Section Two: Discus

Description:

How often have most instructors wondered what their students were "really thinking" on some subject of importance? The Discus Bulletin Board System is a tool to allow you to find out, to see what makes your students "tick" and to get their opinions on any subject you wish to broach.

Discus is available for free at http://www.chem.hope.edu/discus. Installation is straightforward, but it does require some knowledge of Web CGI scripting (CGI = common gateway interface). Once installed, the "administrator" (usually the professor) can post questions concerning a variety of topics, and students can respond to the question. Students can post anonymously is they wish, allowing for safety if a topic is particularly susceptible to conflict.

I used Discus on my webpage for several years, and the results were phenomenal.


Methodology:

Discus is a free program that will add untold versatility to your classroom. The most difficult part of Discus is installing the program on your web server. Fortunately, the procedure is well documented at the Discus homepage (http://www.chem.hope.edu/discus), and as long as you are familiar with FTP, you will do fine. You will need to know the path to the executable CGI directory on your server. Often the directory is /cgi-bin, but you may need to check with someone before installation commences. On the Teleport system (http://www.teleport.com), the CGI directory to use for individual members is /htbin. Since this is what I used to install Discus, I will make references to Teleport often here. In addition, you will need to know the path to the Perl directory on your webserver (which is probably /usr/bin/perl), and you must be using Perl Version 5 or later (which you probably are already.) Perl is a programming language used by many CGI applications.

It should be noted that although Discus is a free program, it can be installed by the Discus company for a nominal charge. Information regarding this option can be obtained at the Discus website

Installing Discus:

1) Send your browser to http://www.discusware.com/discus
Select "download" from the list of options available.

2) Select your Web server. Most webservers are UNIX (such as Teleport).
Select "Install by FTP"
Select the Discus version (3.0.1 is the current version as of 12/99)
Push "Download!"

3) Enter the path to the perl directory (Teleport is /usr/bin/perl)
Download the FTP assistant (as a text file)
Push "Generate FTP Assistant" button - Save the file as Text (the text file is called ftpdiag.cgi)

4) Open an FTP server to your Internet account (i.e. Fetch or WS_FTP)
Open your CGI directory (on Teleport, this will be the /htbin directory, but on many systems the directory will be called /cgi-bin).

5) Upload ftpdiag.cgi to your CGI directory using ASCII file transfer
Set file permissions for ftpdiag.cgi to 0755 (rwxr_xr_x) using your FTP program

6) Go to your Web browser and call the ftpdiag.cgi program using a URL of the form: http://your.server.com/cgi-bin/ftpdiag.cgi (on Teleport, it would be http://www.teleport.com/~yourname/htbin/ftpdiag.cgi)

7) Check the information that it supplies; most of it will be accurate, but make corrections if necessary. Add a name for your forum, a "board contact person" (probably you, the administrator of Discus) and your email address. Then select "Submit Form". It may take a few minutes to add the software.

8) The URL for your Discus page will be http://your.server.name/discus or something similar depending on where you placed them in your directories.

Once Discus is active, select "Documentation" - "Getting Started" to learn about the features and capabilities of Discus. Discus is easy to use and straightforward - a truly excellent program.


Results:

I began using Discus in September of 1999 in my Chemistry 221 class at Mt. Hood Community College, and I have continued using it during the Winter Term of 2000 in my Chemistry 222 course. I have used Discus for two purposes: to see how my students feel about the course and to receive assessment on my progress in the class.

I have offered my students one extra credit point for every submission received by Discus. I generally set the topics, but some have been set by students. The responses to my queries have been fascinating and informative, ranging on principles of science to current social problems impacted by chemistry. I've also offered them the chance to critique my performance - could I have done this topic more efficiently, what made the most sense to you, etc. It's an excellent barometer for the mood of the class as a whole.

I have also offered a "Feedback and Suggestions" area which I have found most illuminating. Students can post anonymously if they wish, so their comments need not be directed back to them if adverse to my opinions. It has worked well.

Between 3% and 25% of my students participated in each weekly discussion. To foster additional participation, I plan on implementing some type of mandatory Discus assignment for each student by the Fall of 2000. If students had a small percentage of points dependant on their participation in the Discus bulletin board system, their interactions would increase with the system as their confidence as citizens of the Internet soars.


Return to the Table of Contents for "Beyond the Internet Syllabus".
Return to the TLC Proposal Homepage.

Questions about this material should be addressed to the author,
Dr. Michael A. Russell,
Professor of Chemistry at
Mt. Hood Community College
Gresham, Oregon

Last Updated on January 21, 2000