Discussion Board

A typical format of Discussion Board (Please click the pic for large version)

According to Nguyen & Kellogg (2005), discussion board is defined as “an asynchronous communication tool that allows one individual to post a comment or question online. Other individuals who are members of the same discussion board may read that comment/question, and respond with their own remarks over time.” (Nguyen & Kellogg, 2005)

In my opinion, the followings are some advantages of discussion board:

1. extending the time allotted for discussions beyond regular class time for in-depth reflections or comments;
2. requiring students to move beyond listening to a lecture by stating their thoughts and engaging in argumentation;
3. allowing each student to participate and join-in the conversation, rather than one or two outgoing communicators in the classroom;
4. providing a place for students to pose their questions and receive feedback from not only the instructor, but also other discussion board participants;
5. allowing students to bring external sources of information into the conversation (e.g., "according to this web site...")

As far as I concern, here are some activities that discussion board can support:

Discussions

Directed discussions invite students to discuss a specific topic or item: textbook chapter, novel, web site, case study. While it is important for students to think and respond freely with their own impressions, the instructor guides and leads the discussion to cover a range of issues deemed appropriate. In directed discussions, the instructor typically throws out a question to kick off the discussion. Students respond to the instructor's question, and may begin to ask their own questions as well.

Debates
As a twist on directed discussions, the instructor may divide students into two or more teams to first research different perspectives of some issue. These perspectives may be contradictory or complementary. Where differences of opinion exist, students can ask others to explain their reasoning or defend their views. The moderator should help students to develop a consensus position agreeable to all parties.

Critiques
Discussion board can also be used to provide students with feedback on their projects. If a student is tasked with writing a paper or developing a web site, this document or media can be shared with other students for review. The instructor can start a "thread" of conversation for each student, with other students posting comments and suggestions for a particular student within their individual thread.