The discussion board is where a lot of activity takes place in the online learning environment. Students will (or may) post questions and respond to discussion topics each week. It’s a good idea to post a new discussion topic each week so the students can reinforce what they are learning in other sections of the class. Listed below are some ideas, created by the Pace University Computer Learning Center, that have worked well when developing discussion topics.

1. Take a subject from the text and zero in on a little talked about aspect of that subject. For example, if you were teaching a course on Java and were talking about methods, you could select a seldom-used method and ask the students to try and determine how they would use it.

2. Develop a subject that asks for a student’s opinion. Require that they support their position. An example here could be to ask about the student’s opinion on switching from the English measuring system to metric.

3. Pick a different student each week to lead the discussion board. Let them pick the topic (always approved by the instructor) and answer or respond to the class’ postings. This provides a sense of ownership for the discussion topics, and it also makes the students think about the topic before sending it to the entire class.

4. Don’t post a topic that requires a simple yes or no answer, as that’s all you’ll get from many students. Try to make your questions more complex or ones that could have several possible positions.

5. Ensure that the students are aware that what is posted to the discussion board stays within the class (non-attribution). This is essential in getting honest responses from the students. Also, make sure that they understand that slander and libel will not be permitted on the board and that you as the instructor have the right and power to remove any posts that are inappropriate. You also have the right to restrict students who disrupt the board from posting.