Using Discussion Boards to Enhance Communication in the Construction Classroom

 Introduction

 Over the last decade, information technology (IT) advances have brought enormous changes to the way people work and interact with one another on both a personal and business level.  Institutes of higher education have had to face the challenges of incorporating theses changes as they seek to carry out their missions in the digital age.  Today, the use of technology as a tool in education is now accepted (Carp, 2002).  IT uses in the classroom include a wide range of applications including projecting lecture topics and keywords using presentation software such as Microsoft PowerPoint, having students research material from the Internet or online library catalogs, using email to communicate between faculty and students, and using discussion boards as a forum to exchange ideas.  This paper focuses on use of discussion boards to facilitate communication in the classroom for a course in computerized estimating (CSM 353 – Construction Estimating II) offered at Clemson University.

Discussion Boards

Discussion boards have been used in a wide variety of ways throughout the Internet community.  For example, people interested in music can post messages concerning the latest release of an artist or can even ask questions of the other users of the discussion board.  Another example of the general application of discussion boards are the ones created and maintained by nearly every major computer vendor.  Buyers of a particular product can post information about their experiences with that product for others to read.  Most major construction software companies also maintain discussion board applications as a communication tool for users to collaborate with each other to solve problems, offer suggested implementation strategies, provide tips and shortcuts, etc.

In education, there are a number of commercial applications currently available, including WebCT and BlackBoard, which contain a discussion board tool used to exchange messages or express opinions about the class material.  At Clemson University, the Division of Computing and Information Technology (DCIT) created the Collaborative Learning Environment (CLE) Group to develop Internet-based applications for use by university faculty and students.  The result of their efforts is the creation of MyCLE, an application for use as a portal to university computing resources (MyCLE, 2002).  The latest version of MyCLE includes the following tools:

·         Syllabus

·         GradeBook

·         Calendar

·         Discussion Board

·         Chat Room

·         Email

·         Testing/Assessment

·         Teams

·         MyFiles

·         Public Web Site

The MyCLE Discussion Board tool allows all students enrolled in the course to view and post messages to the topics created and maintained by the instructor.  Even students who do not post messages, but take the time to read through ones already posted can benefit by reading the responses.

MyCLE Discussion Board

Key features of the MyCLE Discussion Board tool are as follows:

·         The ability to maintain several topics while accessing one discussion board

·         A search capability on all posts in the discussion board

·         The ability to attach files to messages

·         The ability to format messages, include URL addresses, and attach email messages

The figure below is a screenshot of MyCLE’s Discussion Board feature showing the two currently active topics for CSM 353 – Construction Estimating II.

Under the Admin Options button are administrative control options for the following:

·         Maintaining forum descriptions

·         Maintaining topic titles and descriptions

·         Making topics read only

·         Editing and deleting topics

·         Downloading forums and topics

·         Setting user’s ability to add topics

·         Setting user’s ability to attach files to messages

·         Setting the maximum size of message attachments

Special capabilities available only to the instructor include analysis of student participation by topic and by forum.  The analysis includes a listing of the number of messages posted by each student and the last time the student visited the topic.

Using MyCLE’s Discussion Board Tool in CSM 353 – Construction Estimating II

The first class period of the Spring 2002 semester, 34 students in CSM 353 ­­– Construction Estimating II sections 1 & 2 were assigned a project to develop an Excel spreadsheet to perform the calculations necessary to price a construction cost estimate.  In addition, the students were required to post any questions concerning the project under the topic title “Project #1” in MyCLE’s Discussion Board.  One week later, after the projects were collected, the students completed a short survey concerning the use of the discussion board.

When asked to rate, on a scale of 1 (not helpful) to 5 (very helpful), the use of the MyCLE Discussion Board, the 34 students gave an average rating of 4.0, indicating that the Discussion Board was helpful in completing the project.

As shown in the pie chart below, 82 percent responded that they had never used a discussion board in a class before.

Ninety-seven percent of the students responded that they would want to use a discussion board in the future.

When asked to rate the amount of effort they put into using the MyCLE Discussion Board, the average rating was 3.4 on a scale of 1 (did not use much) to 5 (used a great deal).  The result indicates that the students did use the discussion board but did not spend an inordinate amount of the time using the feature.

