Discussion Boards are one of the ways that you are able to interact with your instructor and the other students in your class. You can access the Discussion section of the course shell by clicking on Discussions in the Navigation Bar or using links provided to you in the Content area. Using this tool, you can provide feedback on topics your instructor or fellow classmates post. There are also usually "forums" where you can post your own questions about course concepts. Often one of the first activities you will need to do in an online course is to go to Discussions and introduce yourself to the class. This activity is often used by instructors to verify attendance in the course so it is important that you do this as soon as the class begins.
When using Discussion Boards, make sure to use good grammar and complete sentences (no textlish) and be aware of any instructions that the instructor may have included for the posts such as a minimum word count.