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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
Yellowdig
Tuning Topics

Are you ready to create topic tags for a Yellowdig Community and don’t know where to start? Start by answering these questions. What do I want my learners to have conversations about in the Yellowdig Community? How do I make sure they are having conversations about course relevant topics without giving a prompt? First start […]
AI
The AI horse is out of the barn: How we approach it now will determine whether it hurts us.

Generative AI systems like ChatGPT, recently made available by OpenAI, are a fascinating use of emerging technology that has captured the world’s attention. Search instances for “AI” peaked at an all-time high in December 2022 as a direct result of conversations about that system (trends.google.com). It’s not just the “tech nerds” that know about this […]
Yellowdig
Cultivating a Faculty Community within Yellowdig

Why Yellowdig? At the University of Central Florida (UCF), our division supports faculty and students by leveraging technology, practices, and innovation in online learning. In alignment with UCF’s 2027 strategic plan, we strive to investigate and pilot new technologies with our faculty and students. While searching for a way to improve online student engagement through […]
Student Success
How to Increase Student Success and Unlock the Door to Purposeful Lifelong Learning

The assessment of prior experiential learning began to go mainstream in the early 1970’s with the creation of CAEL, led by Dr. Morris Keeton. Today, after more than 50 years of collecting information and conducting research on the assessment of prior learning, we know that experiential learning, as well as other learning done outside of academic circles, […]
Student Success
What We Can Do About Community College Enrollment Declines

Quick facts: 11.8% drop in enrollment for public-two year institutions during the pandemic 53% of students are not ready for undergraduate studies after high school 70% of California students fail to graduate or transfer to a four-year college Community colleges have been facing enrollment problems since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic which has only […]
Student Success, Yellowdig
Yellowdig Community Interaction Strategies

Make sure Yellowdig is not a side-show First and foremost, Yellowdig is designed to be an organic and connected learning community which is used as part of a course in tandem with synchronous sessions (if any) and the LMS. It is not meant to be an isolated part of a course and learners should not […]
Product Updates
What's New in Yellowdig Engage This Fall?

As the semester starts to kick off, that means it’s time to dust off the cobwebs and get back into your Yellowdig Communities! If this is your first time back since the spring or even the fall of last year, you will definitely notice a few changes. Below we highlight some of the most notable […]
News
How Education 3.0 Rethinks the Learning Experience

Everyone at the university level felt the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic — from faculty burnout, enrollment dropping, and the sudden chaos of figuring out how to scale online programs to an entire student body with little warning. As students return to in-person classes, the holes in learning models revealed by the pandemic are now […]
News
Education 3.0: Connecting the Learning Experience

In August 2020, I wrote the blog “Is BigTech About to Take Over Higher Education?”. At that time we were in the beginning phases of the COVID pandemic, and the importance of technology in education was becoming more evident as the entire world had moved from in-person to online learning. Since then we have been […]
Instructor Stories
3 Strategies for Instructors to Reduce Grading Time

The education environment constantly changes as learners develop and as we usher in new generations of learners. But with so much constant change, grading remained a stagnant variable in its nature. Despite much rethinking, trials, and tribulations with the grading system, why has it remained unchanged? Traditional grading is easy, convenient, and the norm, so […]
A Student Perspective
Why Most Students Prefer Holistic Learning: Perspectives from Today's Learners

What is Holistic Learning? An unfortunate fault in some modern pedagogy is the disregard for the wants and needs of today’s learners. A proper learning environment should center around both learner and instructor, with both parties working in tandem to create a harmonious experience. One solution is a holistic learning approach, or a “comprehensive approach […]
Yellowdig
6 Ways to Use Online Learning Communities to Improve the Academic Experience

Interactions between students and instructors are an important part of any class. Yellowdig allows for flexible student engagement while growing a community with improved learning outcomes. Traditional discussion boards and other constrained social assignments don’t have the same level of expression, creativity, or active conversation. We have been listening to the feedback from our Instructors […]
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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