Students were asked to list one advantage and one disadvantage of using the MyCLE Discussion Board.  The most common advantage cited was the ability to get a quick response to questions, even during off hours.  The most common disadvantage was problems in connecting to the MyCLE portal.

Lastly, the students were asked how they accessed MyCLE and the percentage of time they spent at each location.  The results are split between accessing MyCLE from on-campus computer labs and off-campus (such as home or computers connected to the Internet) sites. The results are shown in the graph below.

The use of MyCLE did not end after this survey was completed, but continued throughout the semester.  Due to building renovations begun with five weeks remaining in the semester, the instructor was required to move out of his office in Lee Hall.  This proved to be a motivating factor in encouraging students to use the discussion board for questions they had concerning the other assigned projects in the course.  Once students became accustomed to checking the board every time they were on an Internet-connected computer, the discussion board took on a life of its own, with much less attention needed by the instructor.  Students began to answer each others’ questions without the instructor needing to respond.  The MyCLE Discussion Board tool proved to be a valuable teaching tool that it ensured that all student questions regarding an assignment were answered and that all students received the same response from the instructor.

MyCLE’s Discussion Board also offers additional benefits for the instructor, such as the ability to download a transcript of all entries made to the discussion board and an activity analysis of the number of messages each user has posted.  Appendix A contains a transcript of the “Project 1” topic, and the figure below shows a screenshot of the activity analysis.

Conclusions

Discussion boards have the potential for promoting communication among the users whether the users actively post messages and responses to the board or not.  Just by reading previous postings, the students can gain valuable knowledge.  One of the lessons learned is that having a tool that is easy to access and maintain is critical to the success of the board.  Also, until this method is more widely adopted by others it requires a considerable amount of time on the part of the instructor to respond and encourage responses to the board.

References

References

Charp, S. (2002, April). Editorial: Educators’ Acceptance of Computer Technology.  T.H.E. Journal, 29 (9), 10-12.

MyCLE (2002). MyCLE Welcome [WWW Document]. URL http://dprod8.clemson.edu/troubleshoot/welcome/flash_content/ie_prod.html

Appendix A

Transcript of the Case Study Discussion Board Topic

 Topic: Project #1 - Excel Summary Sheet

 Message ID: 1566, From: Faculty Instructor [INSTRUCTOR], Date: 1/8/2002 11:19:00 AM, Subject: Post Questions Here - Please post any questions you have concerning this project under this topic.

 Message ID: 2147, Replay to: 1566, From: Taylor Brown [TAYLORB], Date: 1/10/2002 11:04:00 PM, Subject: Robert's rounding - I think it is a safe bet to go with two decimals.  Often with unit cost you do not round, but sometime with other headings you may round to three or four decimal places.  I believe that two will be sufficient since this project is to primarily test our excel and problem solving abilities.

Message ID: 2188, Replay to: 2147, From: Faculty Instructor [INSTRUCTOR], Date: 1/11/2002 1:20:00 AM, Subject: Rounding Rules - Remember there is difference in "Rounding" and "Format".  You can format a cell to show 2 decimals, but the computer still knows and uses the remaining.  You can you the ROUND formula: =Round($E$8*G8),2)"  Now all decimals after the 2nd place are gone.  Use whichever you prefer.  Here are other guidelines for each column: Take-off Quantity - 0 with some exceptions; M, L, & E Unit Cost - 2 no exceptions; M, L, & E Subtotal; Item Total - 0 no exceptions; Labor-Hours - 3 to 4; Total L-Hrs or Crew-Hrs – 0; Average Wage or Crew Rate – 2; Crew Productivity in Units/Day - 0 with some exceptions

Message ID: 2367, Replay to: 2327, From: Faculty Instructor [INSTRUCTOR], Date: 1/11/2002 1:09:00 PM, Subject: Summary Sheets to use - I've made a few changes to the sheets my 351 class used last semester, therefore use the ones I provide.  When the bugs are resolved in the MyFiles portion of CLE, I'll store the files there - until that time arrives, I'll send as an attachment to an e-mail to you.  You should have received an e-mail from me with an Excel file attached.  NOTE: THOSE OF YOU THAT RE-DIRECT YOUR CLEMSON E-MAIL ADDRESS TO SOME OTHER ADDRESS NEED TO CHECK AND VERIFY THAT YOU CAN OPEN/SAVE AN ATTACHED FILE!  P.S.  Your Excel sheet does NOT have to be a duplicate copy of the paper sheets.  Use whatever layout you want.

