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- Michael E. Scheuermann, Ph.D.
- Director – Online Learning
- Drexel University
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- “Anytime – Anywhere”
is the way that online learning needs to be!
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- “I will never be able to get my students together for any synchronous
online chat sessions!”
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- “My students will either think it is impossible to do chat sessions – or
– they will not find any value in them anyway.”
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- “By the way - conducting online chat sessions will be too much work for me!”
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- 10 topics each week, +
- 1 “open” topic
- 1 “Water Cooler” topic
- 1 “Report LMS Problems” topic
- Requirements:
- Read all of the topics
- Post in four of your choosing
- Make 4 “original” posts by 11pm Tuesday
- Read your colleagues’ posts
- Make 4 “response” posts by 11pm Thursday
- Participate in (at least) 8 different topics
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- What constitutes “a post”?
- A few salient sentences on the topic (consult the Syllabus ~ rubric)
- Encourage the participation of others
- Defend your position
- Dispute positions with which you do not agree
- Link posts to course / text content
- Cite sources whenever possible
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- Heightens student-student interaction
- Students:
- read the available topics
- post to four topics that interest them most
- read posts of colleagues
- make response posts in four other topics
- participate in at least 8 different topics each week
- spread the work across the week
- no “wait-for-the-deadline” procrastination
- Builds learning community
- “Water Cooler” / “Report Problems” / FAQs
- Students can author their own topics
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- 100% of available points
- Read all of the topics in a given week
- Post a salient, original comment in four of them
- Read the postings of your colleagues
- Post a salient response to four of them (in four topic areas
other than those in which you made your original posts)
- 75% of available points – doing the above, but
- making original and response (O&R) posts (good quality &
meaning) in only 6-7 topics, or
- making posts of mediocre quality in the required number
- 50% of available points – doing the above, but
- making (O&R) posts (good quality & meaning) in only 4-5 topics
- or, making posts of lesser quality in the required number
- 25% of available points – doing the above, but
- making (O&R) posts (good quality & meaning) in only 2-3 topics,
- or, making posts of questionable quality in the required number
- 0 points - not contributing at all that particular week
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- Courses is “seeded” with multiple topics for each week
- Each week also includes space for topics that students author (the
“Open” topics)
- Participation in those additional topics counts the same as the
instructor-authored ones
- Student-authored topics this term could become permanent topics next
term
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- Is there a correlation between the enrollment in the online class and
the number of posts students make over the minimum required posting
level?
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- Is there a correlation between the enrollment in the online class and
the number of posts per student that the instructor makes?
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- Skeletal set of topics to cover during the online chat
- linked to the reading assignments
- Students determine the direction of the chat session
- Instructor role:
- alternate topics (aligned with readings)
- keep conversation going
- redirect / correct ~ only when necessary
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- Four scheduled sessions per term
- 2 in 1st half-of-term / 2 in 2nd half
- 7:30pm-9:00pm or 7:00pm-8:30pm
- 7-10 participants per session (optimal)
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- 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 who are assigned to the night to which they
want to move
- Make the switch
- Students advise instructor of the switch
- Builds learning community!
- Diminishes instructor administrative role
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- David – “NO. I really enjoyed the
chats - I found them great to actually interact live.”
- Matt – “They are perfect, I like the 4 chats too, not too many and not
too few, helps relate the thoughts about the text with others’ opinions
in real time.”
- Christine – “I might consider cutting the chat down to an hour... But
other than that, I think it's great... really pulls everything we've
learned together.”
- Louis – “No, there is definitely a value. The OC requires you to quickly draw on
the information in the text and apply it to not only your experiences,
but to those of others.”
- Abby – “I think the chats are great....had to get used to it. But I
think it's a good way to reinforce reading and discussion topics.”
- NO! This was the most value added item I have been a part of with any
class I have taken thus far. Half way through the program, and this kept
me focused and allowed me to be more involved with the class then any
other to date. Keep it up and force others to do the same!!
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- No - The chats were good. I think it added another dynamic that was
really useful for a human relations class. The only issue I had was
being tied down on a certain night - but it wasn't much of a burden
since the chats were spread out and the dates were given well in
advance.
- No! I love these chat sessions! This is the first time I've seen it
incorporated in a classroom environment, and I absolutely love it! It at
least attaches a voice to a name, and give us a chance to be together
similar to a real classroom environment. Perhaps you can ask the
students to post up pictures so we can associate a face to a name too!
- No, I think that you should keep the chats. I see it as similar to a
brainstorming session, just being able to bounce ideas off one another.
I did learn from them and think that it is more valuable than tests -
with this subject at least.
- Yes. The chats don't let us work at our own pace; they enforce
synchronous interaction that is anathema to the online format. The chats
were very difficult for me on the west coast because I have to leave
work at 3:30, which is 2-3 hours earlier than normal and it's too late
to go back after the chat. They were very good for building camaraderie
with classmates though.
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- We meet in real-time to discuss pertinent points about the lecture
material each week. 15 students. Two sessions/week.
- “The students and I both enjoy our ToxCHATs immensely, primarily,
because it is a synchronous activity in which we,
as a group, can effectively interact with each other AND the
lecture material in real-time. This type of synchronicity
spurs intellectual engagement and enhances the synergy already
present in the group.
- “Our ToxCHATs are also FUN, which I believe is a valuable addition to
any online learning endeavor.
- “Overall, ToxCHAT is our favorite way to ‘meet and greet’
each other every week during the term and facilitate both
teaching and learning online.”
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- Conduct “online office hours”
- Solicit student feedback
- Should OCs be mandatory?
- Try some optional Chat sessions
- Extra credit opportunity, perhaps?
- Introduce a few mandatory sessions in a class (two, perhaps)
- Regulate the number of participants
- Solicit student feedback
- Should the # of OCs be increased?
- Constantly monitor student feedback
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- Make-up credit
- Prep for mid term / final
- Student “group work”
- Guest speakers
- “Ask a Librarian”
- Mandatory ~ at a low level, at first
- Provide instant feedback
- Appeal to various learning styles
- include the audio and video capabilities!
- Focus on best teaching practices
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- Anytime – Anywhere” is the way that online learning needs to be!
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51
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- 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!”
|
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52
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- 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.”
|
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53
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- 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!”
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54
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- 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!”
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55
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- What other approaches do YOU take with Discussions in your courses?
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56
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- What other approaches do you take with Chat in your courses?
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Notes