The Methods and Means to Grading Student Participation in Online Discussions This is the final post in a three-part series on how to create effective discussions in an online environment in courses for credit. In this post I’ll share how to grade and assess students contributions in online discussion forums—the final yet essential step that supports learning in several ways. I am eager to share my insight into the assessment component of online discussions, as we found within our institution’s online program that assessment through the use of a rubric that was the critical element to success. The rubric allowed course instructors to give quality feedback to students, clarified for students’ expectations and to the surprise of several professors the rubric improved the quality and quantity of discussion postings. Components of effective Online Discussions – Review Motivating students to participate in forum discussions is not an easy task—it requires strategic effort by the instructor during the course, and by the course designers in the course design phase.
How-to Facilitate Robust Online Discussions Class discussion can be an effective learning tool – the challenge? How-to facilitate and manage discussions virtually. This is post two in a three-part series on how to create effective discussions in an online learning environment. Post one, introduced five components of effective discussions and addressed the first two – 1) course design and 2) establishing guidelines for students. In this post I”ll show how course instructors can develop and sustain dialogue by 3) creating ‘good’ and ‘right’ questions, and 4) guiding and moderating the discussions to support meaningful discourse. Discussions with no goal… Imagine for a minute, what a soccer game would look like if played without goal posts. “The challenge is that educators have the responsibility to provide structure and guidance that will encourage and support students assuming increased control of their learning” (Garrison, 2006). Example of question about critical incidents or problems: Questions to promote Deep Learning… Resources
How to create good questions for online courses I’m enrolled as a student in the MOOC Saving Schools Mini-Course 1: History and Politics of U.S. Education on the edX platform and share in this post discussion questions used for assignment purposes from the course to illustrate what NOT to do when it comes to writing discussion questions. I use these for illustration purposes to help readers who teach online to further improve their own courses. I share three questions from the MOOC, describe why they don’t work and include revised questions in better and best categories. I’ve incorporated guidelines from “Best Practices for Designing and Assessing Online Discussion Questions”, a webinar hosted by the Online Learning Consortium along with my experience. First we examine (briefly) why discussions can be an effective method for learning, and second explore how to write better and best questions by looking at examples of not-so-good questions. Frame the question as open-ended. Question One: The Challenge Read “U.S. Further Resources:
12 of the Most Annoying Online Behaviour and Personality Types Introduction The internet and social media are a double edged sword. One of the greatest advantages is that they allow anyone to share their thoughts and words with anyone else, anywhere in the world. One of the greatest disadvantages is that they allow anyone to share their thoughts and words with anyone else, anywhere in the world. Whether you are writing blog posts, sharing things on social media or just trying to have an interesting discussion it is impossible to avoid the spectrum of idiocy as it applies to online discourse. Further as with most things, people are complex and messy. Instead it is likely that most people will display a mixture of these personality types and this will sometimes vary based on the situation. I think we all have certain personas that we take on in different situations and that applies to the internet just as much as anything else. N.B. Just to be clear this is not an academic post.
Resources for Instructors This section includes a collection of links by topic targeted to faculty, instructors, K-12 educators, and instructional designers looking for ideas, inspiration and/or skill development specific to online or blended learning and instruction. The resources are carefully selected; I’ve included only those that I refer to consistently, are of high-quality and support knowledge and skill development. I. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. II. The level of instructor involvement [or not] in online learning environments is a controversial topic in the education sector. 1. 2. 3. 4. III. 1. The Rubric for Online Instruction (ROI) is a tool that can be used to create or evaluate the design of a fully online or blended course. Related post: ‘How ‘Good’ is Your Online Course? 2. 3. IV. 1. 2. 3. Like this: Like Loading...
Rubric for Online Discussion Board Participation Rubric for Asynchronous Discussion Participation Name___________________________________________________________ Asynchronous discussion enhances learning as you share your ideas, perspectives, and experiences with the class. You develop and refine your thoughts through the writing process, plus broaden your classmates’ understanding of the course content. Use the following feedback to improve the quality of your discussion contributions. Examples of postings that demonstrate higher levels of thinking: “Some common themes I see between your experiences and our textbook are….” For more information, contact Barbara Frey at baf30@pitt.edu Socratic questioning Type of question to predict knowledge on topic Socratic questioning (or Socratic maieutics)[1] is an educational method named after Socrates that focuses on discovering answers by asking questions of students. According to Plato, Socrates believed that "the disciplined practice of thoughtful questioning enables the scholar/student to examine ideas and be able to determine the validity of those ideas".[2] Plato explains how, in this method of teaching, the teacher assumes an ignorant mindset in order to compel the student to assume the highest level of knowledge.[2] Thus, a student is expected to develop the ability to acknowledge contradictions, recreate inaccurate or unfinished ideas, and critically determine necessary thought. Pedagogy[edit] In teaching, teachers can use Socratic questioning for at least two purposes: Socratic questioning illuminates the importance of questioning in learning. Socratic questioning and critical thinking[edit] Psychology[edit] See also[edit] References[edit]
Top Ten Moderator Skills (for 2010) | e-Moderation Station What makes a good e-moderator? What skills and qualities does the online tutor need? I asked our team of very experienced e-moderators what they thought the most important online skills and qualities were, and below are some of their responses. In the spirit of a new year beginning, I invite you to take a look at the Top Ten Moderator Skills below, and select those that you would like to develop in your own online teaching during 2010. A sort of online tutor’s New Year’s resolutions – you could print out the mind map below, circle those you’d like to work on, and pin it above your desk! [Made with Text2Mindmap] Top Ten Moderator Skills [These first two ‘skills’ are my two personal e-moderator resolutions for 2010, and are areas that I would specifically like to work on during this coming year] 1 PLN: Develop an effective online PLN (personal learning network) that works for you. How? 2 Enthusiasm: No one learns anything from uninterested or unmotivated teachers, whether f2f or online.
SH-Learning Objectives for Social Media: Social Media <div role="alert" class="ic-flash-static ic-flash-error"><div class="ic-flash__icon" aria-hidden="true"><i class="icon-warning"></i></div><h1>You need to have JavaScript enabled in order to access this site.</h1></div> Your browser does not meet the minimum requirements for Canvas. Please visit the Canvas Community for a complete list of supported browsers. Your browser does not meet the minimum requirements for Canvas. Select tools to monitor information and to consolidate it into a manageable information stream.Create, maintain, and manage a public online presence throughout the course. RELATE: Communication and Human Relationships CONNECT: Sharing & Marketing Ideas and Information PROTECT: Privacy, Ethics, and Legal Issues
Instructor involvement in Online Discussions? To be or not? This post is Part 1 of a 2 part series on Instructor involvement in Online discussions How important is discussion and discourse in learning? How about in online learning? From a Student’s Perspective…Can students have meaningful and valuable online discussions asynchronously without the instructor’s presence? What the experts say about Instructor Participation…. “Instructor presence [including participation in discussions] is a key element in the distinction between online and face-to-face education. Creating a framework for Effective Online Discussions This week as I’ve been participating in a MOOC called iFaciliate a 5 week online MOOC for educators which modeled what’s needed to establish effective discussions. How to Create the Framework for effective discussions: Check back this week for part 2: How instructors can effectively facilitate online discussions. Like this: Like Loading...