TiLTing the Discussion Board: Rethinking the Purpose of Online Discussion in an Online GE Writing Course

In 2021, I completed an instructional redesign of an online section of a general education (GE) course titled “Criticizing Television.” The redesign focused on utilizing Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TiLT) to create more meaningful engagement and deeper learning opportunities through discussion boards. Using the action research cycle of look, think, and act, this paper documents the redesign process and analyzes the Instructional Redesign assessment data to explore evidence-based practices for supporting meaningful inquiry and student engagement in online undergraduate general education course using TiLT. Strategies to support meaningful inquiry among students engaged in asynchronous online discussions using TiLT are offered.