Yellowdig

Foster collaborative, active, and experiential learning.

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Overview

Yellowdig is an online discussion and community-building platform designed to increase student engagement. It replaces traditional, rigid discussion forums with a more organic, social media-style feed where students can share articles, videos, and ideas related to the course. A key feature is its automated points system, which incentivizes students to participate regularly by commenting, reacting, and posting relevant content, fostering a more active and connected learning community.

✨ Key Features

  • Social media-style feed for discussions
  • Automated point system to incentivize participation
  • Gamification elements (leaderboards, accolades)
  • Instructor tools for monitoring and guidance
  • Seamless LMS integration
  • Direct messaging and group functionality

🎯 Key Differentiators

  • Focus on community building over formal assessment
  • Gamified point system that encourages consistent, organic interaction
  • Social media-like interface that is familiar to students

Unique Value: Transforms passive online classes into active learning communities by intrinsically motivating students to connect and collaborate.

🎯 Use Cases (5)

Building learning communities Replacing traditional discussion forums Encouraging informal, student-led interaction Facilitating peer-to-peer learning Connecting students in large online courses

✅ Best For

  • Creating a vibrant backchannel for a course where students share relevant news articles and resources
  • Automating participation grades based on consistent, quality engagement throughout the semester
  • Building a sense of community in fully online or hybrid programs

💡 Check With Vendor

Verify these considerations match your specific requirements:

  • Structured, prompt-and-response assignments (Packback is better)
  • High-stakes, rubric-based assessment
  • Formal writing practice

🏆 Alternatives

Packback Canvas Discussions Microsoft Teams for Education

More focused on community and gamification than Packback, which is geared towards academic writing. Far more engaging and automated than basic LMS discussion boards.

💻 Platforms

Web

🔌 Integrations

Canvas Blackboard Moodle D2L Brightspace Schoology

🛟 Support Options

  • ✓ Email Support
  • ✓ Live Chat
  • ✓ Dedicated Support (Institutional License tier)

🔒 Compliance & Security

✓ SOC 2 ✓ GDPR ✓ SSO ✓ FERPA ✓ WCAG 2.1 AA

💰 Pricing

Contact for pricing

✓ 14-day free trial

Visit Yellowdig Website →