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Fresh perspectives, proven strategies, and stories from real Yellowdig classrooms.
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When Vulnerability Leads to Engagement : A Yellowdig Story

Dr Heather Young University of Florida   Challenge: In large online courses, students often feel like just a “face on a screen” or a number. Traditional discussion boards often result in “compliance” posts, posting once and replying twice just to check a box,which lack originality and real connection. The human moment Dr. Young shared a […]
Burnout Isn’t Just Workload… It’s Emotional Load : A Yellowdig Story

LaToya Devezin Penn West University Challenge: Faculty burnout is no longer just about time. It’s the pressure of large classes, constant grading, and trying to support every student—often all at once. The human moment LaToya described what burnout actually feels like behind the scenes. It’s not just the volume of work; it’s the expectation to […]
Why Discussions Don’t Feel Like Conversations : A Yellowdig Story

Jill AndersonNC State University   Challenge: Online course discussions lack real conversation. Students participate out of obligation, and faculty must grade every interaction. Engagement becomes routine, not meaningful. The human moment Jill described a frustration many instructors recognize immediately. Discussion boards, meant for interaction, often fail. Instead of real dialogue, students simply complete assignments. As […]
Latest at Yellowdig
Student Success
How to Build an Online Community that Rocks!

The Basics of Creating Community in a Virtual Cassroom: There are many free and paid technology options for starting an online community. While choosing software, it is important to consider: 1) ease of use rather than just a feature checklist, 2) access to data, and 3) compliance with the regulations and standards of your industry.  We […]
Yellowdig
Maintaining Learning Communities Amid Coronavirus Concerns

Yellowdig helps connect students, teachers and administrators so that learning can happen anytime and from anywhere. Our #1 goal has always been to make sure every online student has the network needed to excel in their program and graduate. We purposefully built our platform to support fully asynchronous learning. We are making Yellowdig Engage available […]
Product Updates
Yellowdig Engage Product Update 3/4

Features: Posts can now be copied via permalink Discoverable boards are now searchable Not authorized page appears when an issue is preventing users from accessing part of the platform Performance Improvements: Scalability improvements in notification pipeline for large enrollment communities Improved page load performance Upgraded software versions Bug Fixes: Fixed performance issues on /user/notifications page […]
Student Success
The Textbook’s Crumbling Monopoly

But that is no longer the case today. The textbook’s monopoly on knowledge is crumbling (if it hasn’t already). Scan any university campus or peek in on any dorm room and you will see fewer books. Why? Well aside from the astronomically inflated cost of textbooks at campus bookstores, the model in which students acquire […]
Product Updates
Yellowdig Engage Product Update 2/19

Features: Password complexity checking. This strengthens the security of users’ accounts. Post reply-to threading UI. This distinguishes replies to comments from replies to posts, making it easier to read and track long conversations. Avatar hover card. This allows users to follow and directly message each other by hovering over their picture in the feed. Interactive […]
Yellowdig
Want a Yellowdig Community that doesn’t suck? Follow our best practices.

In 2020, we created a composite Community Health metric that captures four key dimensions of student engagement and achievement. Along the way, we confirmed something we already knew: instructors who use many of our best practices have Communities that perform significantly better than instructors who use fewer. Over the past 3 years, we’ve continued to […]
Latest at Yellowdig
Yellowdig
It Went Off Track… Then Got Better : A Yellowdig Story

John BellottiUniversity of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Challenge: In asynchronous courses, students often feel isolated. Discussion boards are structured. Interactions are required. But a real connection? Rare. The human moment John shared a moment from an online accounting course that changed how he viewed engagement. The conversation started normally and stayed focused on the topic. Then it drifted. […]
Yellowdig
What 870 [randomly selected] online communities tell us about belonging — and how to improve it

I was in a conversation with one of our partners, a senior administrator responsible for institutional effectiveness. There is significant focus on retention, and as a result, on student belonging. They are doing an amazing job, but even a 1% lift is sizable—both for student success and the financial bottom line. What got me thinking […]
News, Yellowdig
The Coverage Gap: The Most Important Metric in Online Education Few are Talking About

There’s a number I’ve been obsessing over lately. It’s called Community Coverage. And it’s deceptively simple. It measures the average percentage of their classmates that each student actually interacts with — through posts, comments, mentions, or reactions. Not who enrolled. Not who logged in. How much of the community each student is actually touching. Think […]
Yellowdig
If Students Have Something to Say, Let Them Talk : A Yellowdig Story

Dr. Scott StandiferSouthern California University of Health Sciences   Challenge: Traditional discussion boards feel structured and predictable. Students complete prompts, but rarely explore ideas beyond them. The human moment “This is how I kind of envision a discussion board, as a sort of stair step of knowledge. At the end of the course, we end […]
Yellowdig
When Students Turn to Each Other First : A Yellowdig Story

Dr. Kevin Carr University of Michigan   Challenge: Students defaulted to instructor answers or external tools instead of learning through each other. The human moment “They can ask their peers, and they get a much better and more interesting response, and they’re more part of a community through that.” — Kevin Carr Dr. Carr teaches […]
Yellowdig
Announcing Yellowdig's Guaranteed Retention Outcome

Higher education is facing a structural challenge.   Enrollment pressure is real.   Student acquisition costs are rising.   And too many capable students quietly disengage before we see it coming.   The data is clear: academic performance alone does not predict persistence. Connection does.   Belonging is no longer a “student life” concept. It […]
Instructor Stories
When Students Choose the Space : A Yellowdig Story

Dr. Mark HowellNorthwestern Michigan College Challenge: Students treated the LMS as a checklist, discussion boards felt transactional, and engagement was shallow. The human moment “They will go to Yellowdig before they go to Canvas.” — Mark Howell. When Dr. Mark realized students were choosing Yellowdig on their own, he changed his behavior, too. “I upload […]
Instructor Stories
Making Space for Quiet Voices : A Yellowdig Story

Dr. Jane Smith University of Florida   Challenge: The same few voices dominated the discussion, while many thoughtful students remained invisible, especially online The human moment “It really gives them a place to speak up and share their experience—to feel like they’re more than just a student.” – Jane Smith. Dr. Jane teaches students who […]
Yellowdig
3 Tips for Training Faculty on Yellowdig

In my last blog, I shared some great tips for instructors, but for my trainers out there, don’t worry, I didn’t forget about you. As a trainer, it is our job to provide the tools and resources needed so faculty feel confident and capable as instructors. As a Faculty Success Manager, I have been training […]
AI, News
What a Year of Student Learning Data Reveals About Education in the Age of AI

Shaunak Roy CEO & Founder Yellowdig Every wave of educational technology arrives with the same fear: “Will this finally make students passive?” AI has amplified that concern. When answers are instant and content is abundant, what’s left for learners to actually do? At Yellowdig , we’ve had the privilege of observing a different layer of […]
News
Yellowdig Acquires GetSet Learning to Expand Full Lifecycle Learner Engagement

Bringing GetSet’s early-journey expertise into Yellowdig to boost enrollment, retention, and alumni connection across the lifecycle. PHILADELPHIA —  Philadelphia, PA – [Sept 25, 2025] – Yellowdig, a leader in active learning and social engagement platforms, announced today the acquisition of GetSet Learning, a pioneering student enrollment and retention company. This strategic move underscores Yellowdig’s deepening commitment to […]
Instructor Stories, News, Student Success, Yellowdig
Transforming Online Education Through Enhanced Student Engagement with Yellowdig
Discover how Yellowdig boosted student engagement in online language courses through community-building, creativity, and student-led discussion.

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