{"id":851,"date":"2019-05-01T13:32:24","date_gmt":"2019-05-01T13:32:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/tel\/?page_id=851"},"modified":"2025-06-26T16:25:32","modified_gmt":"2025-06-26T16:25:32","slug":"discussions","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/tel\/discussions\/","title":{"rendered":"Discussions"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is a Blackboard Discussion?<\/h2>\n
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Discussions\u00a0 facilitate asynchronous class discussion and group work, and can be used to encourage students to think critically and share their thoughts before or beyond live teaching. You can find useful guides about setting up and marking Blackboard Discussions<\/a> \u00a0on the Blackboard Help site for staff.<\/p>\n

You can have multiple Discussions within folders; to displaying messages between contributors (students and instructors) about various topics, sometimes including links, images and other file attachments. <\/span>Users interact by posting questions, answers, and other\u00a0comments related to the given topic\/subject. Each post may have several replies, these are called \u2018Threads\u2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Why use the Blackboard Discussion activity?<\/h2>\n
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  • Classroom discussion is an important part of learning; however live discussion is not always possible (for example where connectivity is an issue preventing students from participating fully in a webinar, or there are restrictions on\u00a0<\/span>participant availability to join a live session).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Discussion boards require low bandwidth<\/strong>, are simple<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0to use, <\/strong>can be accessed on a range of devices<\/strong> (mobile, tablet, laptop\/desktop) and are usually compatible with student assistive\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>technologies<\/strong> already present on student devices.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  • They\u00a0allow communication over a period of time<\/strong>; giving students time to reflect and develop their ideas<\/strong> before posting (you may discover more meaningful conversations and considered responses compared to the same question posed during live teaching).\u00a0Many students feel more comfortable to take part in written communication, as they may be reluctant \u2013 perhaps nervous or too shy \u2013 to share their ideas verbally.<\/li>\n
  • Effective design and running of online discussions help build a ‘community of enquiry’ among students<\/strong>; well managed, open-ended discussions can motivate students to learn more about a certain topic and construct their own understanding. Consider using multiple boards, <\/strong>to manage communication around specific topics or purposes, see ‘Types of discussion board’ below.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Can\u00a0discussion forums be used for assessment and feedback?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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    • You can use online discussions for summative or formative assessment.<\/strong><\/li>\n
    • They facilitate\u00a0peer feedback, where students are able to comment on each other\u2019s work, and\u00a0provide a record of contributions<\/strong> and discussion for revision or future reference.<\/li>\n
    • Blackboard Discussions can be linked to the Gradebook, and feature online marking\/feedback tools such as rubrics.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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      Types of discussion forum<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n
      \u00a0Community building<\/span><\/p>\n

      Social driven, ice-breaker,
      \n‘getting to know you’<\/td>\n

      		FAQs or Q&A<\/span><\/p>\n

      Mitigate answering multiple
      \nstudent email queries<\/td>\n

      		\u00a0Check understanding<\/span><\/p>\n

      Assess \/ grade \/
      \npeer asses contributions<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      \u00a0Topic \/ seminar discussion<\/span><\/p>\n

      Pose questions, recap or
      \nextend topics beyond live teaching<\/td>\n

      		\u00a0Anonymous discussion<\/span><\/p>\n

      Not advised<\/td>\n

      		\u00a0Group work<\/span><\/p>\n

      Platform for student groups to
      \ncommunicate asynchronously<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Examples of colleagues using Blackboard Discussions<\/h2>\n

      Dr Angelique Chettiparambil Rajah explains her use of discussion boards in Real Estate & Planning<\/p>\n