Online discussion boards - friend or foe?

This paper summarises some of the important features of online discussion boards, and some reflections from my experience in their use as both a graduate student and a staff developer. As a student of the UNITEC Master of Computing programme for the past three years I have experienced the use of discussion boards by a variety of tutors, and have used these experiences to inform my practice as a staff developer in the use of Blackboard at UNITEC. This paper brings these ideas together in a form that will promote better understanding of how effective learning situations can be developed, delivered and assessed.