Memo to Bryan Vlok - 1

MEMO
To:

Bryan Vlok, ASBSU President

From:

Linda Rosenwinkel

Subject:

Proposal for Research to Implement a University-Sponsored Asynchronous

Discussion Board for Student Use

Date:

February 8, 2015

Purpose
The purpose of this memorandum is to request authorization and funding to continue research on
implementation of an asynchronous, university-sponsored online discussion tool for students.
Such research would be most valuable if taken directly from the university and other universities
who have implemented such a project.

Summary
[Summary Text Here]

Introduction to Opportunity
Each student is unique in their experiences, perceptions and ideas. The amount of information
each student has about what specific classes to choose, how to engage with certain instructors,
parking tips, ways to get involved and many other topics related to campus, is countless. Much
of this information is not adequately shared and methods to include non-traditional students are
minimal. If the university offered an online discussion forum to students, such information could
be shared in one application; simplifying the exchange of information between students.
George Mason University is a peer institution that BSU aspires to regarding their role and
mission. This university has an online message board for student use which provides boards for
consignment sales, staff connections, international study and housing. The site is found at a
university linked webpage and students must log into the website to see the message boards. (Off
Campus Housing Search) Other universities have determined that this tool is a necessary option
for students and Boise State should consider options for implementing one as well.
The University of Maine also has online discussion boards within the student intranet service.
These discussion boards are specifically meant for non-traditional students and require a student
login to access the content. (Maine) Boise State has a substantial amount of students that
commute to campus, have children to care for, work full-time or otherwise consider themselves
as non-traditional. The need for communication for these types of students is evident and should
be provided by the university.
An online discussion forum may be the best option way for student communication for the more
shy students on campus. Research conducted with 13 multi-ethnic, multilingual graduate

Memo to Bryan Vlok - 2

students showed that students who are otherwise shy and reticent in class felt more comfortable
engaging in an online discussion and viewed the OADs as virtual communities of practice for
language socialization. (Beckett, Amaro-Jimenez and Beckett) This positive correlation may be
seen for discussion board activity that is indirectly related to course work but further research is
necessary to provide more definitive evidence.
In an increasingly online environment, social media use is prevalent for college students. Boise
State students are using social media tools to communicate every day but not necessarily for
academic reasons. According to a 2011 ECAR study, 52 percent of students strongly agree
with statements about the benefits of technology in helping to access administrative resources
and information (such as class schedules and tuition payments) and 35 percent of students
strongly agree with statements about the benefits of technology in helping them connect with
people and information. (Dahlstrom, Boor and Grunwald)
Social media is emerging as a very powerful tool for online connection but it is not being used as
much as possible for educational purposes. One tool currently being used by Boise State
students to interact online about campus related topics is a popular cell phone application called
Yik Yak. This location-based application allows students to share ideas but the lack of structure
and anonymity of posts can lead to offensive digressions; the absence of authority from the
university has quickly allowed for these digressions that do not relate to campus in a productive
way. (Cacioppo, Johnson and Meikle)
Current social media and other interaction tools are insufficient for productive engagement of
students. If implemented, the level of university involvement in an online discussion board is an
important factor to consider for creating an active and productive environment where students
can communicate. However, university involvement means resources for moderation of content
and website hosting.
Each university has a unique technological culture and those that have implemented an online
discussion forum have different goals in mind for connecting students. Additional research
should be conducted to determine the actual need for an online discussion board at Boise State
University.

Proposed Tasks
Creating a university-sponsored, online asynchronous discussion board should not be done
without further research regarding the logistics of implementation as well as the advantages and
disadvantages of implementing. Upon approval for further research of these items, I will
complete the following tasks:
Task 1: Compile additional information about current online tools for student communication.
The initial step for primary research is to determine what social media and other online
interaction tools are being utilized and how is Boise State promoting them. This information will
be gathered by interviewing the current person or team that manages Boise States social tools
and determines what items to post to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Answers to the
following questions will be obtained:
What criteria are used to determine the content that is shared through social media?

Memo to Bryan Vlok - 3

Are posts that link to Boise State (via location sharing, hash-tagging or account tagging)
monitored? If so, to what extent and with what action?

