1	Asynchronous or Synchronous Online Course Elements: Why Choose? Use Both! Report on a Successive Independent Samples Study – 2004 to 2008 – Michael E. Scheuermann, Ph.D. Director – Online Learning Drexel University
2	My Background Director – Online Learning Drexel University - Philadelphia Online Learning Team Ten members supporting 30,000 end-users Drexel University and five partner schools Bb Vista and myriad technologies and applications (some related to the LMS, some not) Adjunct Faculty Member (2000-present) Business / Engineering / Education Graduate-level, totally online courses eCollege, WebCT, Blackboard, Bb Vista Utilized Wimba (2005-present)
3	Methodology EGMT-581 (Problems in Human Relations) Graduate-level, fully online course 11-week term quarter system 2004-2008 offered nearly every quarter (term) Same facilitator, text, course requirements, etc. Same online chat (OC) approach 4 sessions each term for each student Week-2, Week-4, Week-7 and Week-9 Ask 4 questions to conclude the last OC Using Wimba Classroom in Bb Vista (latest version) anonymous quiz/question feature
4	Study Focus: EGMT-581 Problems in Human Relations Graduate-level, fully online course Engineering Management program MBA for engineers 10-week format (Week-11: Finals Week) 9 to 33 students (across 17 terms) Course elements: Mid term and final papers (weeks 5 & 10) Threaded discussions (8 of 10 weeks) Online chats (weeks 2, 4, 7 & 9)
5	- Asynchronous - vs. - Synchronous -
6	Our OLT Experience Faculty tend to shy away from synchronous course elements – for various reasons. Faculty reticence might be ill-founded. Let’s examine a few myths.
7	Myth #1 “Anytime – Anywhere” is the way that online learning needs to be!
8	Myth #2 “I will never be able to get my students together for any synchronous online chat sessions!”
9	Myth #3 “My students will either think it is impossible to do chat sessions – or – they will not find any value in them anyway.”
10	Myth #4 “By the way - conducting online chat sessions will be too much work for me!”
11	Threaded Discussions 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
12	Threaded Discussions (cont.) 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 when necessary
13	What Does This Approach Accomplish? 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-single-deadline” procrastination Builds learning community “Water Cooler” / “Report Problems” / FAQs Students can author their own topics in the “Open” topic
14	TDs – Grading Rubric 100% of available points Read all of the topics in a given week Post a salient, original comment in four of them, on time Read 80%+ of 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, or late, or reading 70-80% of the postings of your colleagues 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, or, late, or reading 60-70% of the postings of your colleagues 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, or, late, or reading 50-60% of the postings of your colleagues 0 points - not contributing at all that particular week, or, reading less than half of the postings of your colleagues
15	Student-Authored Discussion Topics 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 in a subsequent term
16	Let’s Look at Some Data
17	Methodology EGMT-581 online graduate course 11-week term quarter system 2004-2008 offered nearly every quarter (term) Same instructor Same threaded discussions (TD) approach 11 topics each week (established in 2006) Week-2 to -4 and Week-6 to -9 (8 total weeks) Examine posting rates in all graded TD topics Instructor Students
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51	Synchronous Chat in Online Courses
52	Student-Directed Chats Skeletal set of topics to cover during the OC (online chat) linked to the reading assignments Students determine the OC direction Facilitator: alternates topics (aligned with readings) engages participants in the conversation redirects / corrects ~ when necessary
53	OC Session Framework Four scheduled sessions per term 2 in 1^st half of term / 2 in 2^nd half of term Weeks 2, 4, 7, and 9 (normally) 7:30pm-9:00pm or 7:00pm-8:30pm 7-13 participants per session (optimal)
54	OC Session Framework (cont.) Assign each student to a chat night Students can switch chat nights session-by-session, or, across the term In order to switch - students must: contact course colleagues assigned to the night to which they want to switch, switch OC night(s) with a colleague, advise facilitator of the switch. Builds learning community! Diminishes facilitator’s admin role
55	Qualitative Data ~ Students ~
56	Methodology EGMT-581 (Problems in Human Relations) Graduate-level, fully online course 11-week term quarter system 2004-2008 offered nearly every quarter (term) Same facilitator, text, course requirements, etc. Same online chat (OC) approach 4 sessions each term for each student Week-2, Week-4, Week-7 and Week-9 Ask 4 questions to conclude the last OC Using Wimba Classroom in Bb Vista (latest version) anonymous quiz/question feature
57	Question for Students “The next time I offer this course, should I eliminate these Online Chats and make this course completely asynchronous? And, why or why not?” The following 7 slides include verbatim student responses to this question in the spring quarter, 2007-08.