Message ID: 2570, From: Robert Norris [RJNORRI], Date: 1/12/2002 3:19:00 PM, Subject: Copy and Paste or Create our own? - Are most of you copying and pasting off of the Excel sheets that he has given us and adding formulas or are you creating an entirely different sheet to combine the three?  Are we being graded on creativity of combining the three or the use of formulas?  Robert

 Message ID: 2587, From: Pinkney Staton [PSTATON], Date: 1/12/2002 4:16:00 PM, Subject: Summary sheet - What was the function key that we discussed in class for the formulas, and is it required for the project?

Message ID: 2606, Replay to: 2566, From: Faculty Instructor [INSTRUCTOR], Date: 1/12/2002 5:19:00 PM, Subject: Email - When I sent the e-mail out - I got numerous undeliverable messages back.  Yesterday DCIT install another method for getting files into the HANDOUTS/RESOURCE folder.  It seems to work, but I can't check it from your side.  See if you can retrieve the files from there and let me know either way.

Message ID: 2607, Replay to: 2570, From: Faculty Instructor [INSTRUCTOR], Date: 1/12/2002 5:24:00 PM, Subject: Grading - Refer to the 353-Project-01.doc file in the RESOURCES folder.  I typed up the project requirements that we went over in class.  You will be graded on 2 things: (1) Does the spreadsheet work? (2) Ease of use.  Make sure it works first!  Then we can be creative as you like as long as someone can take your file and figure out how to use it in a reasonable amount of time.

 Message ID: 2608, Replay to: 2587, From: Faculty Instructor [INSTRUCTOR], Date: 1/12/2002 5:29:00 PM, Subject: Function key for changing absolute values - The function key to change a cell reference (E8) to an absolute value is F4.  Just put your cursor on the cell reference and press F4 - or you can just type the dollar signs.  It is not required, but is useful.  Someone remind me to talk about IF statements and VLOOKUP statements - think you'll find them useful too.

Message ID: 2687, From: Gregory Schultes [GSCHULT], Date: 1/13/2002 1:32:00 PM, Subject: There is a scary monkey in my closet - Do we need to include example numbers for material, labor, and equipment or will Professor Instructor be filling in his own numbers to test the spreadsheet?

Message ID: 2747, Replay to: 2666, From: Faculty Instructor [INSTRUCTOR], Date: 1/13/2002 3:01:00 PM, Subject: Numbers - I'll give you some numbers that you can verify your formulas with in Tuesday during class.  Be sure to bring your Means Cost Data Book.

 Message ID: 2748, Replay to: 2687, From: Faculty Instructor [INSTRUCTOR], Date: 1/13/2002 3:04:00 PM, Subject: Example numbers - Do NOT include example numbers in your files when you send to me, but definitely use example numbers to make sure it works.  I'll be testing it with my own numbers.

Message ID: 2750, Replay to: 2606, From: Annie Whiting [AWHITIN], Date: 1/13/2002 3:36:00 PM, Subject: Folders work - Getting the files out of those folders has worked for me.  Thanks

 Message ID: 2752, From: Trent Rhymer [RTRENT], Date: 1/13/2002 3:55:00 PM, Subject: How do we turn in Project #1? - I just wanted to be sure that I heard correctly that we have to email the project to Instructor instead of turning it in on a disk.  Just wondering.

Message ID: 2754, From: Daryl Erskine [DARYLE], Date: 1/13/2002 4:19:00 PM, Subject: turning in the assignment - I did not write down how to turn in the assignment for Thursday.  Would someone please let me know what to do?

 Message ID: 2766, Replay to: 2752, From: Faculty Instructor [INSTRUCTOR], Date: 1/13/2002 4:43:00 PM, Subject: Turning the project in - This is from the 353-Project-01.doc files located in the HANDOUTS/RESOURCE/ folder: "2. Submit as an attachment to an e-mail to me. (instructor@clemson.edu) 3. Save your file using the following name convention: 353-P01_ABC-XYZ.xls (Note: the ABC is your initials and the XYZ is the initials of your partner.  Leave the XYZ off if you submit as your own.)"  Try and see if you can download and read the Project file.  I've had some trouble getting files there - DCIT is working on it and have a workaround in place.  Have gotten it to work a couple of times, others it crashes.