This information will be used to determine what processes the university may already have in
place to manage a discussion forum. This interview will also be valuable in determining Boise
States vision as a social media presence to help shape the goals of a discussion forum.
Task 2: Conduct a survey of universities that have already implemented a discussion board.
A survey will be drafted and sent to the appropriate departments or person at universities and
colleges that have already implemented student discussion boards for their students. In addition
to George Mason University (Off Campus Housing Search), the University of Maine (Maine)
and Quinsigamond Community College were found to have functioning discussion boards
available. Answers to the following questions will be obtained:
How did the institution implement the discussion board?
What challenges did they face, if any?
At what rate do the students use the tool?
In addition to these metrics, they should be asked to provide the names of other institutions that
have implemented online discussion boards. It will be important to consult as many other
universities and colleges as possible to create the best sample of results.
Task 3: Conduct a survey of students to estimate utility and determine offerings.
This primary research is perhaps the most important data to collect to determine whether an
online discussion board would be well received and utilized. Questions in this survey should
capture attitudes as well as ideas and will include:
Would students use an asynchronous discussion board? Why or why not?
What sub-topics would students post and respond to?
This data should provide information on which boards would be most popular and how to format
the website. This should also give us a projection of the usability which can be compared to
other universities and colleges. The participants of the survey should be chosen randomly, if
possible.
Task 4: Analyze results of further research and surveys.
A comprehensive review of all the data collected will be done to determine overall results and
draw conclusions about the feasibility of an online discussion forum at Boise State.
Task 5: Prepare and submit report of recommendations.
Using the information gathered in the previous tasks, I will create and submit a full
recommendation report to discuss the feasibility of moving forward with implementation of a
university-sponsored, asynchronous discussion board. In this report, I will provide details of the
interview results and the survey methods for both the university survey and the student body
survey. The results of these surveys will also be detailed with conclusions and recommendations
to help you determine the next appropriate steps.
Schedule of Tasks:

Memo to Bryan Vlok - 4

The five tasks will be completed by a group of four students with each student performing one of
the first four tasks separately. All students will share the data they collect and collaborate in the
creation of a recommendation report. The project should proceed according to the following
schedule:
Task
Task 1: Additional Research
Task 2: University Survey
Task 3: Student Survey
Task 4: Analyze Data
Task 5: Prepare Report

Dates of Tasks

11

18
22
February

25

1
March

Qualifications
As an English writing major pursuing a Business Minor and a Technical Communication
certificate, I have conducted research for recommendation reports and completed several
research assignments for various classes. I will provide writing samples upon request.
In my professional experience as a manager for a medical billing office, I have conducted
research and provided recommendations to my superiors. Among these changes include
implementation of a flexible scheduling policy, securing funding for an on-site exercise facility
and adding additional staff in response to increased workload. I will provide additional
information about the work conducted and references upon request.
I am a non-traditional student who has been attending Boise State part-time for the last eight
years. My experience with the campus has allowed me to see potential opportunities and I am
excited to see what additional communication options may be available to students like me.

Budget
Work on this project will be done in addition to other class projects and time management is very
important for success. Because of this, I have determined the following work schedule by task
and estimate the payment at a rate of $10 per hour:
Task
1
2
3
4
5
Total:

Hours
8
8
8
8
10

$
$
$
$
$
$

Cost
80.00
80.00
80.00
80.00
100.00
420.00

Memo to Bryan Vlok - 5

References
Beckett, Gulbahar H., Carla Amaro-Jimenez and Kelvin S. Beckett. "Students' use of
asynchronous discussions for academic discourse socialization." Distance Education 31.3
(2010): 315-335.
Cacioppo, Tony, Eryn Johnson and Katie Meikle. "Boise State Yik Yak use on the rise." The
Arbiter 20 October 2014: 9-10. Newspaper.
Dahlstrom, Eden, et al. The ECAR National Study of Undergraduate Students and Information
Technology. Research. Boulder: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2011.
Document.
Maine, University of. Commuter & Non-Traditional Student Programs. n.d. 31 January 2015.
<http://umaine.edu/cntsp/discussions/>.
Off Campus Housing Search. 2015. 25 January 2015. <https://och.gmu.edu/message-board>.