1	Real-Time Engagement Is Where It's At ! The Synchronous-Asynchronous Dilemma Mike Scheuermann, PhD Associate Vice President – Instructional Technology Support – Drexel University
2	"President Constantine Papadakis" President Constantine Papadakis Drexel University 1995-2009
3	Mike Scheuermann, Ph.D.
4	Problem / Issue Engagement in online courses can come in the form of asynchronous or synchronous elements. Faculty often shy away from online chat and similar features because they fear they will be more work. A few common myths about synchronous course elements will be shared - from years of experience and garnering input from students as well as other faculty members. Practitioners often do not know how incorporating synchronous elements can take their online learning effectiveness to the next level.
5	Relevance Attendees will learn what students and faculty, across the last few years, have to say about the value of the experiences they had with synchronous engagement in their online courses. Most of these insights come from experienced practitioners and graduate students. Key takeaways include knowing how to initiate faculty use of these online features, the value that they will add, as well as the oftentimes positive effect that they can actually have on faculty workload.
6	Audience Faculty support staff members, online learning program administrators, instructional designers, faculty and others using a learning management system at their institutions.
7	Synchronous Chat in Online Courses What faculty, and others, typically have to say about synchronous elements “The Myths”
8	Myth #1 “Anytime – Anywhere” is the way that online learning needs to be!
9	Myth #2 “I will never be able to get my students together for any synchronous online chat sessions!”
10	Myth #3 “My students will either think it is impossible to do chat sessions – or – they will not find any value in them anyway.”
11	Myth #4 “By the way - conducting online chat sessions will be too much work for me!”
12	Student-Directed Chat Sessions Skeletal set of topics to cover during the chat linked to the reading assignments Students determine the direction of the chat Facilitator role: alternate topics (aligned with assigned readings) heighten student engagement energize the conversation redirect / correct ~ when necessary
13	Student-Directed Chat Sessions Four scheduled sessions per term Two in the 1^st half-of-term and two in the 2^nd half 7:30pm-9:00pm Eastern time, or, 7:00pm-8:30pm Eastern time 7-10 participants per session (optimal)
14	Student-Directed Chat Sessions Students are randomly-assigned to the chat nights (based on enrollment) Students can switch chat nights session-by-session, or, across the term Students make “the switch” Contact course colleagues and make the switch Students advise the instructor of the switch Builds learning community! Diminishes instructor administrative role!
15	Synchronous Chat
16	Question Posed to Students
17	Student Responses – Winter 2008 “NO !! Please do not eliminate these on-line chat sessions. This is a great way to garner everyone's thoughts, comments, opinions, expertise and examples of how principles in this course are applied in real world situations. I look forward to these sessions.” “No, I like the chats. It makes me feel like I am in a more interactive environment, like I am in a classroom setting rather than 100% online.” “No, keep these chats, they are very beneficial to the class and learning experience. They bring a personal feel to this virtual class.”
18	Student Responses – Spring 2008 “I think you should keep it as is, because it allows direct interaction between classmates and it makes it feel like a class room atmosphere.” “No, do not eliminate. This is good, it makes people a little bit more accountable to this class, and you can hear people answer to questions. It kept me up to date with the reading knowing that I needed to do this chat.” “NO, I believe that the chat will continue to improve and provides an interesting, classroom type medium, to improve the interaction with students. Perhaps some student-to-student chatting should be considered.”
19	Student Responses – Summer 2008 “I think you should keep the chats. Being able to associate a voice with a response also helps to assume the personality of the individual. Because we don't meet face-to-face, this voice-contact is important.” “No, the chats really made me feel closer to my classmates and made the on-line class more ‘real.’ Hearing the opinions of others helped increase my knowledge of each of the subjects.” “No. You should keep it. I think the interaction that we have in these chats is a valuable addition to the takeaways that we receive in this class. It's a chance for us to get together and actively probe one another on some topics. You can't get the level and pace of interactive participation in the asynchronous threads.”
