Toward More Successful ^ Class

Discussions Colorado D2L Ignite 2013

Facilitators: Liz Dzabic & John RaganQuality Assurance at CCCOnline (Colorado

Community College System)

online

Overview

• Introduction: Quality Assurance at CCCOnline • Difficulties inherent in online class discussions

(observations)• Some problems students could be having

(explaining the previous . . . )• Advice to solve these problems • Our Threaded Discussion Rubric and how it

encourages quality discussion (with examples)• Audience input!

“CCCOnline works as an online conduit, providing the service of delivering courses from [our] 13 land colleges . . .” --CCCOnline.org

CCCOnline

• We are totally online (all TPD, QA online also)• Current stats for fall: – 350 instructors – 260 courses – 827 sections

Quality Assurance process

• QA team evaluates discussions within courses – Everyone gets an evaluation once a year: e-

classroom observation • 100-200 courses reviewed per term, on average

– Any “Needs Improvement” mark means another review the following semester

– Same rubric for all classes– Reports released directly to Program Chairs, and

then to instructors

Goals of the QA program

• We recognize student interaction/engagement is critical for student retention, involvement, success, overall experience in online course– Encourage excellence in online classrooms– Foster consistency across courses– Provide documentation for Chairs & Associate

Deans to advise instructors– Assure quality for member colleges

(they transcript courses)

Common difficulties inherent in class discussions (observations)

• Students don’t participate, or don’t participate until the last minute (too little, too late for meaningful contribution to conversation)

Common difficulties inherent in class discussions (observations)

• Students don’t post much of substance

Common difficulties inherent in class discussions (observations)

• Students veer off on the wrong track or do not follow directions

Some problems students could be having (explaining the previous . . . )

• Students don’t understand the expectations/guidelines

• Students are hindered by the technical aspects of the course

Some problems students could be having, cont.

• Students are shy or insecure about posting• Students are intimidated or discouraged by

dominating student or others’ poor etiquette

Some problems students could be having, cont.

• Students are overwhelmed/inhibited by timing and deadlines in course

Solving these problems

• Students don’t understand the expectations/guidelines:– good course design, including deadlines in multiple

places and clear directions within each separate topic

– dedicated Q&A board– orientation to include

discussion processes

SOLUTION!

Solving these problems

• Students are hindered by the technical aspects of the course:– Help Desk access– timely responses to student emails/posts– FAQ section– links to orientation/modules with directions

SOLUTION!

Solving these problems

• Students are shy or insecure about posting:– provide Introduction topic and respond to each

student (i.e. welcome them all)– set encouraging tone in own posts

SOLUTION!

Solving these problems

• Students are intimidated or discouraged by dominating student or others’ poor etiquette:– make etiquette expectations clear, perhaps with

Do’s and Don’ts– moderate closely, re-directing as needed

SOLUTION!

Solving these problems

• Students are overwhelmed/inhibited by timing and deadlines in course:– assign deadlines for initial and follow-up posts– make clear from the outset how many

hours/week class will consume

SOLUTION!

Our Threaded Discussion Rubric and how it encourages quality discussion

• Presence/Timeliness: Instructor regularly posts 4-5 (or 3) days each week; instructor (usually) responds to student posts within 48 hours.– Good or Best:• Post something (does not have to be a direct response

to a student) to the open discussion(s) at least 3 separate days during a week• Respond to students as appropriate, but when posts

call for a response, post within 48 hours

Our Threaded Discussion Rubric and how it encourages quality discussion

• Interaction Quality: Instructor regularly interacts with all students in a class, both on an individual and group basis. (umbrella category)– Good or Best: • