Discussion Boards & Teaching Modalities
Discussion boards are a useful tool to engage students outside the classroom. Here is a quick summary of how to structure effective discussion boards.
CfLT Newsletter
The posts below are from the CfLT newsletter which includes curated, research-based digital resources to support ongoing faculty development and pedagogical engagement. As of August 2025, CfLT Director Karen Spierling oversees the content. Posts from July 2020-May 2025 were compiled by previous Director Lew Ludwig.
07/14/2020 Tech-how to create discussion boards on Notebowl
Interested in creating a discussion board, but don’t know where to begin? Start with this video series from ETS that details how to create discussion boards on Note Bowl. And don’t forget the many other resources available from ETS this summer.
07/14/2020 Teaching-discussion boards ruberics
07/14/2020 Tidbit-teaching modalities instruction models
Let’s consider teaching modalities for the fall: in-person, remote, mixture. This resource from Dr. Julie Sievers at Southwestern University Teaching Center lays out several possible scenarios for the fall. Interested in discussing various options with others? Please sign up here by Friday, 7/17, for virtual CfLT sessions next week to discuss possible teaching modalities for our fall classes.
Welcome your students with a video
In order to connect with students and practice creating asynchronous materials, consider making a Welcome Students video that can be sent to your students the week before classes begin.
07/07/2020 Tidbit-planning resource for uncertain fall semester
What are other things you can do now to prepare for an uncertain fall? Consider this resource from Dr. Nancy Click of the Teaching Center at Rollins College. Just like much of our work, this resource is under construction, but lays out clear things you can work on now.
07/07/2020 Tech-how to upload YouTube videos
Okay, Dr. Wesch has inspired you to shoot a short Welcome Students video. Now how do you get the video to your students? This demo by Kelli Van Wasshenova from ETS will show you how to use your Denison Google account to securely upload your videos to YouTube – a convenient way to share videos with your students.
07/07/2020 Teaching-welcome students with a YouTube welcome video-demo
In order to connect with students and practice creating asynchronous materials, consider making a Welcome Students video that can be sent to your students the week before classes begin. This quick intro video by Dr. Mike Wesch can get you started. For a deeper dive on how to create a video, here is another demo by Dr.