Further Evidence for Using Online Discussion Boards in the Classroom

Abstract

Recent research compared the use of case studies to online discussion boards to teach about anxiety disorders. The current study extends this research to mood disorders, reports pretest and posttest scores on four learning outcomes, and compares midterm exam scores from Fall 2016 and Fall 2017 when case studies and online discussion boards were used as supplementary learning material, respectively. The results indicate students in the discussion board condition (DBC) rated their learning outcomes significantly higher than students in the case study condition, and midterm exam scores were significantly higher for students who took part in the DBC as a learning exercise. These findings provide evidence that the usefulness of online discussion boards extends to other types of disorders and may even surpass the use of traditional case studies as a pedagogical tool when teaching about psychological disorders.