Discussion Boards: Integrating Choices for Modality (Summer 2025)

Discussion boards for online classes can be a powerful modality for students to strengthen critical thinking, engage in collaboration, and share different and common ideas regarding the course content. Despite the benefits of discussion boards, instructors must enhance and adjust discussion boards to ensure students not only self-evaluate and take an approach in cultural humility, which is awareness of perspective derived from one own history but also practice cultural competence skills in their discussion boards. This is particularly important for future mental health and behavioral providers. Furthermore, to encourage connection, collaboration, sincerity, and authenticity during discussion boards, particularly when prioritizing culturally sensitive topics, instructors can structure and evaluate discussion boards in an alternative manner.

The purpose of this webinar is to outline a scholarship of teaching and learning approach when adjusting discussion boards for graduate students in applied behavior analysis.

1. First, the instructor asked students to submit video-based responses throughout the semester, alternating every other week with text-based discussions.
2. Second, the instructor developed a structured rubric for evaluating discussion responses to determine the extent to which students are more culturally aware and responsive in their conversations with each other.
3. Finally, we evaluated the social validity of our adjusted discussion board when compared to a standard text-based discussion board by integrating choice into the course.

In general, graduate students preferred the video-based discussion board modality, and minimal increases in culturally responsive conversations (as measured by a rubric) were present for some students. Implications of the effectiveness of these teaching strategies are discussed as well as future directions for research.

Accommodations

The NED is committed to providing universal access to all of our events, we’d like to discover how we can make the event more inclusive so you can fully participate!

Machine generated captions are available in real-time for all Zoom events, however human generated CART (live caption) service and ASL interpretation can be requested with advanced notice (2 weeks) to make the event more accessible.

Please, let us know of any disability-related accommodations that will facilitate your full participation.

Questions?

Contact the facilitator Dr. Odessa Luna.

Registration Required

Use the RSVP tool below to register. In addition to Minnesota State faculty and staff, Concurrent Enrollment instructors are also welcome to join.

After registering, a calendar invite with details on how to join will be sent to you, please add this event to your calendar.