Conducting effective online discussions

w w w. o n l i n e . c o f a . u n s w. e d u . a u LEARNING TO TEACH ONLINE Conducting effective online discussions Watch the video http://bit.ly/d18ac5 Aims and overview Discussions are an important component of many forms of online student interaction. For students to beneit from an online discussion, it is important for teachers to generate relevant topics, efectively moderate student activity and participate regularly. This episode will highlight several strategies to help you manage online discussions more efectively, and make them more beneicial for your students. Written by Simon McIntyre Released February 2011 “Everybody has an equal opportunity, and everyone can contribute at once. That means everybody can participate in an active way...” (Professor Ian Macdonald) “Because of that element where you can sit back and think and then respond to someone, the discussion quality is really high.” (student) “... it enabled them to go a little further, a little deeper into the course content, and in that way it was a very useful learning strategy...” (Dr Gay McDonald) For updates follow COFA Online on: Conducting effective online discussions The role of discussion Active discussions can facilitate relationship building, idea sharing, collaboration and the creation of a personal presence in the class. They can help generate increased interaction between students, reducing the feeling of isolation that can sometimes occur in online learning. A teacher does not always have to engage with students on a one-to-one basis online. With efective moderation, online discussions can be a very powerful learning strategy, ofering every student an equal opportunity to actively participate in the construction, testing and application of knowledge, rather than passively accepting the knowledge of the teacher. This type of engagement can help students explore ideas and content to a much deeper level, and assist in the development of communication and collaboration skills. There are several diferent types of online discussion in educational contexts, including: - Question and answer: Where students can get help with any issues or problems they may encounter from the teacher and each other - Problem solving, analysis or idea sharing: Students and their teacher discuss collaborative projects, lectures, hold a brainstorming session, or participate in similar activities - Social: Students need a place where they can get to know each other on a more personal level. This can help students build trust, and improve collaboration and group work. Whether face-to-face or online, students will usually speak to each other outside of class about activities or assignments. More often this type of informal learning is taking place in online social networks, email or instant messaging. By incorporating this type of learning back into the class through well designed discussion topics relating to key elements of the students’ learning process, everyone in the class can beneit from being exposed to and participating in the process. We recommend that you spend a little time investigating the ideas presented in the episodes ‘Engaging and motivating students’ and ‘Managing your time when teaching online’ in conjunction with this episode, as you may also ind them relevant to conducting meaningful and efective discussions online. Planning an online discussion - Make discussions relevant and worthwhile: Students need to perceive there to be a value in the discussion in order to fully engage. Make sure it relates to current lectures, assignments etc, and that by participating in the discussion students gain knowledge that they can directly apply to their learning - Assessment: Decide whether the discussion will be assessable or not. If it is a vital component of an assignment for example, it may be a good idea to assess contributions to demonstrate to students that discussion is valuable and taken seriously. However this may not be appropriate for all situations. If a discussion is assessable, make sure you clearly communicate the assessment criteria to students - Ensure students are technically competent: In order to participate equally, students need to have a thorough understanding of the technology in which the discussions are to take place. Scafold technical training into early classes and have a mechanism in place to support students throughout the class - Deine an acceptable tone of language: Make sure students understand the level of formality or academic rigour required in diferent discussions. For example, less formal language may be appropriate for working discussions around group work, but more formal tones may be required for presentation of ideas LEARNING TO TEACH ONLINE 2 Conducting effective online discussions - Consider the use of large or small group discussions: A large discussion with an entire class group may be useful to talk about broad concepts, whereas a smaller group discussion may be more useful for group work or peer feedback. If you work in large classes, smaller discussion groups can also be easier to follow - Allow space for social interaction: Set aside spaces in your online class where students can have more informal, social discussions. This is important in helping them get to know one another, and in building trust and a sense of familiarity which in turn can help students contribute more in discussions - Set up a question and answer area: By answering student questions in a special thread that all students can see, you will save time by not having to repeat answers to individuals. Make sure you answer any questions as quickly