Discussion forums are beneficial as a replacement for a classroom discussion. It can also be used as a way to collaborate with students and they can interact as they might in a regular classroom. I use discussion boards to provide a writing sample for each students and I require each student to comment on at least two of the their classmates reply. Keeping up with the forum is the hardest part for the teacher. A teacher can use these effectively if the teacher sets them up ahead of time and with a time requirement that does not last the entire semester. Providing feedback as well as the students will let students know that you are actively monitoring and grading the discussions. One of the major ways of an ineffective discussion board is to not be active on the board, so stay on the discussion.
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