20	Student Responses – To Eliminate OCs “I would prefer not to do the chats. I like being able to do the course when I want to and not have to log in at any specific time.” [Winter 2008] “I think making it asynchronous would really help as I choose online classes for their flexibility. but i did enjoy the chat sessions but I would miss it but I did have difficulties in keeping this time clear of my schedule.” [Spring 2008] “Although I find these Chat Sessions very interesting, I think it should be eliminated because there may be some students in different time zones. In addition, Drexel E-learning did not inform applicants that there will by synchronous chats. So there is some disconnect there. It would have been helpful to have adequate information.” [Summer 2008]
21	Quantitative Overview of Student Responses
22	Synchronous Chat
23	Question Posed to Faculty
24	Faculty Feedback (1) “I don’t know how innovative it is, but I use Wimba classroom to hold virtual office hours for our students who are in Sacramento. They log in, turn their webcam on and we talk as if we are in the same room.”
25	Faculty Feedback (2) “Yes... I have used it several times in all my courses this term. The students appreciate the live atmosphere yet in the comfort of their dorm, apartment, etc. I have used voice-over PPT and asked the students to listen to the lecture over a two day period. I thought they would like this method better than the time-constricted Live Class room. They did not. They preferred the Wimba class.”
26	Faculty Feedback (3) “Wimba Classroom continues to enhance my graduate courses in toxicology as a method by which individuals can chat with me in real-time during our weekly 'ToxCHAT' sessions. I have found that if I offer these sessions as 'voluntary', student participation is still good. I've done this now for two terms [4 sections] and have found that individuals who find it helpful will use it...[numbers vary but 1/3 to 1/2 of the class utilize it regularly]. I think this is an interesting example of offering flexibility and watching students respond depending upon their individuals needs, schedules, and interest in further discussion about the course materials.”
27	Faculty Feedback (4) “Mike, I have been using Wimba on a weekly basis. My students are enjoying [it] a lot. Some nice features that I like is the capability of uploading a PPT presentation, and then using my tablet to make marks on the presentation, and/or write my math equations. Also, I am starting to use the polling feature. That gets my students excited. And it seems as though they interact even more after the each polling. It is kind spicing up the presentation a bit more. Another important feature that I like is the sharing stuff. I can show my desktop, and walk the students through a series of computations using a financial calculator. I have a program in my computer that simulates a financial calculator's operations. With that said, I was not only able to teach my students how to set the financial calculator up, but also carry out time value of money (TVM) computations, bond valuation, and advanced problems in capital budgeting and M&A as well.”
28	Getting Started w/ Chat Conduct “online office hours” Solicit student feedback Should OCs be regular parts of the class? Try some optional Chat sessions Extra credit opportunity, perhaps? Introduce a few mandatory sessions Regulate the number of participants Solicit student feedback Should the # of OCs be increased? Constantly monitor student feedback
29	Getting Started w/ Chat (cont.) Make-up credit Prep for mid term / final test and/or papers Student “group work” Guest speakers, e.g., “Ask a Librarian” Mandatory ~ at a low level, initially Provide instant feedback Appeal to various learning styles Focus on best practices
30	Current Grading Scheme ORGB-631
31	Current Grading Scheme EGMT-581
32	The College of 2020: Students The conversion to more convenience for students will multiply over the next decade. Students will increasingly expect access to classes from cellular phones and other portable computing devices. They may sign up to take a course in person, and then opt to monitor class meetings online and attend whenever they want. Classroom discussions, office hours with a professor, lectures, study groups, and papers will all be online. Colleges will need to offer those options in addition to face-to-face instruction. Chronicle Research Services, 2009 Executive Summary
33	Learn to use and use to learn: Technology in virtual collaboration experience “Participants reported utilizing different types of technology for different tasks. To establish initial contact and exchange personal information, teams preferred to rely on a less personal technology, like e-mail or discussion board. To brainstorm ideas and formulate a problem to be addressed, teams favored video/audio conferencing with simultaneous usage of chat to keep track of the discussion and create a chat log. Teams found audio/video conferencing essential for making important decisions because it allowed for immediate feedback and real-time discussions. (p. 49). Karpova, Correla, & Baran, Iowa State University The Internet and Higher Education, Vol. 12, No. 1, 2009
