One problem I have identified in my discourse community is the barriers to effective communication in my mathematics study group. When I give advice to my peers about a math problem through the group chat, my advice can get misinterpreted and they do something wrong in the equation. If we were to meet face to face, I would be able to explain it better and make myself more clear. However, that is something which can not be done due to the pandemic.

There have been some people who have been attempting to solve such problems. Developers of communication tools such as Zoom and Blackboard Collaborate have integrated screen sharing into those applications, which reduces some of the confusion. There are still problems with screen sharing, such as students not being able to convey their questions in a proper way. 

I believe more developers of communication applications need to know about this issue. When people send messages over the internet, an aspect of communication is lost, which is known as nonverbal communication. A person can give advice to someone, yet they can come across as rude unintentionally because messages lack a vocal tone to them. Another problem can be people trying to point out something in a picture, yet the other person is unable to see what they are pointing towards because the person is not there to physically point it out for them.