Actually all my discussion topics are anonymous except ones where I have to see who is posting what like the self introduction topic.
An anonymous feedback or suggestion topic is one way to get input that you otherwise could not get. Some have told me that they don't want to see feedback from someone who is afraid to post their name along with their comment. But students have many reasons for remaining silent if they know that what they say can be identified with them.
Have you never been in a situation where you would like to say something but don't?
I am grateful for any feedback I get. Even though most of my discussion topics are anonymous, several students don't mind sharing and signing their posts.
During the semester I will ask questions in the suggestion topic like what would be a better way to form groups than the way I did and often I get valuable ideas on how to improve the course that I am not smart enough to think of.
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I agree with this suggestion wholeheartedly, John. In addition, I will sometimes use SurveyMonkey to get anonymous feedback that way (with the link to the survey in the course room to make it easy to access). As you say, we cannot possibly know how the students will react to our teaching methods - they often educate me!
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