It wouldn't really be more resource intensive to throw up a discussion board for each section and make it mandatory for students to participate (which I think would improve most of the courses greatly), but it would require a different kind of work for the teacher - it would require being less evaluative and more engaged, and require thinking about the curriculum in a different way
Actually, I've done it-- throwing up a discussion board does nothing unless it's monitored by the teacher. Nobody will use it unless it's graded, and then if it's graded, the teacher is reading and commenting on, and keeping on track something the size of War and Peace (but more fragmented) weekly.
There are ways to do this well, but many more ways to do it poorly.
DeeDee