Message ID: 2767, From: Paul Beattie [PBEATTI], Date: 1/13/2002 4:49:00 PM, Subject: Project File - The project Description under the resources seems to be working fine for me I have opened it a couple of times

Message ID: 2769, From: Paul Beattie [PBEATTI], Date: 1/13/2002 4:50:00 PM, Subject: Question about Hourly and Daily Rate - We don’t have to worry about a formula for hourly and daily rate, for the labor and equipment respectively, under the production sheets; do we?

Message ID: 2847, From: Phillip Burnett [PHILLIB], Date: 1/13/2002 8:50:00 PM, Subject: How do you write a division formula? - For some reason we could not get the division formulas to work.  We used ROUND($E$8/G8,2)as an example.  This worked for the multiplication formulas

Message ID: 2868, From: Reuben Cheatham [RCHEATH], Date: 1/13/2002 9:18:00 PM, Subject: Summary Sheet Size - Can we use 8.5 x 14 paper when creating our own summary sheet to allow for additional columns with adequate spacing?

Message ID: 2946, Replay to: 2769, From: Faculty Instructor [INSTRUCTOR], Date: 1/13/2002 10:19:00 PM, Subject: Formula for Hourly/Daily Rates - This depends on what you want your spreadsheet to do.  You may decide to input the rates as you are using, or you may type a crew code and have the rate fill in - in this case you would need a formula.

 Message ID: 2948, Replay to: 2847, From: Faculty Instructor [INSTRUCTOR], Date: 1/13/2002 10:25:00 PM, Subject: Division Formulas - Formula looks right.  If you're getting a #DIV0, then it's because the value in G8 is zero (if it's blank, it's the same as zero).  You can solve this problem by using an IF statement: =IF(G8=0,0,ROUND($E$8/G8,2))

Message ID: 2952, Replay to: 2868, From: Faculty Instructor [INSTRUCTOR], Date: 1/13/2002 10:27:00 PM, Subject: Sheet Size - Sure, You can use 8-1/2" x 14" (legal size) paper.

 Message ID: 3108, From: Pinkney Staton [PSTATON], Date: 1/14/2002 12:29:00 PM, Subject: Bland Sample Sheets - I was trying to enter formulas into the blank summary sheets and it said that it was a read only file, does anyone know how to get around this little problem

Message ID: 3111, Replay to: 3108, From: Faculty Instructor [INSTRUCTOR], Date: 1/14/2002 12:39:00 PM, Subject: Blank Summary Sheets - The blank summary sheets I sent are protected.  I did this on purpose because I wanted you to make your own.  Some people are copying and pasting from mine into theirs, however I think you'll waste more time trying to figure out what I did than it would take you to make your own.

 Message ID: 3166, From: Tracy Bishop [TBISHOP], Date: 1/14/2002 1:16:00 PM, Subject: line items - Would you like all of the functions, unit price, labor-hr, and productivity to all be on the same line, where the user chooses which one he would like to use or separate lines that are noted by their function.

 Message ID: 3206, From: Pinkney Staton [PSTATON], Date: 1/14/2002 2:16:00 PM, Subject: summary sheets - Are we supposed to make a sheet that has all three labor options on it or are we to just choose one type that we prefer?

Message ID: 3287, From: Robert Miller [LMROBER], Date: 1/14/2002 4:00:00 PM, Subject: Labor Costs - Do you want us to set up one column to calculate the overall labor cost using a formula that can be used for all three ways, or are you looking for separate columns with separate formulas to calculate each of the three ways?

Message ID: 3320, From: Charles Norris [CANORRI], Date: 1/14/2002 4:08:00 PM, Subject: $ sign? - What does the $ mean in the ROUND formula: "=Round($E$8*G8),2)"?

Message ID: 3368, From: Paul Beattie [PBEATTI], Date: 1/14/2002 4:40:00 PM, Subject: Purpose of the $ sign - I was wondering what the purpose was, I understood the whole absolute cell direction, but when I inputted the formula then dragged it down it seems to work fine, is this ok?

 Message ID: 3370, Replay to: 3166, From: Faculty Instructor [INSTRUCTOR], Date: 1/14/2002 4:45:00 PM, Subject: Line Items - If I understand the question correctly, use the same line.  Ask me again in class and we'll clarify.

