OnlineProfessor

Master Those Message Board Discussions

Online classes rely heavily on message boards (also known as threaded discussions or discussion boards). These message boards count as your primary participation in class, and it’s also a helpful learning tool. When used correctly, you can learn a lot from these boards, and you can also showcase your own talents and skills to the instructor.

Tips for Spotlighting Yourself on the Message Boards:

• Be thorough and detailed. Avoid scraping by with the minimum. If the school requires four entries on the message board, make sure at least four are thorough, detailed, and address all the components of the discussion topic for the week. There are often-multi-part questions, and missing some aspect of them can cost you points. Also, don’t stop at the minimum number of entries. Once you have the four, required entries, throw in a couple more. The additional postings do not need to be as long or detailed, but they should be professional and pertinent to the discussion.
• Write professionally and with proper grammar. Imagine that you’re always on a job interview in class. You want to present yourself as intelligent and thoughtful. Show this through the care you take in choosing your words and writing clearly and neatly.
• Do not be selfish. Simply talking about your own points or ideas can come off as very self-centered. Make sure you also comment on your classmates’ ideas, encouraging them, offering suggestions and building upon their points.
• Be timely. Meeting deadlines on the message board is important. No matter how your instructor handles the rules on late work, most often, late work for the message boards is really frowned upon. If there is someplace where the instructor tends to be more strict, it’s the message board.
• Be consistent. Too often, students skip a few message board discussions throughout the term. Well, those points add up, and they are often the difference between passing and failing. No assignment is insignificant.

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