Is There a Point to Discussion Boards Anymore?
Title image credit: https://apuedge.com/writing-a-substantive-discussion-post-for-an-online-class-forum/
If you have taken an asynchronous class at Ohlone, you are probably quite familiar with discussion posts – forums where students can participate in threaded discussions on various topics related to the course content. The post typically involves students posting their thoughts, questions, reflections, or responses to prompts provided by the instructor. Then, other students can read and respond to these posts, the goal being to foster engagement and collaboration among classmates. But, have these discussion forums lost their value in a world where kids prefer to regurgitate information rather than discuss and where AI technologies can be employed in replacement of actually having to think?
By: Anushree Samsi
I think that the sentiment behind discussion posts is good. As someone who has tried to design an asynchronous course for students, I understand how incredibly difficult it is to foster a class environment and critical discussion without the use of a discussion board. For example, if you are teaching a class on American Politics, discussion and debate of the topics is at the core of the curriculum – in this scenario, it’s an opportunity to express diverse viewpoints and critically examine topics and issues plaguing our society and government today. Think back to a time when you were in a classroom setting and students were building off each other’s ideas to arrive at a conclusion that you never would have thought of before. Imagine trying to facilitate all of that when people will never talk to another student face to face. Overall, the point I’m trying to make is that I totally understand where and why the concept of discussion boards originated.
Now, maybe in some classes that true sentiment is achieved and kids engage in deep discussion and build off of ideas through responding to the posts of others with new analysis, but I speak from experience when I say the vast majority of classes come nowhere near achieving this. There are two big issues I see with discussion posts that are bringing down the entire system. First, is when the prompt is phrased in a way that allows students to dump a bunch of information with no analysis. To be honest, even if the question is phrased well, students still find ways to do this. For example, one of my discussion post prompts was to define two words and show how their definitions differ from one another. Every single post said about the same thing – a reworded version of the exact information provided in our textbook.
Second, and honestly much worse, is the usage of Artificial Intelligence (AI). On my last discussion post, we had to answer the question:
“Chapter 10 talks in-depth about our cardiovascular systems, respiratory system, fluid intake, physical activity, etc. Assess your personal health. What are some things YOU need to do in order to improve your health? Do you need to eat better? exercise more? drink more water? avoid drugs and alcohol? limit your smoking habit? What are some things you can identify and explain some concrete steps you can take to make improvements to your own personal health.”
When I opened the discussion page to write my response, the first post on there was:
“Improving personal health entails a multifaceted approach, including conscientious attention to nutrition by incorporating more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins while reducing intake of processed foods and sugary snacks, engaging in regular physical activity such as at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week along with muscle-strengthening activities, maintaining hydration levels by drinking around 8 glasses of water daily, refraining from excessive use of drugs and alcohol and seeking support if necessary, quitting smoking and avoiding exposure to secondhand smoke, scheduling routine check-ups with healthcare providers for preventative care, prioritizing mental well-being through stress management techniques and seeking professional help if needed, and ensuring quality sleep by establishing a consistent sleep schedule and creating a conducive sleep environment.”
It’s actually funny because the tells are so obvious. Nothing is written in the active voice, there is nothing about the specific individuals’ health or lifestyle, just generic information about “improving personal health,” the words and writing style are characteristically Chat GPT, and so on. AI is taking the previous issue of fact regurgitation to a new level as it has no personal feelings or opinions to draw from so that’s all you’re going to get.
By far the worst part of all of this is having to respond to these discussions. What am I supposed to say to this? “Yes, I agree with you. You bring up some great points about x, y, and z. It is very important that people do x, y, and z.” Maybe you can add in, “Something you might want to consider is….” It has become so formulaic to the point where I often don’t even know how I can add to the discussion in any meaningful way. One Ohlone teacher abolished their discussion post assignment halfway through the semester for this exact reason: Why waste time grading Chat GPT’s writing? Why read the same content worded differently 20 times over?
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2YkX_EpVUo/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
This instagram reel really captures the essence of discussion post responses today.
Ultimately, it’s gotten to the point where discussion posts have become tedious busy work. If collective effort is not being put in by the entire class and by the teachers to make creative prompts and facilitate real discussion, then all I’m doing is spending time finding ways to write meaningless fluff to make my paragraph look longer. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying discussion posts are useless – just that the way they are being used today has strayed so far away from its original purpose. Asynchronous classes are here to stay so what can we do to repair this broken system and honor the original sentiment this all started off with?