern was
Discussion Board.
Overall, though, outcomes have by far
exceeded my wildest expectations. My
experiences have been so positive that I
now incorporate DB in almost all of my
face-to-face classes.

Student feedback is almost universally

positive:
Online students tell me my class is the most
interactive online course theyve ever taken
and many online friendships started through
DB last beyond the class itself, something
virtually unheard of in most online courses.
Face-to-face students say the use of DB with
the option of posting anonymously
contributes significantly to their overall
learning experienceparticularly, the
opportunity to hear from peers who would
never have spoken out in the classroom
setting.

If you do it well, DB can be a lot of work

I cant pretend otherwise! And done
poorly, it benefits no one, creates bad
feelings, and could actually do harm.
But the rewards of a well-planned,
creatively- designed, and effectivelydelivered Discussion Board are
incredibly well worth the effort.