Understanding Undergraduate College Student Perceptions and Use of Online Discussion Boards

The purpose of this research was to discover how undergraduate college students use and perceive online discussion boards. The research was conducted using surveys, in-person interviews, and data analysis of actual discussion boards. Over 89 undergraduate students participated in this study. The findings show that students generally have a positive view of discussion boards and prefer to use them in their coursework; however, most find them to be ineffective as currently used. Findings also showed that reflective learning opportunities were greater when using online discussion boards. Finally, the findings showed how social interactions suffer when discussions are online but that students from minority populations feel a sense of positive anonymity not shared by majority populations. Course designers and instructors should evaluate the way they use online discussion boards in their courses and adapt the learning tool to best fit the individual course learning goals.