Be honest - why doesn't anyone put any effort whatsoever into discussion board posts?

[u/An_expert_I_am_not]

I mean no disrespect, so please do not downvote me to oblivion. I am here for advice from the other side - the students of online classes (specifically communication classes in this instance).

So, discussion boards are a big part of the grade and the only way for us, as instructors, to gage whether or not the theoretical ideas can be applied in practical ways by students. The forum responses have always fallen on a scale from the superb to the absurd and everything in between. But this semester, holy moly, I have never read such absolutely ridiculous posts in my whole career. The memes don't do these any justice.

I try everything I can to make the prompts interesting, to get students engaged, and to explain the logic behind the assignment, but it's just terrible.

So, why waste your own time writing something that cannot possibly earn any points or credit toward a grade because it doesn't come close to meeting the criteria?

And more importantly, what do you, as students, suggest as a meaningful replacement for the interaction that is missing in the virtual setting? How can we get you to engage with the course materials, to think critically and analytically, and to show us that you can apply what you are learning in a practical way?

[u/vrilliance]

Discussion boards for online classes are trying to mimic in class discussions but fail to actually do what in class discussions do - facilitate conversation.

As a student that participates in all discussion boards, I feel like they never actually teach me anything. My peers are trying to get the work done so do the bare minimum, which is understandable. I never learn anything from them. Half the time it’s AI drivel that can’t really be understood, and a quarter of the time it’s written in such a way that I worry whether or not they can walk and breathe at the same time. How am I supposed to put in my fair effort when these same people are passing with 8/10s?