Discussion forums serve as a way to build community in the online classroom.
Discussion forums function as a teaching tool because they can also serve as a way to challenge student thinking by asking more probing questions.
Discussion forums are used effectively when there are guidelines are clearly laid out and are in place. Some of the best practices for facilitating forums online include the following: responding to the first thread of all students, integrate multimedia in your responses such as audio or video links, providing additional resources for further study.