Establishment of an Engaged and Active Learning Community in the Biology Classroom and Lab with Discord.

Discord is an instant messaging platform that facilitates voice and video calls and media exchanges. Although Discord was initially developed for video gaming, it is currently used by other communities where voice chatting is frequent. Here, Discord is described as a useful tool in the science classroom. We implemented Discord in several biology labs and classes and gained experience using it as a professor (AW) and as both a teaching assistant and a student (SS). In this Discord-enhanced learning space, students seemed to be more engaged with the subject material, their peers, and their instructors in comparison with a more traditional physical classroom and an entirely online classroom. In addition, real-time communication was augmented in a physical lab or classroom by Discord's interconnectivity. Discord facilitated real-time peer and instructor discussion and provided opportunities for group interaction outside conventional science teaching spaces. These increased connections also extended to the lab setting, both in and out of scheduled class time, providing a space to build community within and between groups and between students and instructors. Introducing Discord to a physical classroom or using it for an online class provided us with opportunities for a more engaged and active student, and they found it may lead to greater productivity and learning.