Recently, I received a comment on my student evaluations that advocated “less discussion boards,” which was particularly funny because that class had zero discussion boards. I tend to avoid them, if I can. This summer, though, I taught a brand new asynchronous class called Research for Prose Writers at the University of Tennesee-Chattanooga, the first I’d done since the dark days of the early pandemic, and I was determined to try something different.
I set the expectations for participation vs. contributions early in each class, regardless of modality:
This is not a participation grade. This is a contribution grade. Participation often involves simply being present and attentive and being responsive to the task or activity in front of us. Contributing, however, is slightly different: it involves actively adding value to class learning, whether through insightful comments, well-thought-out answers in both the small and large group discussions, adding relevant examples from your experience or major, or sharing ideas without being prompted. I associate contribution with the quality of the input rather than just the quantity. It implies making a positive impact on the class dynamics and the overall learning experience of those around you. We learn best from each other—and I learn so much from you—that the active pursuit of contributing to the learning of those around us is very important to me, as your instructor.
What do contributions look like in an asynchronous class? We’re not having discussions like we would in a F2F class, so how are we working to contribute to the learning of others in a way that is meaningful and doesn’t feel like a waste of time? Here are a few ways to consider your discussion board responses.
Context Method: One way to do this is to contribute vibrantly to the various discussion posts, and this might be as simple as continuing the conversation, asking questions, providing insight from your own experience, suggesting where the OP might continue digging or thinking. “Have you thought about …?” or “Do you know about this website/etc”? can often be good ways to keep things going.
- Share relevant visual resources, such as photographs, artwork, or charts, to provide additional context or support your thoughts in response to the original post.
- Incorporate multicultural perspectives, diverse voices, or global viewpoints into the discussion to promote cultural awareness and sensitivity, whether they are your own or belong others. For instance, it was necessary to provide place-based context about the Rondo neighborhood in Minneapolis in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death—most people outside Minneapolis didn’t know about its history and knowing it was essential to understanding the long-standing roots of the conflict.
- Share insights from different cultural, ethnic, or geographical contexts and discuss how they enrich our understanding of the topic.
Trampoline Method: The world is a very interesting place, and we’ve only scratched the surface of what’s available to us, whether it’s on the internet, social media, or in the archives. If you find something, be excited and share it with us. TikTok and YouTube, for example, are a treasure trove of people enjoying their very niche interests—if you find a video that you think we should see, post it! If you find a website that we should see, post it! Feel free to pop back into a discussion with “you won’t believe what I’ve found!”
- Share relevant articles, scholarly papers, books, or other academic resources that contribute to the discussion.
- Incorporate experience you’ve gained in other classes, particularly those outside the English department (history, anthropology, biology, etc).
Stretch Method: The greatest discussion killers I’ve found in this environment are the “I agree” type of responses that don’t really say anything new or move the conversation. Avoid any type of phrasing like this—and try the “yes, and…” if you feel the need to agree, but stretch your perspective beyond the original idea into what unique perspective you bring to the conversation. We’re doing so much more here than agree/disagree.
- Draw parallels or analogies from other fields, disciplines, or everyday life to expand upon the topic being discussed.
- Pull in your own niche interests and hyperfixations.
- Stretch the discussion to a familiar concept or situation to help clarify complex ideas or encourage deeper understanding.
- Synthesize multiple perspectives, ideas, or sources discussed in the thread—maybe several people are talking about similar things—to identify common themes, patterns, or ideas.
Avoiding Affirmation Responses: I want you to work toward editing affirmation phrasings (“I liked,” “I loved,” etc.) out of your responses because phrasing like this centers YOU in the response, not the OP. How can you phrase the same sentiment without “I liked/loved”? Maybe you want to try something like “What you said reminded me of…” which centers the OP in your response. It’s about reflecting back their words and experiences, and then adding to it. So instead of saying “I liked” or “I loved,” we can rephrase to emphasize the connection with the OP, like “Your point about…” or “The way you described…” It keeps the focus on them and their contribution to the conversation and then gives you a place to bounce their ideas into a different place. It’s a simple linguistic thing, but it matters. Other phrasings to get you started:
- “Your point about…got me thinking about…”
- “Your perspective on… made me wonder if…”
- “The way you described … led me to consider…”
Each instructor has their own style and expectations for the discussion board. Most of you have probably been in an environment where nobody took the discussion boards seriously, all the replies were unhelpful “I agree” with no personality, and it probably felt like a waste of time. I’m hoping that ours won’t be that way. My advice to you is to be genuine and use your natural voice. Stay on topic, but don’t stress about being overly formal. If you want to use emojis, add a few exclamation points, etc., go for it. Just make sure that it’s proofread—it shouldn’t just be incomprehensible texting. Remember, the discussion board is for starting—and continuing—discussions, not for dumping an assignment. The goal here is community—and the joy of discovery.
–
Karen Babine is the two-time Minnesota Book Award-winning author of All the Wild Hungers: A Season of Cooking and Cancer (Milkweed Editions, 2019) and Water and What We Know: Following the Roots of a Northern Life (University of Minnesota, 2015). She also edits Assay: A Journal of Nonfiction Studies. She teaches creative writing and literature at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, where she is a UC Foundation Associate Professor of English. Her third book, The Allure of Elsewhere: A Memoir of Going Solo, is forthcoming from Milkweed Editions in May 2025.