Online Course:
Communication Plan

April 03, 2011

Routine Administrative Tasks

  1. Set up all class forums to forward to personal email

  2. Check class discussion forums twice daily

  3. Check social forums daily

  4. Set aside 20 minutes, twice daily, to respond to student emails

  5. At the end of each discussion: Summarize and synthesize what's been said, and add guiding questions to extend thought and reflection beyond the discussion

Discussion Forum Strategies

  1. Personal Statement:
    Have each student write an introductory statement about themselves, to share with the rest of the class. Have them include some or all of the following:

  • hobbies

  • family/children

  • nickname

  • how to be addressed

  • personal antecdotes

  • simple musings

As an example, I will start off by posting my own introduction:
Hi! I'm your instructor for this course, Elisa Gopin. You can call me Lisi, or Mrs. Gopin, whatever you are comfortable with. I'm excited about what we're going to learn together in this course, and about getting to know each and every one of you. First, a little about me: I live in Beit Shemesh, Israel and have 3 beautiful kids. I enjoy photography, reading and hiking as well as spending time with my family – preferably while hiking, taking pictures, or reading with them!

  1. Analytical questions:
    A) Read the following article - http://www.myinkblog.com/2009/03/21/4-principles-of-good-design-for-websites/ - and discuss how you would apply these principles to your last class assignment. What would you do differently? Go through your classmate's projects from the previous assignments and find one, for each design principle, that you feel best shows proper use of that principle.
    B) This article - http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/01/11/the-case-against-vertical-navigation/ - makes a case for not using vertical navigation anymore in website design. What do you think? What points or examples do you agree with? What do you not agree with? When, if ever, do you think it's more appropriate to use vertical over horizontal navigation design?

  2. Explain Discussion Areas:
    A) Main Discussion Forum – This is where content-related forum topics will be posted. You will post all responses in this ares.
    B) Social Discussion Forum – This is for any non-content related class chatter. You can discuss what's going on in class, ask questions about assignment to classmates, or talk about anything else that's on your mind. Have fun – that's what we're here for!
    C) Question and Answer Forum – This is a place to ask questions about the class, or assignments, that you'd like to ask the teacher that are relevant to other students as well.
    D) Personal Emails – You can email the teacher personally with any questions or comments that don't belong in any of the above forums. I will respond to emails at least once a day during the semester, although it may take a bit longer to get a response during weekends or holidays.

  3. Virtual IceBreaker:
    Have students participate in icebreaker activity, specific to topic of the class.
    Example - Detective Agency
    Choose a fact about yourself that you want to share with others in the group. It can be your favorite food/movie/song, a hobby, something you don't like to do, a vacation you recently took, etc. Try to choose something interesting and unique, however it should not be too personal that you mind everyone in the class knowing! Create 3 clues for your classmates about the thing you've chosen to share and post them in the class forum on Moodle.

    You can choose something like:

  • I went to France with my family over the summer break

  • I recently got my first iPod touch

  • I love the Harry Potter movies so much I own a wizard's robe with the Gryffindor logo

  • Anything else that is exciting and fun that you'd like to share! (remember, nothing too personal or embarrassing!)

Now, put on your detective's hat! You have one week to “interview” classmates by posting replies on the forum. You can ask questions about the clues, and try to guess what the clues point to that your classmate is trying to share. You will also answer questions posted to you about the thing you've chosen to share. Try to guess as many of your classmates' “secrets” as you can!

Be respectful, and remember that rules of netiquette apply. If you have a friend in the class and already know what he or she has chosen to share based on reading the clues, then please do not give away the answer! Let others continue to guess until they get it, and concentrate on guessing “secrets” of classmates that you did not know before class started.

When all the "secrets" have been correctly discovered, find at least 3 other people with whom you have something in common, based on the secrets you've chosen to share, and reply to each person in the forum describing what you have in common.

