Hello As I mentioned earlier in my response that as an instructor it is easy for the facilitator to take a backseat or misunderstand the importance of instructor involvement when it comes to the discussion boards. I made that mistake in my early years of teaching online. I mistakenly assumed that the discussion board was solely for student interaction and that I really had no place interfering or getting involved. What I found was that my students were adopting the same the same philosophy and were posting weak or short comments and only reaching the minimum requirements each week. Since that rough start I have found that the greater the presence of the instructor in the discussion area each week the more participation I get from the students (well a good percentage at least). I have made it a rule that I will post a minimum of 8 to 10 postings a week. This includes my own personal thoughts on the subject matter as well as my own responses to student comments. I now find that some students will also reach that number as well and I find a great number respond to my comments as well. It’s really easy when you think about it. Every morning after coffee (it has to be after coffee) I go to my computer and post a comment and one or two responses and I am finished. The students interpret this as a huge effort on my behalf. Bill Becker