34	Learn to use and use to learn: Technology in virtual collaboration experience (2) “…to facilitate rewarding and meaningful computer-mediated teaching and learning experience (e.g., distance education, cross-border collaboration), it is no longer enough to rely on a single technological solution (e.g., discussion board)” (p. 50). Karpova, Correla, & Baran, Iowa State University The Internet and Higher Education, Vol. 12, No. 1, 2009
35	Online Chats and Cyber Office Hours: Everything but the Office “…educators should consider including interactive components that utilize both synchronous and asynchronous computer-mediated communication when designing web-based courses” (p. 114). Lavooy and Newlin, University of Central Florida, International Journal on E-Learning: Corporate, Government, Healthcare, & Higher Education Vol. 7, No. 1, 2008
36	Online Chats and Cyber Office Hours: Everything but the Office (2) “Certainly, as these results suggest, students will avail themselves of the opportunity to meet with an instructor and fellow cyber-students when afforded a synchronous environment” (p. 114). Lavooy and Newlin, University of Central Florida, International Journal on E-Learning: Corporate, Government, Healthcare, & Higher Education Vol. 7, No. 1, 2008
37	Online Chats and Cyber Office Hours: Everything but the Office (3) “Shouldn’t we as instructors, make use of all available tools that serve to benefit the student in web-based, web-enhanced, and traditional, live courses? As we continue to evaluate course components, we can better address the needs of students, thereby increasing the chance of success” (p. 115). Lavooy and Newlin, University of Central Florida, International Journal on E-Learning: Corporate, Government, Healthcare, & Higher Education Vol. 7, No. 1, 2008
38	The Myths
39	The Myths Anytime – Anywhere” is the way that online learning needs to be!
40	The Myths Anytime – Anywhere” is the way that online learning needs to be! “I will never be able to get my students together for any synchronous online chat sessions!”
41	The Myths Anytime – Anywhere” is the way that online learning needs to be! “I will never be able to get my students together for any synchronous online chat sessions!” “My students will either think it is impossible to do chat sessions – or – they will not find any value in them anyway.”
42	The Myths Anytime – Anywhere” is the way that online learning needs to be! “I will never be able to get my students together for any synchronous online chat sessions!” “My students will either think it is impossible to do chat sessions – or – they will not find any value in them anyway.” “By the way - conducting online chat sessions will be too much work for me!”
43	YOUR Insights What other approaches do you take with Chat in your courses?
44	Mike Scheuermann, Ph.D.
45	Real-Time Engagement Is Where It's At ! The Synchronous-Asynchronous Dilemma Mike Scheuermann, PhD Associate Vice President – Instructional Technology Support – Drexel University
46	Thank you! Thank you for speaking at BbWorld ’09. Your efforts are what make BbWorld an event to remember! A few reminders: We’ve included a two suggested slides to help you quickly introduce yourself and your institution. Clients have told us that most effective presentations do not focus on institution specifics, but rather provide best practices that can be applied anywhere. So we encourage you to refer back to the learning outcomes you provided in your session proposal and focus on those highlights. Your session is 45 minutes long – and there will likely be another session in your room immediately following yours, so please be aware of the time!
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48	Your Institution Name Here As the state's flagship school/district/university, the YOUR NAME HERE educates (WHO?). We were named one of the top "green universities" in the country. Our top institutional concerns are X, Y and Z. Students: #Number Geography: Where your students are from Products Used: What Blackboard/other software products are important in context of your presentation? Other important information about your institution/school/district Speaker(s) is the (title/team) that focuses on (project). Brief intro of your role(s).
49	Want more? Be green! Who wants to print out a handout? Instead, check out my posts on the BbWorld ’09 Discussion Board at Blackboard Connections (http://connections.blackboard.com). I’ve posted: My PPT Handouts Rubrics/Tools/???? Discussion board posts on this topic
50	Real-Time Engagement Is Where It's At ! The Synchronous-Asynchronous Dilemma Mike Scheuermann, PhD Associate Vice President – Instructional Technology Support – Drexel University
51	Bio Dr. Scheuermann is the Associate Vice President, Instructional Technology Support, in Drexel's IRT department. In this role, Mike is responsible for directing and managing client services and desktop support, user support and training, web-based software development, the integration of electronic resources with academic departments, myriad online learning initiatives, investigating emerging technologies, and outreach initiatives with Drexel’s partner schools and affiliated institutions. He has been an adjunct faculty member, teaching online graduate-level courses, since 2000, in the College of Business, the College of Engineering, and the School of Education. He earned a Masters degree in Organizational Dynamics from the University of Pennsylvania and a Doctorate in Education from Drexel University, focused on nontraditional undergraduates.