\u201cDiscussions are boring\u201d, \u201cit is so hard for students to truly engage,\u201d \u201cthe linearity of the discussions doesn\u2019t help to navigate and find the threads\u201d, \u201cposts could be AI-generated.\u201d If you\u2019ve voiced one of these about discussion boards, you\u2019re not alone.\u00a0Oftentimes, I hear instructors express these concerns. Discussion boards were once considered spaces for bringing students together to engage in authentic and genuine conversations. However, in today\u2019s AI world, the concerns are compounded by the risk that discussion posts could be generated by AI, lacking students\u2019 own voices and personal investment in building community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Discussion boards have been the default tool in online courses to create a space for students and their instructors to build community, engage in conversations, develop a sense of belonging, and learn from one another. The discussion board is the online counterpart of the physical classroom space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, over the years, it seems discussion boards are limited in that they hardly promote student engagement and expand conversations. For many instructors, discussions have become a formulaic \u201cpost one and reply twice\u201d approach that lacks the features to truly motivate students to participate beyond that formula. It has even become more challenging to create an engaging asynchronous discussion in the AI era, as some students might feel tempted to use AI to generate posts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Designing discussions that are meaningful and engaging may require evaluating their use and structure. The design of discussions sets the foundation for students to be in community, understand the value of the activity, and actively engage with others. This foundation should respond to a clear structure where the purpose, tasks, and criteria for success are clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are multiple ways in which discussion boards go beyond that formula,<\/a> becoming spaces that hold the community of learners together. It is possible to design and facilitate online discussions that are engaging and meaningful<\/a>, and that serve as dynamic learning spaces<\/a> where students get to know their peers, engage in community, and build trusting relationships with each other and with their instructor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An AI policy should be clearly articulated so that students know whether AI can be used or not in their discussion posts and replies. Instructors could opt to co-create an AI policy<\/a> and involve students in identifying actions and tasks that could benefit from, or not benefit from, the use of AI in their discussions (and other assignments).\u00a0However, given that discussions are one of the few course activities where the process<\/em> of student-to-student interaction matters more than a polished product, an AI policy alone may not help address the concern that posts could be entirely generated by AI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In response to the AI era, it becomes even more important to ensure that the discussion board has a clear purpose and meaning for students. A purpose statement<\/a> highlights the importance, relevance, and value of students\u2019 own work and voices, and shows students that their instructors are eager to read their contributions. AI cannot replicate students\u2019 own thinking and authentic voices. A clear description in the purpose statement and instructions that repositions the value of authentic student voice and contributions would make it visible to students that their instructor is interested in what they bring from their own context, lived experiences, or observations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To make discussion prompts more engaging and tempting for students to bring their own voices, ask students to bring an artifact such as a news item, a course reading annotation, or a real-world example to share with peers. Then, ask them to respond to peers’ artifacts rather than to peers’ opinions. The input is the student\u2019s own context, which sidesteps the AI temptation and makes the engagement more natural, relevant, and genuine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t feel discouraged by the shortcomings of discussion boards; these are great tools for creating the social interactions and community so desired in an online environment, even in the AI era and its challenges for teaching and learning. The key to using discussion boards is to rethink them as spaces for genuine engagement rather than as superficial, perfunctory tasks. Rethinking and redesigning discussions could start with small steps, for example, if you do nothing else:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have tried something else or different, I would like to hear about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cDiscussions are boring\u201d, \u201cit is so hard for students to truly engage,\u201d \u201cthe linearity of the discussions doesn\u2019t help to navigate and find the threads\u201d, \u201cposts could be AI-generated.\u201d If you\u2019ve voiced one of these about discussion boards, you\u2019re not alone.\u00a0Oftentimes, I hear instructors express these concerns. Discussion boards were once considered spaces for bringing… Continue reading How to redesign discussions in the AI era?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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