Description Working in groups can be challenging if groups don’t take the time to outline each member’s strengths and potential contributions and also the guidelines for how the group will act and react to situations as the project develops. This is especially true for large-size classes. Link to example artifact(s) UCF professor Susan Jardaneh clearly …
Continue reading “Establish a Group Discussion Strategy”
Related Tags:
Collaborative Learning,
Discussions,
Interaction
Description Setting up a discussion prompt is important for initial structuring, but it is crucial to facilitate during the discussion to ensure it is progressing. Baker (2011) warns, “Unmanaged discussions invite chaos.” However, most instructors agree that participation and grading of discussions takes the majority of one’s time (Cranney, Alexander, Wallace, & Alfano, 2011). Here …
Continue reading “Facilitate Discussions Effectively”
Related Tags:
Discussions,
Facilitation,
Interaction,
Scaffolding
Description Holding effective, engaging discussions in large classes can be a challenge. However, they provide an opportunity for online students to engage with each other and the instructor in a way not possible with other kinds of assessments. Here are some ideas to structure this effectively. Group Size: The most common acceptable number for groups …
Continue reading “Manage Discussions in Large Classes”
Related Tags:
Discussions,
Grading,
Interaction,
Large Classes,
Management,
Rubric
Description While faculty might hope that students can “just discuss” a topic online with little or no support, Beckett, Amaro‐Jiménez, and Beckett (2010) found that “even doctoral students may need explicit grading instructions, and therefore provide rubrics and sample responses while not stifling creativity” (p. 331). Rubrics provide clear expectations for students regarding how an …
Continue reading “Create Discussion Rubrics”
Related Tags:
Assessment,
Discussions,
Rubric
Description Discussion prompts are the written “springboard” from which online discussions are launched and are essential to encourage shared understanding (Du, Zhang, Olinzock, & Adams, 2008). Discussion prompts can vary from pithy (e.g., “Discuss [Topic X]”) to verbose (e.g., an entire printed page of instructions). However, the best standard for gauging the effectiveness of a …
Continue reading “Create Effective Discussion Prompts”
Related Tags:
Blog,
Communication,
Discussions,
Interaction,
Problem-Based Learning