 Message ID: 3371, Replay to: 3206, From: Faculty Instructor [INSTRUCTOR], Date: 1/14/2002 4:46:00 PM, Subject: Summary Sheet Labor Options - Make a summary sheet that can handle all three options.

Message ID: 3372, Replay to: 3287, From: Faculty Instructor [INSTRUCTOR], Date: 1/14/2002 4:48:00 PM, Subject: Labor Costs - You should have only one Labor Subtotal column.  You may have columns that are blank unless you choose one of the other productivity methods.

Message ID: 3373, Replay to: 3320, From: Faculty Instructor [INSTRUCTOR], Date: 1/14/2002 4:51:00 PM, Subject: $ Sign - The $ sign in front of the E and 8 is an absolute cell reference to E8.  When you copy this formula down one row, it will change to "=ROUND($E$8*G9,2)"  - notice that the 8 in G8 changes to 9.  If you copy this formula to the right one column the formula changes to "=ROUND($e$8*H8,2)" - here the G in G8 changes to column H.

Message ID: 3490, From: Bradley Holeman [HOLEMAB], Date: 1/14/2002 7:09:00 PM, Subject: summary sheets - Are we going to be using the same format that we have designed for this first project on the rest of our projects in the future or is this a one time assignment getting us familiar excel?

Message ID: 3491, Replay to: 3490, From: William Clayton [WCLAYTO], Date: 1/14/2002 7:16:00 PM, Subject: Later format - I don't think that this will be the format that we use for the semester.  I think that we are going to be using Timberline.  I think that the point of this is to show you how Timberline works, and to show you that you can probably do all the same stuff with just excel.

 Message ID: 3508, Replay to: 1566, From: Christopher Ready [CREADY], Date: 1/14/2002 7:27:00 PM, Subject: Project 1 - Do we have to completely create our own summary sheet or can we use parts of the ones we have saved?

 Message ID: 3526, From: Benjamin Trussell [BTRUSSE], Date: 1/14/2002 8:05:00 PM, Subject: merging cells - How do you merge cells

 Message ID: 3546, Replay to: 3526, From: Charles Norris [CANORRI], Date: 1/14/2002 8:18:00 PM, Subject: how to merge - Select the cells you want to merge, go to format / cells, and click merge, and then ok

 Message ID: 3566, From: Brandon Thomas [BRANDOT], Date: 1/14/2002 8:40:00 PM, Subject: Subtotal Column - If using only one labor/equipment subtotal column, how do you make excel distinguish or draw the numbers from the appropriate method you are using?

Message ID: 3586, From: Jeremy Bailey [MBJEREM], Date: 1/14/2002 9:24:00 PM, Subject: excel help - I'm not very good with excel.  Could someone tell me  how to make the spreadsheet function so that I can make a whole column of numbers change if I only change one number in one formula in that the column?

 Message ID: 3647, From: Paul Beattie [PBEATTI], Date: 1/14/2002 9:58:00 PM, Subject: DO you want us to assume an 8 Hour day? - Do you want us to assume an 8 hour day when calculating total crew hours?

 Message ID: 3668, Replay to: 3546, From: Faculty Instructor [INSTRUCTOR], Date: 1/14/2002 10:26:00 PM, Subject: Merging Cells - Format / Cells / Alignment Tab / Merge Check Box

 Message ID: 3674, Replay to: 3647, From: Faculty Instructor [INSTRUCTOR], Date: 1/14/2002 10:32:00 PM, Subject: 8-Hour Day - That's fine, or you could allow the user to decide.  Just depends on how far you want to go with it.

 Message ID: 3675, From: Paul Beattie [PBEATTI], Date: 1/14/2002 10:35:00 PM, Subject: Spreadsheet Question - How do you get the columns with formulas to show up blank instead of 0 in them, when there is nothing in the other columns?

 Message ID: 3676, Replay to: 3669, From: Faculty Instructor [INSTRUCTOR], Date: 1/14/2002 10:36:00 PM, Subject: Turning in the Assignment - Turn the assignment in as an attachment to an e-mail to Instructor@clemson.edu.  You can put it on a disk if you want.  CLE has a feature that will allow you to turn in work, but let's hold off on using until later.

