Pros

• Because online discussion encourages reading and reflecting in order to participate and reply, students have to actively engage and utilize critical thinking skills.
• For students who are shy or quiet, or perhaps unfamiliar with the English language, discussion groups in class can be intimidating. Doing it online would have great appeal to students like these.
• Large-enrollment classes often suffer from a lack of student participation. Online discussion provides these classes with a medium through which many-layered conversations may take place more fluidly than in a lecture hall of 100 students.
• Ideally, online discussion would foster a sense of community among the students, and would lead to actual discussion inside and outside of the classroom.
• Online discussion allows students to do quick online research and readings while reflecting, and as such they might cite this research to back up their point. The at-your-own-pace response time gives students a better chance to think.

Cons

• The freedom and relative anonymity of the Internet makes some people think they can write whatever they want, without thinking, and can lead to misunderstandings, miscommunications, and online arguments. At worst, racist and sexist remarks and bullying can be fostered in cyberspace. Threads would likely require a moderator.
• Sitting in front of a computer screen, while hooked up to the Internet, allows for a whole world of distractions. It’s easy to surf away to a different site or game when you’re supposed to be reading and posting on an online discussion.
• Discussions can easily get off topic, and can lead to some discussions and issues that may not be appropriate.
• Posts can become redundant as multiple students chose obvious responses in order to meet a participation requirement and therefore stymie further, constructive discussion.
• Certain students may be prolific posters, and even on a platform designed to give everyone a voice, can come to dominate the discussion.
• Depending on the number of topics and students in a class, a huge number of posts or discussions may be generated and can be overwhelming.

Source

Best Practices for Online Discussions:

• Set Clear Expectations
• Encourage Critcal Thinking
• Limit Instructor Participation

Getting Started with Online Discussion

Tools

Blogs

7 Things You Should Know About Blogs A blog is a personal journal published on the web consisting of discrete entries (“posts”) typically displayed in reverse chronological order so the most recent post appears first. Blogs are usually written by one individual (though occasionally by a small group) and are often themed on a single subject.  Many blogs provide commentary and some function as diaries; both types typically combine words, images and links to other online information. An important part of a post is the ability for readers to leave a comment. Blogs can be used for online discussion as either instructors create posts and have students respond or students create and respond to posts.

Getting Started with Blogs:

• Vanderbilt: You can start your own site supported by Vanderbilt using Wordpress through the University's Digital Strategies Site.
• Bloggers: Any student or instructor can sign up for a free blog with a google account. To get started, go to Blogger's website or Google's How to use Blogger.
• Others: Additional blogging sites include WordPress and LiveJournal and many more.

Discussion Boards

A discussion board is one of the most common tools that hosts the space for online discussions. Discussion boards can hold multiple forums, which can be organized by topic. Discussion threads are conversations within discussion forums and begin with a leading question or prompt. Users can respond to the original prompt and can reply to other responses. Course management systems host online discussions. Source

Getting Started with Discussion Boards:

Vanderbilt's course management system is currently Brightspace. To create a discussion board in Brightspace for a class, consult Vanderbilt's guide How do I create discussion forums? 

Social Media

Most students in college nowadays have at least one social media account. Using social media to encourage online discussion takes advantage of the fact that students are familiar with using it and make be engaged if it is incorporated into the classroom. There are special considerations to take into account when using social media. For more information, see Social Media in the Classroom.

Getting Started with Social Media:

• Twitter: Twitter is a free, simple platform. Its character-limit may be a detractor, or an interesting aspect that requires students be concise and thoughtful in expressing their thoughts. Hashtags, retweets, hearts, and threads can all be ways to organize and interact on the platform. Students can use Twitter to post questions in-class or share their thoughts or other information with other students and the instructor.
• Instagram: Instagram is a photo-based platform, which is not particularly suited to online discussion. However, students posting pictures related to a class and then liking or commenting on each other's photos can spark conversation, and a class instragram page can be a site for students to respond to images instructors post.
• Others: Other forms of social media include Snapchat, Facebook, and more. Each has their own unique properties and can be incorporated into the classroom in different ways. Some may lend themselves to online discussion, and others may have better uses. Visit 6 Alternative Social Media Tools for Teaching and Learning for more.

Flipgrid

Flipgrid is a free platform for ongoing video conversations. Faculty can post a topic that each student responds to through video. Flipgrid is asynchronous and each response can be viewed at any time.

VoiceThread

VoiceThread is similar to Flipgrid, except the asynchronous video conversations are revolved around an image, video, or document.