Yellowdig: Turning Isolation into Community in Asynchronous Classes

Anyone who has taught an asynchronous course knows the struggle. You record your lectures, upload assignments, and set up the discussion board. And yet, somehow, it feels like you’re throwing your best efforts into a void. Students sit alone, isolated from one another, and the traditional LMS discussion board, stiff and formal, doesn’t help. It’s enough to make anyone long for the hum of a live classroom.

Enter Yellowdig, a platform that doesn’t just offer another place for students to post; it creates a space that feels alive, where students engage with each other naturally. It’s social learning at its best — like Facebook, but with a purpose beyond cute cat videos and vacation photos. In my asynchronous courses, Yellowdig has become essential, not only for fostering community but also for getting students to interact in meaningful ways.

How Yellowdig Works in My Classroom

Let’s be honest: The traditional LMS discussion board often leaves much to be desired. It’s dry, it’s flat, and frankly, students rarely feel inspired to engage. Yellowdig, though, changes that dynamic completely. It’s built like a social media platform, with a stream of posts that students can “like,” comment on, and tag. The familiar interface makes students feel at ease, and before long, they’re sharing questions, resources, and ideas with the kind of enthusiasm you’d expect in a classroom full of excited learners.

In my course, I make Yellowdig worth 5% of their grade. It’s not about the points, though — students don’t need much of an incentive once they start. Each post needs a tag, so it’s easy for students to find what they’re looking for, whether it’s help with an assignment or an interesting article about that week’s topic. I pin important posts, like a day-to-day plan to keep students on track, and I showcase standout contributions, especially when students share their notes.

What I Didn’t Expect: The Magic of Shared Notes

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. What I didn’t anticipate was how much students would start sharing their notes. In a face-to-face class, sure, students jot down notes, compare, and check with each other to see if they missed anything. But in an online class? It’s easy to forget that note-taking even exists. Yellowdig, though, became this unexpected space for students to share notes with each other. They started posting pictures of handwritten notes, links to Google Docs, and even tips on different methods — like the Cornell note-taking system or color coding for key ideas.

One student posted about how they’d learned to convert handwritten notes into digital, searchable files. Another shared how they would watch the video lecture once without taking notes and then again while jotting everything down. It wasn’t just about sharing knowledge; it was about learning how to learn. And all of this was happening in a space that felt like a real, living classroom. One student remarked, “Using Yellowdig made me feel less isolated and like I had others to reach out to for help when I needed it. It really felt like a supportive classroom community.”

Why It Works

Yellowdig works because it feels like social media. But instead of passive scrolling, students are actively engaged with the content — and each other. It fosters collaboration and makes students accountable, not just to me, but to their peers. And that, I think, is the key. When students realize their classmates are taking diligent notes and sharing study tips, they start to hold themselves to a higher standard. They realize they can’t just sit back and watch the lectures passively; they need to participate, contribute, and — most importantly — learn.

The beauty of Yellowdig is that it doesn’t just combat the isolation of asynchronous learning. It creates a space where students want to show up, share, and help each other. That’s what teaching should be, after all. It should not just be a transfer of information, but the building of a community where students support each other and grow together.

Interested in learning more about Yellowdig? Discover the Community of InQuiry framework that is based upon and register for workshops!