You can use discussion forums for a wide variety of purposes: as a place for students to tell something about themselves, as a substitute for a written assignment, as a way to encourage students to answer each other's questions or critique each other's ideas, as a venue for a guest speaker, or as a student lounge.

Because threaded discussion forums involve written communications between you and learners, or among members of a course, they can provide opportunities for group interaction and collaboration, chances to improve student writing skills, and the ability to archive class discussions for later reference.