as possible. Students will also often answer each other’s questions, saving you time and building a sense of collegiality. This way everyone in the class can beneit from the answers provided. Useful strategies for creating and moderating efective online discussions - Establish criteria: Explain to students what is expected of them in an online discussion in terms of quantity or length of response, supporting evidence or links, citing resources, how to respond to others, referring to and drawing upon contributions etc - Set a clear deadline: Make sure students know how long a discussion will last, and that you expect them to post throughout this time frame rather than the last minute. A clear deadline is also useful in preventing students going back after a discussion is over and posting to simply to satisfy the requirement of the class - Moderate and lead by example: Be present in the discussion, and guide the direction of the discussion by participating in the same way you expect your students to. A teacher who is absent from a discussion will only send the message to students that their contributions are not valued - Stay positive: A friendly demeanour can be very motivating for students and encourage them to contribute and participate more in a discussion - Praise students who participate well: Highlight good examples of discussion posts, congratulate those who do participate to motivate those that do not - Summarise the conversation periodically: Discuss how diferent contributions have been relevant and how students can use this information in their current assignment or task. Refer to students by name when they have made signiicant contributions - Don’t dominate the discussion: Give students a chance to participate. This will encourage students to see themselves as equal contributors. If you dominate the discussion and post too much, it can stile students’ willingness to express their own opinions for fear of contradicting their teacher - Deal with any issues privately: If students are not participating, or there is conlict in the group, it is a good idea to deal with these issues outside of the public discussion. Email can be useful in such instances LEARNING TO TEACH ONLINE 3 Conducting effective online discussions Synchronous or Asynchronous discussion? There are two main ways that discussion can occur online, synchronously or asynchronously. Synchronous discussion (sometimes referred to as conferencing or chat) means everyone is present during a set time, and discussions are held ‘live’ much like in a face-to-face conversation. Asynchronous discussions work on the principle that participants will not necessarily be able to contribute to the discussion synchronously. Messages are left chronologically over a longer period of time, enabling people to join in the discussion without having to all be present at once. Synchronous discussion Synchronous discussions are useful when participants need instant communication or feedback. They are best used in smaller groups if everyone is expected to participate as time can be a limiting factor. Many diferent types of learning management systems or open web social media (such as Facebook) have some kind of synchronous chat system built in, however there are also a range of speciic tools designed to facilitate synchronous discussion, including the following examples: Instant messaging (text based) - Windows Live Messenger, AIM, ICQ Video and voice chat - Skype, iChat Web conferencing (incorporating chat and video, ile sharing, the ability to deliver presentations etc) - Adobe Connect, Wimba Collaboration Suite Beneits of synchronous discussion - Immediate feedback, no time lag between questions and answers - Issues or questions can often be resolved quickly - Less chance for confusion, as there is an opportunity to immediately clarify issues Considerations - All participants must be available at the same time, which can be diicult due to time constraints, location etc - The pace of the conversation can be rapid. Often the depth of the conversation can sufer, particularly if there are many participants, and some points or questions can be missed - Not everyone may be able to get an equal opportunity to contribute. Those participants who are shy or have trouble with the language being used could be at a disadvantage - Discussions can become fragmented and harder to follow if many diferent topics are raised - The discussions are temporal. Unless the software records the discussion, it can be lost after the fact - A moderator needs to work hard to ensure participants all have an opportunity to contribute, given that the discussion takes place in a limited amount of time LEARNING TO TEACH ONLINE 4 Conducting effective online discussions Asynchronous discussion Asynchronous discussions are very useful for when participants are dispersed around the world in diferent time zones, or cannot easily meet online at one time. They work particularly well for class discussions where students study online at diferent times of the day. Most Learning Management Systems (LMS) have in-built discussion forums such as Blackboard and Moodle. Even commenting on blogs, YouTube or Twitter could be considered a form of asynchronous discussion. Other speciically built asynchronous discussions platforms include: Discussion forums (text based) - vBulletin, Omnium, Google Groups Video and voice - Voicethread, Wimba Voice Beneits of asynchronous discussion - Participants can contribute to a discussion over a long period of time without all having to be present at once - There is time available for relection and consideration before