Discussion board

A wiki page works both in publishing mode and discussion mode. While the publishing side of it is facing outwards into the Internet, the discussion side is inwards-only — available only to the editors and contributors. On the discussion page, contributors (i. e., students) discuss the content and the issues surrounding it. That way, wiki combines the collective power of discussion and the privacy of a dedicated forum that is supervised and target-oriented.

Learn more about Wiki discussion board capabilities:
Using Talk Pages on Wiki explains the basics of how to use the Wiki discussion capabilities on the mother platform Media wiki. Provided reference is applicable across all other platforms.
Using Discussion Boards and Wikis is a detailed step-by-step walkthrough on how to integrate a discussion board into a course.