Using the Discussion Board in the Undergraduate Biochemistry Classroom: Some Lessons Learned

The discussion board feature that is included with most course management software packages is a potentially valuable tool to augment instructor-student interactions in science lecture courses and increase student motivation. However, many teachers seem to have been frustrated that students do not readily make use of this feature when it is added to the course resources. The author has been using a discussion board in undergraduate biochemistry lecture courses for six years and has learned to use it to evolve a system that students use and that seems to increase interaction with students while requiring less time than traditional face-to-face meetings outside of the lecture. The aspects that the author emphasizes for efficient discussion board use are timing, creating a safe virtual environment for the students, "seeding" with simulated questions, setting boundaries, and being self-conscious about the attitude that the instructor projects to the students.