responding - Everyone gets an equal chance to contribute, as there are no time restraints (other than the due date of the thread if applicable), and participants don’t have to compete with others for the right to speak - All discussions are archived. This provides a useful record of learning for both students and teachers can refer back to throughout the class - Not bound by class-time. Discussion can continue for longer, allowing everyone the opportunity to contribute Considerations - There can be a lack of immediacy with this type of discussion with delays between responses If not visited regularly, there can often be a lot of posts to catch up on if the discussion is very active There can be a greater opportunity for misunderstandings, as issues may not be resolved immediately Topics of conversation can diversify, a moderator is often required to keep the thread on topic Conclusion Moderating online discussions efectively can take practice and patience. However, the impact on student learning can outweigh the efort required to develop these skills. Careful consideration of the purpose and relevance of the discussion is required from the outset, and it is important to ensure that your students understand what is expected of them and how the discussion relates to their learning. We hope that the strategies in this episode prove to be useful for your own teaching. LEARNING TO TEACH ONLINE 5 Conducting effective online discussions Additional reading* An, H., Shin, S., & Lim, K. (2009). The efects of diferent instructor facilitation approaches on students’ interactions during asynchronous online discussions. Computers & Education, 53(3), 749-760. Hew, K. F., & Cheung, W. S. (2008). Attracting student participation in asynchronous online discussions: A case study of peer facilitation. Computers & Education, 51(3), 1111-1124. Hrastinski, S. (2008). Asynchronous and synchronous e-learning. Educause Quarterly, 31(4). Liang, M.-Y. (2010). Using synchronous online peer response groups in EFL writing: Revision related discourse. Language learning & Technology, 14(1), 45-64. Rovai, A. P. (2007). Facilitating online discussions efectively. The Internet and Higher Education, 10(1), 77-88. Salmon, G. (2003). E-Moderating: The Key to Teaching and Learning Online (3 ed.): Routledge Falmer. *Note: Some readings are held in subscription only databases. In most cases accessing the link from your institution’s network will enable access LEARNING TO TEACH ONLINE 6 Conducting effective online discussions Acknowledgements Interview and Production: Simon McIntyre and Karin Watson Camera and Post: Creative Development – L&T@UNSW Edit: Sarah Spackman COFA Online would like to extend a special thank you to the students, academics and institutions who generously donated their time and expertise to this episode: Dr Gay McDonald Senior Lecturer, School of Art History and Art Education Dr Catherine Suttle Lecturer, School of Optometry and Vision Sciences, Faculty of Science Andrea North-Samardzic Facilitator, MBT Program, Australian School of Business Rod Bamford Lecturer, School of Design Studies Dr Leicha Bragg Lecturer, Mathematics Education and Information Technology Professor Matthew Allen Head, Department of Internet Studies Associate Professor Lydia Kavanagh Director, First Year Engineering, School of Engineering Dr Andy Polaine Research Fellow and Lecturer, Service Design Professor Ian Macdonald Director, Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CILT) Chris Mitchell Learning and Teaching Coordinator LEARNING TO TEACH ONLINE 7 For more Learning to Teach Online, visit the COFA Online Gateway To ind out more about the Learning to Teach Online project, or to view the video component of this episode, please visit the COFA Online Gateway. www.online.cofa.unsw.edu.au Simon McIntyre LTTO Project Leader s.mcintyre@unsw.edu.au Phone +61 2 9385 0631 Karin Watson Co-Project Manager karin@unsw.edu.au Phone +61 2 9385 0631 Search for COFA Online on: About the project The Learning to Teach Online project is a free professional development resource designed to help teachers from any discipline, whether experienced in online teaching or not, to gain a working understanding of successful online teaching pedagogies that they can apply in their own unique teaching situations. It hopes to encourage dialogue, discussion and the sharing of ideas about online learning and teaching across disciplines and between institutions around the world. About COFA Online COFA Online is an academic unit at the College of Fine Arts (COFA), The University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, Australia. It has been innovating online pedagogy, academic professional development and efective online learning strategies since 2003. About The University of New South Wales UNSW has an enrolment of approximately 40,000 students, and is the leading international university in Australia with over 10,000 international enrolments from over 130 nations. UNSW was also ranked as the top university in 2009 in the Australian Government Learning and Teaching Performance Fund for the quality of its teaching. Australian Learning and Teaching Council Support for this activity has been provided by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council Ltd, an initiative of the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. The views expressed in this activity do not necessarily relect the views of the Australian Learning and Teaching Council. Content in this publication and on the related website is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial No Derivatives (by-nc-nd) 2.5 Australia License