Examining the Benefits and Challenges of Using Discord in Online Higher Education Classrooms

Building community and connection in online courses can be challenging. Discord, a mobile and desktop app popular with gamers, is explicitly designed to stimulate discussion, conversations and community. This paper explored student perceptions of the benefits and challenges of using Discord in two upper-year, undergraduate, online social science courses (n = 45). Key benefits of using Discord included connecting to students or the professor, building community, disseminating course information, increasing engagement, and establishing a casual, informal learning environment. Challenges were reported less often than benefits and included wanting a tutorial to use Discord, needing to check for notifications, and occasional technical issues. Students suggested that a more structured use of Discord might further benefit their learning.