58	Student Responses (1) “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.” “Do not eliminate, they allowed me to gain a perspective into how other companies work and the issues that others encounter.” “No, keep the chat sessions. I liked having real time dialog with the class.” “Do not eliminate the chat sessions - they provide for more stimulating, more meaningful exchanges than the TDs - they are also more efficient than the TDs. I would recommend actually doing more OCs than currently, replacing part of the current TD workload - by offering more sessions, possibly at different times to accommodate students in other time zones, may facilitate this.” “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.” “I think it should be a mix of both taped lectures and online chats.”
59	Student Responses (2) “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.” “I don't think you should eliminate the chat because I think the interaction with the class is a great asset to the course.” “Don't eliminate chats. I think it is an integral part of the course and helps us interact with one another. This course deals with problems in human relations and I think it is necessary to interact synchronously.” “I found it to be a rich experience. I liked hearing the classmate's voices but didn't feel advanced enough to speak my self.” “I would leave the Chats active. It is a great tool to communicate with the whole team in real time, simulating the actual performance on the job. It dictates the need to think fast and forces students to make decisions on the fly.”
60	Student Responses (3) “I think the chats are pretty good and should be kept. I enjoyed responding to others in the class having the feeling of an actual class and not the typical "online class". I found insight in others views of topics brought up by the chat session questions. Though, I feel that the chat can improve despite my approval. The audio comments seem more forced upon rather than everyone willing to join in on a productive conversation. It is also hard to keep up with the text messages especially if the come faster than I can read them.” “I do not think the chats should be eliminated. However, one shortcoming the current method is that slow typists are at a disadvantage sometimes in the fast paced discussions. I have found myself in the middle of writing a long thought out only for the topic of discussion to change.” “At first I didn't want to do them and still think it might not be needed, but it was a good way to see many different ideas at once. I just don't know if you needed the chats to get the ideas.”
61	Student Responses (4) “I believe the chats are beneficial. It allows us to get some first person interaction that is definitely not achievable through the threaded discussion pages or email. However I believe that the chat times could be more flexible so that we could switch between times easily based on our schedule. Although we could switch with a classmate, it was not convenient should a last minute professional emergency arise.” “No, do not eliminate the chats. I found these to be the best part of the course. The asynchronous TD's can get exhausting reading through all of them. Having live people on the line and the speed at which we discuss the topics in the chats was great.” “Consider decreasing the number of chats from 4 to 2. I find the asynchronous message boards discussions and the online chats to have to much overlap at times.”
62	Student Responses (5) “No, the chat should stay. It helps bring focus to the weekly topics and gives the course a class room feeling. If the chat were to be eliminated, then they need to be replaced with weekly homework assignments and quizzes.” “No, it is very helpful since it tests students to make commitments, maintain time, personal, and work management, and increase their responsibility (must switch with others if unavailable), moreover increase communication, reading, listening, and speaking skills. Many great advantages. In conclusion, NO.” “I recommend reducing before going entirely to eliminating. I do feel like it is redundant to the TD but it is difficult to commit to a time slot with my job. I got the same benefit out of both with the exception of the added benefit of participating in the on line chat forum which is the way of the future.” “I honestly think they keep you more up to speed with the whole course instead of just the TD's. It might be easier to not get as involved without these.”
