Description Student introductions are a high-impact practice: they build community within the course, set the stage for more substantive forms of student-student and student-instructor engagement, and can reveal unknown issues or strengths on the part of students (Dolan, Kain, Reilly, & Bansal, 2017). Building community in online classes (Nelson & Goodson, 2018) through introductions helps …
Continue reading “Create Intentional Communities through Meaningful Student Introductions”
Related Tags:
Assignments,
Content,
Discussions,
Engagement,
Equity,
Interaction,
Introduction,
Peer-Reviewed Entry,
Quizzes,
Social Presence,
Support
Description Online learning can cause students to miss the peer-to-peer connectiveness of the face-to-face classroom and feel isolated in their studies, which can lead to lower motivation, achievement, and retention in online classes (Angelino, Williams, & Natvig, 2007; Kanuka & Jugdev, 2006). To remedy students’ feelings of isolation, discussion forums are commonly utilized by instructors …
Continue reading “Implement Student Video Introductions to Foster Social Presence”
Related Tags:
Discussions,
Expectations,
Interaction,
Introduction,
LMS,
Peer-Reviewed Entry,
Rubric,
Video
Description Although not experts in the discipline, there have been benefits in having students lead online discussions. Students may be more comfortable to participate in the discussion when it is led by an equal member of the class, rather than the instructor who is perceived as the authority (Lim, Cheung, & Hew, 2011). Questioning from …
Continue reading “Ask Students to Lead the Online Discussion”
Related Tags:
Discussions,
Interaction,
Peer Learning,
Scaffolding,
Socratic Questioning
Description Asynchronous online teaching is fundamentally a communications challenge. What is gained in online learning by extending access through a Web-based LMS is offset by the loss of the immediacy and semantic richness of in-person instructional communication (Daft, R. L., & Lengel, R. H., 1986; Moore, M., 1993). In online discussion forums, students, in isolation, …
Continue reading “Create Structured Discussion Prompt to Reduce Ambiguity, Reinforce Purpose, and Promote Discourse”
Related Tags:
Discussions,
Interaction
Description Steering is a strategy used in interactional scaffolding of asynchronous discussion. Interactional scaffolding assumes the important role of the instructor as mediating discussion and maintaining a communicative ‘presence’ to support students to participate effectively in this mode of interaction. Interactional scaffolding involves modelling discourse and ways of communicating, and ensuring that the discussion keeps …
Continue reading “Scaffold Online Discussion through ‘Steering’”
Related Tags:
Constructivism,
Discussions,
Interaction,
Scaffolding,
Sociocultural Theory
Description Providing feedback to students in courses is important so they understand how they are performing. However, it is equally important to gather feedback from students. Seldin (1997) stated there are two reasons to gather feedback: “first, to improve teaching performance, and second, to provide a rational and equitable basis for personnel decisions” (p. 335). …
Continue reading “Using “Start, Stop, and Continue” to Gather Student Feedback to Improve Instruction”
Related Tags:
Feedback,
Interaction,
Questioning,
Survey
Description Peer review has the potential to be an effective activity for students to engage in, for several reasons. Students do not rely on the sole voice of the instructor, who is an expert in the matter. Peers may be able to communicate with other peers in a way that is difficult for the instructor. …
Continue reading “Strengthen Peer Review by Promoting the Lens of Design”
Related Tags:
Course Design,
Discussions,
Feedback,
Infographics,
Interaction,
Peer Review
Description An online protocol called “Prompt a Stand” was used in conjunction with Voicethread, a tool for having online discussions, in order to foster a debate on a topic. Protocols are “strategies for having structured communication to enhance problem-solving, encourage different perspectives, and build shared knowledge (Dichter & Zydney, 2015). The Prompt a Stand protocol …
Continue reading “Using Voicethread for Online Debate”
Related Tags:
Course Protocol,
Debate,
Discussions,
Interaction,
Voicethread
Description Faculty are often using images and other artifacts to “chunk” content and embed them within content text to keep the interest of the learner and break-up large chunks of course materials. By using the strategy to embed questions and polling within course content, the instructor can promote student-to-content, student-to-student, and student-to-instructor interactions throughout the …
Continue reading “Embed Interactive Questioning within Course Content”
Related Tags:
Assessment,
Chunking,
Content,
Embed,
Interaction,
Poll
Post an Introduction Video to Welcome Students to Your Course