Discussing Discussions

the activity frozen in time

An interactive article allows you to engage with the content by clicking to listen to audio, watch videos, or more. You can click on text to see a reference or source, explore apps by selecting, or view additional resources at various points in the article. By clicking this explanation, you’ve already started interacting. Enjoy the rest of the article!

an introduction

“ Discussion…is seen as a basic component of web-based courses since it provides the main vehicle for contact between participants.

Mary Herring, Technology in Education, 2002

always connected

Technologically, we’ve come a long way in the last few decades. Thanks to cellphones, asynchronous communication, which once needed to be taught, has become the norm.

who owns a cell phone?

68%

Baby Boomers (age 55-73)

90%

Gen Xers (age 39-54)

93%

Millennials (age 23-38) 

On average, we spend 6 hours and 42 minutes online every day.

the problem

How we interact online has evolved, but we’re still approaching online course discussion like it’s 2002.

what are students' attitudes toward discussion boards?

(Click the stars to find out)

Iceberg

The Course Workload Calculator developed by Rice University’s Center for Teaching Excellence recommends allocating 1 hour for each 250 word reflective narrative students are required to write (with minimal drafting). If asked to argue a position or provide independent research, this time increases to 2 to 4 hours for each post.

What we end up with is not a discussion but a series of monologues where conversation is impossible because on Monday it all resets. We implement rules to model what a proper conversation looks like on the internet, but it can become “helicopter teaching” where we’re so afraid students will fail we keep them from succeeding.

The lowest levels of Bloom’s taxonomy–Knowledge and Comprehension–is where we would expect to see words like “give examples,” “identify,” “recognize,” “explain,” or “describe.” Yet these are the most common words used in discussion board prompts. This reduces “discussion” to a way of checking which students did the homework and which did not.

We have crafted a tool that does an excellent job measuring participation but a poor job facilitating actual learning.

what do we want to accomplish?

create community

demonstrate learning

facilitate discussion

creating community

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Whether for introductions or quick discussions, consider using video or audio responses rather than text. They take less time on the student end and allow students to see and hear one another as they learn together.

 

It can sound a little scary to advocate for a chat where the instructor can’t see what the students are discussing, but if you truly want to build community, you have to have a space where students control the conversation. I recommend suggesting something like GroupMe that moves the conversation outside the LMS, but if students prefer not to download an app, set up a designated chat within the course for whatever students want to discuss.

Time zones don’t always line up between students and teachers in online classes, but you should still set aside time to get to know your online students and make yourself available for them if they want to chat! If it works best to make yourself available in evenings but don’t want to give out your personal cell number, consider setting up a Google Voice account where students can still call in and chat about their projects.

Relaxing the rules on what counts as a reply may make grading harder, but it could also lead to more genuine discussions as students feel their can open up or communicate comfortably. Need ideas on how to get started? Click the image for ideas on how to use humor (and, yes, memes) to improve student learning.

demonstrating learning

By taking away the structure of a traditional discussion forum, students are able to brainstorm with each other in new ways, building idea charts and mind maps. Both ConceptBoard and LiveBoard have the benefit of allowing students to collaborate in a live environment, but don’t require everyone to be online at the same time to keep the workflow going.

Maybe you’ve heard the expression “we learn best when we teach?” Allow students to demonstrate their understanding of a topic by creating quizzes or interactive pieces for their peers with online aps like H5P or Kahoot! Allowing them to create something new to demonstrate a base understanding of a topic will keep everyone more engaged than paraphrasing a text in a discussion board.

Instead of asking students to reflect on their learning in a discussion board and hoping they go back and build on previous posts, have them collect and respond to reflections in a place where their thoughts and learning are collected, allowing them to easily see how their understanding has grown over the course of the class. Pathbrite is a free eportfolio program that allows students to create online collections of any media in a place where other students can comment on and discuss it. A OneNote class notebook lends a little privacy to their reflections, while still collecting their learning in one place.

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facilitate discussion

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Notice how no one ever seems to have a problem holding a long conversation on social media? Take advantage of students’ familiarity with social platforms by having them comment on articles, posts, and threads to generate passionate discussions. Click on the icons to the left for tips on how to use social media for education.


Instead of having a multi-point question that students respond to, consider using smaller, targeted questions throughout the week. It allows for more responses from each student, keeps the conversation on track, and helps lead the students through learning. Not sure students will check a discussion forum multiple times a day? Consider using ClassPulse instead!

Why wait until after the student has completed an assignment to get the conversation going? Voice Thread and Comment Bubble allow you to post videos or slides and have students respond with comments throughout. Comment Bubble requires no registration and allows students to submit comments anonymously, while Voice Thread allows for the possibility of voice, video, or text comments.

For assigned readings, Google Suite will allow students not only to collaborate on projects but also to comment on presentations and pdfs, giving them the opportunity to share thoughts and gain insight from one another as they read the text.

 

evaluating tech

Tip: we can’t expect the students to be enthusiastic about learning if we are dragging our feet.

This is the ultimate goal you want for the tech, and it should have nothing to do with tech itself. For instance, you don’t ask a student to create a video to accomplish them creating a video. You ask the student to create a video to reinforce their own knowledge of the subject and demonstrate that they can synthesize the subjects covered. 

The answer to this question should look more like “facilitate discussion, reinforce skill, increase reading comprehension” than “collaborate on a project, build a website, create a presentation.”

Now that you know what you’re trying to accomplish, you can start considering the best way to use tech to achieve that goal. Lots of tech can do similar things, but no two apps are identical. When evaluating tech, it’s important to make a priority list of what you need the tech to do and what you would also like it to do. These are two different things.

For example, above you will see links to VoiceThread and Comment Bubble. Both will allow you to upload videos and presentations for students to comment on in real time. However, VoiceThread makes students go through the process of setting up an account, while Comment Bubble does not. If not having students set up outside accounts is a priority, you might want to look at Comment Bubble. On the other hand, Comment Bubble limits students to text-based comments, while VoiceThread allows for voice, video, and text comments. If it’s more important that students be able to respond in a variety of ways, you may have to compromise on not asking them to create outside accounts. Decide what’s most important before you start looking at tech, so you don’t get overwhelmed with shiny extras later.

In addition to privacy concerns, you don’t want to ask students to sign up for an account if the process is overly complicated or confusing. They’re not there to learn how to sign up for an account–they’re signing up for an account so they can learn!

While we should be open to learning new processes, it’s important to consider how much time you will have to spend teaching yourself and others how to use this tech. A general rule of thumb is the steeper the learning curve, the more you should use it. If you’re only using an app once or twice, it should be an incredibly easy set up. If you’re planning to use something throughout the course where students will have plenty of time to get to know it, it’s fine if it takes a little longer–provided students are given that grace period to learn.

Consider low-stakes, “practice” assignments that allow students a chance to get comfortable with the tech before any weighty grades are assigned. For example, if you want students to create a video as their final project, have them create shorter, simple videos one or two times previously so they’re comfortable with the process. You don’t want to deduct points from a project for preventable tech mishaps.

It’s important when asking students to learn anything new that we provide support and instructions. This could mean finding guides and walkthroughs on the internet, or it could mean creating step-by-step instructions ourselves. Tip: reach out to your IT group or teaching center to see if they can help you put together clear and concise instructions that cover only what the student needs to know.

Tip: stay open to student suggestions.

Resources for Tech

 

How to Make Smart Choices About Tech For Your Course

Apps That Work With Google Classroom

The Tech Edvocate

webpages.leeu.edu/cte/discussions

created by Bethany Sargent, Faculty Coordinator of Instructional Technology

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