5. Devil's Advocate:
Model critical questions that show respect for the original point raised and for the original poster, while still extending or re-framing the discussion. This is one of the hardest skills for students to learn to be comfortable with!
A) Example: I think learning today is different. Today's students are used to living in a world where "knowing" information is not important because it's always available to them when they are curious, and where being social and producing creations is the norm.”
Critical Response: I'm not sure whether or not I agree with this. Do you feel that it is less important to “know” things, ie to remember facts? Is this true of all facts that have been considered important in the past, or only some? Do students feel that it is less important, even if teachers still feel “knowing” has it's place in learning? How can teachers react to that feeling? Should teachers change the way they teach to accommodate learner's preconceptions and preferences, or should students be encouraged to critically analyze their beliefs about learning?
B) Example: “Research, then, suggests that in good teaching there are appropriate times for using an objectivist approach (expository instruction) and appropriate times for using a constructivist approach (simulations). I think the "just right" amount and timing might be intuitive and ever-changing and therefore falls under the "art" of teaching.“
Critical Response: In my experience teachers tend to lean toward either an objectivist approach or constructivist. It seems to depend on their own preferences for both learning and teaching, rather than a philosophy grounded in what is best for the learning situation. If people tend to teach the way they prefer learning, how successful will they be teaching in a style that is not as "comfortable" for them? Can we be taught specific ways to break out of our comfort zone?
C) Example: “It just sounds so hard, to teach online. There are so many expectations that a f2f teacher doesn't have to worry about, and the time commitment is so much more than 9-3 like in a building.”
Critical Response: When you teach a f2f class, do you really only work 9-3? What about prep time out of class, grading papers, fielding phone calls from parents? Do you think it could be easier to juggle the different demands of teaching online given that you have more control over your schedule and when you put in the time to do things? Or is it easier to just know you have to be somewhere at a certain time, and you can't change that?

Discussion Forum Assessment Rubric


Excellent

Acceptable

Poor

Initial Post Length

150-400 words (approx); Thoroughly answers the forum prompt; Encourages deeper discussion

Answers part of the forum prompt; Asks questions but does not encourage deeper discussion

Does not really address the forum prompt; is a “conversation-stopper” rather than starter; Off topic or rambling

Follow Up Post

50-100 words (approx); Discusses at least one point where you CRTICALLY agree or disagree with author of initial post; Explains why you agree or disagree based on sources or examples

Incomplete response to the initial post; A well though out answer that does not list sources or examples to support opinion

Simple agreement or disagreement with no elaboration

Use of Resources

Refers to at least two points mentioned in the assigned reading

Refers to one point mentioned in the assigned reading

Does not refer to assigned reading

Timeliness

Both initial post and follow up are posted within the deadline

Either initial post or follow up is posted past the deadline

Both initial post and follow up are posted past the deadline

 

Discussion Forum Instructor Checklist:

  • Is adequate time provided for discussion on this particular topic?

  • Are deadlines for this discussion clearly posted?

  • Are the instructions for this discussion clearly posted?

  • Will this topic stimulate interest and curiousity among students?

  • Have I provided students with the opportunity to reflect on what they are learning?

  • Do students understand proper discussion board Netiquette?

  • Am I checking responses regularly?

  • Have I made my presence felt to students during this discussion?

  • Do I feel that students are comfortable sharing thoughts with each other, or do I need to facilitate that?

Discussion Forum Student Checklist:

  • Have I fully answered the question posed at the beginning of this discussion in my initial post?

  • Did I use examples from my own life to help me understand the forum prompt?

  • Did I incorporate ideas from the assigned readings into my post?

  • Did my follow up post respond to specific points raised by the initial poster?

  • Have I participated fully in this discussion, even beyond the basic requirements for posting?

  • Did I participate in the discussion in a timely manner?

