Login
Book a Free Demo

Blog

News

Blog Posts

Fresh perspectives, proven strategies, and stories from real Yellowdig classrooms.
Featured
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
Instructor Stories
Teaching a Women’s History Course — Thoughts about Yellowdig From a Professor on the Deaf Spectrum

Speakers: Gayle Fischer and Bob Ertischek Building a community for students to learn and listen to each other is an effective approach to teaching. Gayle Fischer, history professor at Salem State University, sat down with Yellowdig in April 2021 to talk about how she uses our virtual classroom platform for her Women’s History Class. Prior […]
A Student Perspective, Yellowdig
In-Person vs. Online Learning — Can They Compare?

Online vs. In-Person Class for Learning — What is Best? Many may believe with the changes in the way students are being taught that there is one medium of teaching that is better than the other. As technology has developed, we’ve been able to connect with people all over the world through apps like WhatsApp, […]
Product Updates
New Update: Anonymous Posting, Feed Redesign, Search Improvements, and More!

For those who couldn’t find a way to get the summer off to spend more time cooling off in a pool, we’re hoping this makes your summer in the classroom feel a bit cooler! We plan to start releasing this set of changes on May 3rd, after which you will start noticing the changes in […]
Co-Curricular Uses, Instructor Stories, Student Success
Driving Virtual Participation in a Career Exploration Program

Yellowdig had the honor of hosting a guest webinar with DePaul University, a school that has been integrating Yellowdig’s services for “Future Forward” program. We had notable key speakers from our team and DePaul’s team to talk about the ways Yellowdig is used. What is the Future Forward Career Education Program? It is a co-curricular […]
Guest Feature
5 Questions for MIT's Vice President for Open Learning, Sanjay Sarma

Sanjay Sarma is the Vice President for Open Learning at MIT, and the co-author of Grasp: The Science Transforming How We Learn. Along with Luke Yoquinto. Their book is a fantastic resource for teachers, professors looking for cutting-edge learning research, and parents evaluating educational opportunities. “Grasp takes readers across multiple frontiers, from fundamental neuroscience to […]
Instructor Stories
Spring Clean Your Classroom: Clear Out These 8 Myths About Online Communities

Talking to instructors who are new to Yellowdig, we often find there are a number of misconceptions around student participation and the role of the instructor. We have compiled a list of 8 myths and debunked them with the reality we have seen across our company partners below! Myth #1 – Students need prompts to […]
Product Updates
The New Horizon of Opportunity with Yellowdig’s Group Update

Before: When groups were enabled, you could only work in groups. When they were public, students in other groups could interact with your posts, but all original posts had to go to a group. Now: So many more options to configure your Community! In addition to the system being configurable as it always has been, […]
Co-Curricular Uses, Product Updates
Yellowdig's Freeform Points: Breaking Free to Enable Co-Curricular Activities

Although Yellowdig is mostly used to build community and engagement in the classroom setting, we have seen a number of uses that were fantastic outside of the classroom. Student clubs, alumni groups, courses with rolling enrollment, and special events are just as critical to the complete student experience as typical courses. This is why we […]
Product Updates, Yellowdig
Yellowdig's New and Improved Instructor Certification Course

At Yellowdig, we don’t claim for our technology to be magic. The real magic happens when you combine our technology with our data-backed pedagogical approach. We are an education company first, and we believe in the power of humans to power learning, with the enablement of thoughtfully designed technology. Our Instructor Certification Course is designed […]
Yellowdig
The Topic is Topics

In my face-to-face classes, I’d look around the classroom and try to intuit whether or not my students “got” what I was talking about by asking pointed questions, listening to the responses of the one or two students I had time to call on, and then looking for glimmers of recognition in the eyes of […]
A Student Perspective, Student Success, Yellowdig
Yellowdig Student and Instructor Fall 2020 Survey Results

At the end of the Fall 2020 semester we asked Yellowdig instructors to share a survey with their students, as well as fill one out for themselves. These analyses are based on over 200 student responses and 30 instructor responses. 88.9% of students were completely remote, 10.5% were hybrid, and less than 1% were in-person. […]
A Student Perspective, STEM
A Student Perspective of Yellowdig

At the center of Yellowdig is community and at the center of community are the learners. We value the experience and insights from students very highly, which is why we have put a lot of effort into making sure their voices are heard. Recently in our student panel webinar, we had the opportunity to hear […]
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.

See Yellowdig in Action Today

Experience how effortless engagement and real community can transform your classroom or campus. Book your personalized walkthrough—no pressure, just real results.

Get Your Free Demo