63	Student Responses (6) “No, However make these chats more organized. Too often in a question, I can follow only one thread of comments and take part in it. Too often that thread dies quickly and other threads of these online chats between other participants are too far deep for me to follow. Even when I try to scroll back up to pick up on a thread, every time someone enters a comment it automatically scrolls back down making it difficult for me to follow it. Otherwise I like these chats a lot.” “NO the chats are a good way reinforce what the books offers. It really helped me.” “No, this chat was very useful in getting your and everyone's opinions. It was very good learning experience.” “No...it is helpful to communicate with each other and hear opinions.” “I think the chat was a great idea. I really liked it to be honest. I only think the delivery method was a bit problematic. By that I mean the window to chat in was small and it seemed like the responses were a bit rushed. I could not read every post. How can it be improved for slow typist, thinkers and possibly someone with a physical disability?”
64	Student Responses (7) “I think interactively, the chat does provide a lively session for all to feel inclusive in an classroom environment. However, the problem with live chats is that technology and timing can sometimes make it very hard to be there at all sessions thereby costing some students valuable points for the course. I think it should be made asynchronous.” “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.” “Yes. Eliminate the chats. Chatting is not easy, I end up missing most of it because I'm typing. It's also tough to make these sessions if stuff comes up at work. I've already missed two meetings because I had this chat and it was too late to change. Things come up at the last minute and each of these chats are worth 5% - that's alot.” “I think that you should make it asynchronous. These chats really don't add anything more to the course with respect to the threaded discussions. I find myself repeating the same topics over and over again. Also, the text chat box of this Wimba interface really needs to be revamped.”
65	Getting Started w/ Chat 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
66	Getting Started w/ Chat (cont.) 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
67	Qualitative Data ~ Faculty ~
68	Methodology Determine which faculty members activated the Wimba Classroom tool in Bb Vista 8 Ask them, via an email message, to provide feedback about their experiences with Wimba Classroom (formerly known as Live Classroom).
69	Question for Faculty “How have you utilized Wimba Classroom elements in your online teaching, and, what has that meant to you and your students?”
70	Faculty Feedback (1) Online Toxicology Class “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.”
71	Faculty Feedback (2) New Classroom User “This was my first year using the Live Classroom feature as a teaching tool at Drexel University. I found it easy to use and many of the features mimic a face to face classroom experience rather well. I used the tool as follows: I presented short lectures to the class - using power point slides. We would follow the presentation by a short Q/A session. There was generally good participation. Each of the students gave a short lecture to the entire class. About three students presented in a prescheduled session. The topics were pre-assigned, some research was required to prepare a 3-4 page paper and students were asked to present their conclusions and learning to the class. During the first 3-4 lectures I allowed students to manipulate the slides. I found this difficult - some did not follow instructions, others seem to play in the system during the presentations. We finally settled to a format where I saved their presentations on my c-drive and controlled the slides while they presented their conclusions. This seemed to work well.”
72	Faculty Feedback (3) Established Classroom User ”Using the Wimba system means that all of my students may receive full access to lecture notes and lectures when their schedule permits. The versatility of having streaming and archival modes is ideal. We are still waiting for the PodCast version…. “
73	Faculty Feedback (4) Another Classroom User “MBA face-2-face class – I create multiple choice questions to get instantaneous feedback on course topic areas in the same way instructors use ‘clickers.’” “Approximately one per month, students present their project updates to us (and the rest of the class) using Live Classroom. I give the students control of the desktop so they can present anything they have on their computer.”
74	Faculty Feedback (5) Another Classroom User “I have used Live Classroom to go through lectures (using PPT slides), and to hold weekly “Virtual Office Hours” since my student population is 100% online. In addition, I created Team Section Areas, using Live Classroom, in which only instructors and team members can join in to discuss team projects, raise questions, and so on. Next time around, I would like to use the video capability more, so that students can relate to the professor. Finally, one of the nicest tools with Live Classroom is that I can make my annotations on the PPT slides using my Tablet PC. And that is cool. The students love it!!”
75	Current Grading Scheme EGMT-581
76	Current Grading Scheme ORGB-631
77	The Myths Anytime – Anywhere” is the way that online learning needs to be!
78	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!”
79	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.”
80	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!”
81	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!”
82	YOUR Insights What other approaches do YOU take with Discussions in your courses?
83	YOUR Insights What other approaches do you take with Chat in your courses?
84	Questions ? mes27@drexel.edu