Session 9

1. 1.      Identify three different technologies that support discussions in online classes. Describe each technology in terms of its ability to support worthwhile and rewarding discussions.

The importance of instructional strategies to the success of the online environment has precipitated the creation of best practices guidelines for all aspects of the instructional process, including the planning and management of online instruction, online teaching techniques, and online student assessment and evaluation techniques. This report reviews the current literature on successful strategies for online teaching in the following sections:

Section One: Overview of the Principles, Guidelines, and Benchmarks for Online Education: This section leads into a discussion of specific best practices for online teaching with a review of the variety of guidelines and principles of online education. Special emphasis is placed on current and future trends in effective online pedagogy.

Section Two: Best Practices in Online Teaching Strategies: This section reviews proven strategies for three major components of the instructional process: the planning and management of online instruction, the actual teaching process, and student assessment and evaluation.

Section Three: An Exemplary Program and Examples of Effective Practices: The final section provides examples of an award-winning online education program and the teaching practices of three award-winning instructors.

 

1. 2.      Describe an eLearning context (type of class, students, and specific content) where you would advocate the use of an online discussion. Identify the technology you would use to facilitate the discussion.

E-learning refers to the use of technology in learning and education. There are several aspects to describing the intellectual and technical development of e-learning, which can be categorized into discrete areas. These are addressed in turn in the sections of this article:

1. e-learning as an educational approach or tool that supports traditional subjects;
2. e-learning as a technological medium that assists in the communication of knowledge, and its development and exchange;
3. e-learning itself as an educational subject; such courses may be called “Computer Studies” or “Information and Communication Technology (ICT)”;
4. e-learning administrative tools such as education management information systems (EMIS).
5. e-learning is a Study Medium without Teacher and Physical Classroom.
6. e-learning is beneficial Economically because of no use of Paper & Pencil.

 

1. 3.      Describe how you would plan for the discussion described in question 2. For example, how would you prepare students for the discussion, structure associated presentations, plan other activities that students be doing along with the discussion, and how you would ensure that the student workload was balanced and appropriate.

The educational benefits of students working cooperatively in groups are well recognised. Among other things,

• studying collaboratively has been shown to directly enhance learning;
• employers value the teamwork and other generic skills that group work may help develop; and
• group activities may help academic staff to effectively utilise their own time.

The design of assessment is central to capturing the benefits of group work and avoiding its pitfalls. Assessment defines the character and quality of group work. In fact, the way in which students approach group work is largely determined by the way in which they are to be assessed.

To maximise student learning in group activities, this section offers advice on how academic staff can:

• establish explicit guidelines for group work to ensure that learning objectives are met and to ensure that they are transparent and equitable; and
• manage the planning, development and implementation of processes and procedures for learning through group work and group assessment.

 

1. 4.      Develop a set of guidelines or policies that you would give to students to help them engage successfully in the discussion.

One of the best ways to help students invest successfully is to involve them in setting their own investment-related goals. When students are involved in setting their own goals for their learning, not only do they learn more, but their motivation to accomplish these goals increases, as does their ability to self-evaluate and self-regulate their participation and performance in the classroom (Saphier & Gower, 1997). Goal setting—and tracking progress toward those goals—makes the idea of successful investment more tangible. Here are some guidelines to follow:

 

Make the goals specific. Specific goals are measurable and contain criteria for effective performance. Goals focused on the speed, quality, or quantity of work tend to work better than more amorphous commitments. Help students commit to doing their work within a particular amount of time, or commit to completing a certain amount of work, or improving in a particular skill or currency. For instance, students can set goals for completing a certain number of problems within a set period of time, reading a certain number of chapters for homework, or reducing the number of spelling and punctuation errors in their next paper.

Make the goals challenging but attainable. Goals that are too easy are boring and can actually be demotivating to students. The more difficult the goal, the more effort students will expend to achieve it—but only as long as they see the goal as doable. Work with students to set goals within, but at the outer edge of, their ability.

Make the goals short-term rather than long-term. Setting up short-term goals is less likely to overwhelm students, especially those who are initially resistant. It also allows you to go for the “quick win,” which helps build momentum. Students need to see that success is within their reach and that being successful feels good; once they have a taste for it, they’ll want more. As their degree of investment in the classroom increases, you can move them toward more long-term goals, but even these should be broken up into smaller goals so that payoffs are frequent and regular.

Try visually tracking students’ progress. Using graphic illustrations, such as line or bar graphs, shows students how their incremental successes are moving them toward a much bigger goal.

1. 5.      Describe and/or develop a system for assessing student participation and learning in the discussion.

Assessment is seen as part of the learning process (Margaret Jenkins) and is in itself a learning experience (Karen Willig). Assessing learning is grounded in learning. Cullen and Pratt (1992) contended that continual evaluation of student learning is an integral part of the teaching and learning process, and forms the basis for immediate action.

To ground assessment in student learning, we need to describe the relationship between learning and assessment. Herman, Aschbacher, and Winters (1992) used cognitive learning theory as a basis for a discussion of instruction and assessment. If we recognize the role of learning theory, traditional tests such as true and false, multiple choice, and fill in the blank have to be evaluated. For example, cognitive learning theory tells us that knowledge is constructed, and that when we learn we create personal meaning from new information and prior knowledge.

 

Having a clearly defined process for creating, assessing and analyzing student learning creates an environment founded in good educational practices. In addition, this infrastructure provides a clearly documented course of action so that faculty college-wide (full and part-time), students and administration understand the expected outcomes and means to ascertain whether the outcomes have been met. This allows them to become participants in the process and to own and contribute to student success in ways appropriate to their role.

This may look like additional work or externally mandated requirements. Yet in many cases this is merely documenting what we already do and removing our work from the “black box” to a transparent and clear process. This allows other disciplines, student services and students to see pathways. While faculty often have tunnel vision within their own courses or programs, creating and documenting this infrastructure assures linkages across the institution to support and contribute to the work done.

1. 6.      How would you prepare the instructor for participating in the discussion?

Discussions often break down because students simply haven’t done the reading or work upon which the discussion is based. Discussions tend to be most productive when students have already done some preparatory work for them. It can be helpful to give assignments to help students to prepare for discussion. This could be a set of questions to answer, a question or two to write, an informal one-page (or paragraph) “reflection” on a reading, film, work of art, etc. Brookfield and Preskill (1999), for example, recommend “structured, critical pre-reading” focused on these kinds of questions:

Epistemological questions probe how an author comes to know or believe something to be true

Experiential questions help the student review the text through the lens of his/her relevant personal experiences

Communicative questions ask how the author conveys meaning and whether the forms clarify or confuse

Political questions ask how the work serves to represent certain interests and challenge others

Preparatory assignments help students focus their reading and their thinking, thus facilitating a higher-quality discussion. It is important to note that assigning preparatory work does not necessarily add significant extra work for the instructor, who can collect student prep assignments, glance over them quickly to assess overall comprehension or to identify questions to address in class, and simply mark them Credit/No Credit.

 

References

Brookfield, S. D. & Preskill, S. (1999)Discussion as a Way of Teaching: Tools and Techniques for Democratic Classrooms. San     Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Davis, B. G. (1993)Tools for Teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Frederick, P. (1981)“The Dreaded Discussion: Ten Ways to Start”. Improving College and University     Teaching. 29(3).

www.contactnorth.ca/…/how_to_plan_for_and_moderate_online_discuss…

http://www.uww.edu/ An Approach for Teaching Diversity‎.com