The limitations of traditional online discussion boards are well-known. Yellowdig is an alternative that I have used to simplify grading, encourage student-driven conversations, and engage students so that they consistently participate throughout the semester. With familiar, social media-like features, Yellowdig is an LMS-integrated discussion tool with an instructor configurable point system that automatically passes a participation grade to the gradebook, and offers the ability to search, filter, and tag content, and create groups and topics.
