Online discussion boards are commonly used to help students collaborate and engage in interpersonal and social behavior. However, students often report dissatisfaction with discussion boards which can have a negative impact on course dissatisfaction due to the students' lack of motivation to complete the learning activity. Based on Expectancy-Value theory, a qualitative case study with semi-structured one-on-one interviews was conducted via Zoom to address the problem of the dissatisfaction with mandatory discussion boards in undergraduate students that have completed an online course within the previous two years and also to discover ways to improve satisfaction with discussion boards. Findings indicated students' dissatisfaction was related to factors such as the faculty member's participation in the activity, perception of little to no value of the activity, the level/quality of interaction they receive from their peers in the discussion boards, and the mandatory nature of the discussion board. Suggestion to improve dissatisfaction with mandatory discussion boards included substituting the discussion boards with alternative activities, encouraging the faculty to provide more feedback, encouraging the faculty to provide more counterpoints to the participants' posts, and adjusting the grading on the assignments. The findings imply that adjustments can be made to improve student motivation and increase course satisfaction. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]