 Message ID: 3677, Replay to: 3675, From: Faculty Instructor [INSTRUCTOR], Date: 1/14/2002 10:38:00 PM, Subject: Hiding Zero - Tools / Options / View tab / Zero Values check box - clink it off (unchecked), then OK

 Message ID: 3679, From: Paul Beattie [PBEATTI], Date: 1/14/2002 10:41:00 PM, Subject: Couldn’t open File - I couldn’t open that file you just posted, Can anyone else? It might be because I have XP?

 Message ID: 3680, From: Milam Williams [MILAMW], Date: 1/14/2002 10:41:00 PM, Subject: project #1 - What do we need to include in the labor section of the excel project?

 Message ID: 3686, From: Joseph Holmes [HOLMESJ], Date: 1/14/2002 10:49:00 PM, Subject: project #1 - Do we use the three sheets we received in the e-mail or do we make our own sheets?

 Message ID: 3687, From: Christopher Palmer [PALMERC], Date: 1/14/2002 10:51:00 PM, Subject: Formula's, are they a must? - Do we need to put formulas into the excel spreadsheet or can we just leave them out for later?

 Message ID: 3706, From: Clifton Mcmackin [MCLIFTO], Date: 1/14/2002 11:01:00 PM, Subject: Number Category - In each Unit Cost Column should the number category be General, Number, Currency, etc.?

 Message ID: 3828, Replay to: 3680, From: Faculty Instructor [INSTRUCTOR], Date: 1/15/2002 9:47:00 AM, Subject: Labor Section - All info need to price by any of the three labor productivity methods.

 Message ID: 3831, Replay to: 3686, From: Faculty Instructor [INSTRUCTOR], Date: 1/15/2002 9:58:00 AM, Subject: Sheets - You make your own - one sheet that can handle any of the three labor productivity methods.

 Message ID: 3832, Replay to: 3687, From: Faculty Instructor [INSTRUCTOR], Date: 1/15/2002 9:59:00 AM, Subject: Formulas - ABSOLUTELY - you MUST use formulas.  That is the goal of the entire project.

Message ID: 3833, Replay to: 3706, From: Faculty Instructor [INSTRUCTOR], Date: 1/15/2002 10:03:00 AM, Subject: Numbers - Unit Cost Column could be Number, Currency, or Accounting format.  Just make sure to leave off the $ sign and use 2 decimals.  I would NOT use the General format.

 Message ID: 4027, From: Gregory Schultes [GSCHULT], Date: 1/15/2002 5:19:00 PM, Subject: VLOOKUP - I have completed the VLOOKUP formula and it works, but when nothing is entered in the ID column the Hourly Rate column displays #N/A and I have already gone to options and unchecked zero values.  How do I get the #N/A to disappear?

 Message ID: 4055, Replay to: 4027, From: Faculty Instructor [INSTRUCTOR], Date: 1/15/2002 5:42:00 PM, Subject: #N/A - Good job, I've completed the first step: get the VLOOKUP working.  You could do several different things: (1) Use an IF statement =IF(J8=0,0,VLOOKUP(.....)) the "...." is your VLOOKUP, "J8" is the cell that contains the code you want to lookup (2) Another way would be to make the first row of your VLOOKUP table have a code that is a blank cell and the value it looks up is 0. This should work just as well.  Probably several other solutions that would work as well.

 Message ID: 4059, Replay to: 4055, From: Paul Beattie [PBEATTI], Date: 1/15/2002 5:51:00 PM, Subject: #N/A - When i use the if statement just like you said it is still coming up #N/A or if i put another 0 in it comes up with false?

Message ID: 4066, Replay to: 4059, From: Gregory Schultes [GSCHULT], Date: 1/15/2002 6:20:00 PM, Subject: that is b/c you are doing it wrong!! - Just make sure it is for the cell labeled ID not the # or the Hourly Rate.  It should work.....

 Message ID: 4089, Replay to: 4059, From: Faculty Instructor [INSTRUCTOR], Date: 1/15/2002 6:59:00 PM, Subject: #N/A - Check the VLOOKUP first.  Make SURE it works when a code is in the cells. Then, solve the problem of blank cells with the IF statement.  Also, the "J8" in my example may or may not be your "J8".  Does it come up with the word FALSE?  If so, you didn't copy the IF statement correctly, you have:  =IF(condition, true) where you should have  =IF(condition, true, false)