Required Discussion Web Pages in Psychology Courses and Student Outcomes

We conducted 2 studies that investigated student outcomes when using discussion Web pages in psychology classes. In Study 1, we assigned 213 students enrolled in Introduction to Psychology courses to either a mandatory or an optional Web page discussion condition. Students used the discussion Web page significantly more often and performed significantly better in the class when it was a required course activity compared to when participation was optional. In Study 2, we required 211 additional students enrolled in multiple introductory and upper level psychology courses to contribute to Web page discussions. We found positive relations between Web discussion frequency, average word count, total word count, and total course points earned. Instructors may consider implementing required Web discussion pages in their classes to enhance learning. (Contains 2 tables and 2 notes.)