Down With Discussion Boards !!!

Leah Huang is a pre-health student at U of M who writes a column titled “Vital Signs.”  She wants health care students to focus on practical skills, rather than just kibbitzing on discussion boards!

https://www.michigandaily.com/opinion/columns/discussion-boards/

Down with discussion boards
By Leah Huang - January 29, 2025

We’ve all been there: rewording a classmate’s post just enough to hit the word count on a discussion board. Usually, we start with “Great point!” and then proceed to paraphrase their entire argument.

As a pre-health student, however, this discussion board filler isn’t just tedious — it’s a missed opportunity to learn actual practical skills. Discussion boards are supposed to encourage critical thinking, but more often than not, they end up being a lesson on how to do the bare minimum for credit even if you read and learn all the material. This defeats the original purpose of sharing ideas and having real conversations to learn alongside your peers. For pre-health students juggling clinical hours, labs and coursework, a 200 word mandatory discussion board isn’t just frustrating — it feels downright pointless.

At their core, discussion boards encourage students to interact with course materials and their peers. However, in practice, they often fall short. The structured, asynchronous nature of discussion boards can lead to forced interactions that feel superficial and disengaging.

Experience and real-time communication are crucial in health care programs. Discussion boards just don’t provide the opportunities necessary to hone those skills . Instead of working on critical thinking and communication skills, students are incentivized to meet word count requirements and echo their peers rather than develop the nuanced, fast-paced decision-making required in clinical settings.

In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Nursing freshman Amber Chen expressed her frustration with the discussion boards she has had to do for some of her classes.

“I really don’t get anything out of them at all. I spend more time worrying about hitting the word count and responding to my classmates in time than actually engaging with the material,” Chen said. “It definitely feels extra annoying when you have to respond to two posts, but everyone is procrastinating, so then you have to worry about losing points.”

If that sentiment sounds familiar, you’re not alone. The structure of discussion boards does little to enhance students’ learning experience which, on top of a demanding schedule, can feel unnecessarily frustrating.

The real issue with discussion boards isn’t just that they lead to half-hearted participation — it’s that they’re not set up to make students actually care. When the main goal is hitting a word count or cranking out responses to meet a quota, of course, students are going to do the bare minimum. For many busy students, discussion boards can feel more like a tedious chore than something that actually helps you learn.

What’s missing is the right incentive. Assignments that are more engaging, like hands-on simulations or group discussions, naturally make you want to participate because they feel relevant and useful. You’re practicing real-world skills, like communicating in high-pressure situations or working with a team — stuff you actually need to know as a healthcare professional. There’s a clear payoff, so you’re way more likely to put effort into it.

By applying more engaging hands-on learning opportunities already utilized in nursing clinicals to didactic courses that otherwise simply use online discussions, professors can provide students with hands-on opportunities to practice their skills in a controlled environment without the risk of making critical mistakes. These labs allow students to engage in real-life scenarios, preparing them for situations they may encounter in their future careers.

These can arguably help students of any field build confidence in their abilities and refine their skills in a setting where mistakes are a part of the learning process. For example, law students perform mock trials and join law clinics as well. Computer science majors join project teams to polish their coding and application skills. These experiences bridge the gap between textbook knowledge and real-life application, something that discussion boards sometimes struggle to accomplish.

While some supporters of discussion boards argue they offer an easy way to track participation and give quieter students a platform to engage, this may not be as relevant in health care. Moreover, the asynchronous nature of discussion boards doesn’t prepare students for the fast-paced, collaborative environments they’ll encounter in clinical settings.

Even though it might sound impossible to replace something that is lower stakes like a discussion board with in-class discussions, activities or simulations, investing the extra effort into assignments that actually prepare students for the real world is worth it. Even small changes, like incorporating brief in-class group discussions or rotating simulation exercises, could make a big difference without completely overhauling the system. It’s not about throwing out convenience altogether, it’s about balancing it with assignments that actually help students grow.

Even reflective journaling gets it right. Unlike discussion boards, journaling is personal, and it pushes you to think deeper about what you’ve learned. This pushes you to explain your thoughts, ask questions and get immediate feedback, simulating clinical interactions, instead of sitting behind a screen and summarizing other people’s work. And, instead of waiting for someone to reply days later, you can work through ideas together and figure things out on the spot. These discussions also help students build rapport with their peers, which is essential when working side-by-side in the hospital.

One important thing to remember is that nurses and health care providers don’t have the time to craft perfect responses when handing off a patient; thus, effective communication — even for the more anxious or quieter students — in real-time is key in this field. Opportunities like group discussions, simulation exercises, or one-on-one feedback can build the confidence and skills needed to thrive in clinical practice while offering more meaningful participation than a few written posts ever could.

Education should make us think, collaborate and apply what we’re learning — not just hit a word count. The alternatives to discussion boards offer more meaningful ways to engage with the material, ensuring that students are better prepared for the challenges of healthcare. Whether through face-to-face discussions, reflective writing or hands-on case studies, the goal should be to create learning experiences that create real growth.

Let’s ditch the fake engagement of discussion boards and adopt assignments that truly help us grow. As students and future health care providers, we need assignments that push us to engage meaningfully and practice real-time, practical communication. By embracing these changes, we can create a learning environment that prepares students for the realities of patient care and equips them with the skills they need to succeed.