Management Issues and Strategies

  1. Prob: It's easier for people to say things that pop into their heads than to write it, so even someone who might have something to contribute in a f2f class may tend to be more "quiet" in a chat
    Solution: Break the class into smaller groups, so each students participation is felt more - this makes it harder to "hide in the back row" and not say anything and it's also easier to jump into a discussion when it's not flying as fast

  2. Prob: While DBs can bring out the quieter students who are hesitant to raise their hands in class, either because they are shy or because the conversation flows too fast for them to process, it can also make normally outgoing students less active in class - the change in medium makes it harder for them to participate the way they are used to
    Solution: Provide the opportunity for audio or video comments, so people who don't want to take the time to write a response don't have to - once they put it off so they can deal with it when they have time, it's less likely to get done

  3. Prob: People see it as taking more time than talking in class; this may be because they have to think more about writing than speaking, or it may be that the time is spread out during the week rather than bunched into a 2-3 hour window so it feels like you are "always" thinking about the discussion and reading posts
    Solution: Break up the discussion into initial posts and follow ups to classmates, so students feel like they are reacting to multiple small assignments rather than spending all week on one assignment

  4. Prob: In order for an asynchronous online discussion to be successful, participants have to log in often during the week, even if for brief periods. This is not always assumed by students at the beginning, who think they can set aside time once or twice a week to focus on class (which may work for classwork and homework, but not discussions) and don't realize how much more difficult this is
    Solution: Require multiple posts during the week, so they don't all bunch up at the end of the discussion period (ie, initial post due 3 days after the discussion opens, second post by the end of the week. I would require a 3 post as well for a two week discussion)

  5. Prob: A student who reads posts, but does not respond, feels like they are participating but this is not felt by the rest of the class. A student can show up for class every day and be really quiet, but you can still tell they are paying attention and they are contributing non-verbally. This is completely lost online
    Solution: Require a minimum number of posts, so students know that it's important to read discussions but that isn't as productive as replying to it

  6. Prob: Life does get in the way, many students start out with good intentions but it can he hard to follow through when sick kids or urgent tasks at work come in the way
    Solution: Emphasize from the beginning that students will be more productive and the environment more manageable if they break it down into smaller time chunks throughout the week, rather than setting aside time to catch up (catching up implies you know you will be falling behind!)

  7. Prob: Students tend to feel isolated from the teacher in an online environment, especially in a discussion board since they tend to interact more with classmates than they may be used to in a lecture hall
    Solution:
    The teacher/facilitator should provide feedback throughout the week - obviously it's not important to respond to every single post, but it is important for students to hear your voice during the week and know you're there

  8. Prob: It is harder for students to feel engaged with classmates when only interacting online
    Solution: When the instructor responds to student posts on the DB he or she should try to connect posts from two or more students to get them both involved in the same sub-discussion. If the instructor does this a few times throughout the semester, hopefully it will encourage students to interact with each other within the DB.

Encouraging Participation and Critical Thinking in Students

  1. For at least one discussion board during the semester, take a topic that has two or three sides or opinions and have students sign up for each side. Students will interact in the discussion as a member of their group for that week. Being part of a smaller group encourages students to feel that their individual participation means that much more and that their voice is less likely to get lost in the overall discussion.
    Example: There are those web designers who say webpages should only be designed using fluid widths, so they are more flexible and will be more accessible to any screen size and any viewer. Others say that fixed width designs are better because you can test them more throughly and know how well they work on different screen sizes. What do you think? Please sign up to join one group or the other, we'll have equal size groups so it's first come-first serve

  2. For at least one discussion board during the semester, have students respond with the OPPOSITE of what they really think. This forces them to consider the merits of the other side of the argument which will broaden their ideas on that topic.
    Example: Copyright laws are meant to protect artists' creations, but also to encourage further creativity by allowing other artists to build on what has already been done. Mash ups and parodies are examples of using someone else's work to create your own. Would you be flattered, or upset, if someone used your work to create a mash up or parody? Why or why not? Would you ever create a work so closely based on someone else's – why or why not? Please answer this question by arguing the OPPOSITE of your initial reaction – ie, if you initially thought it would be wrong to create a work based on editing someone else's than please find reasons to argue why you think it WOULD be OK.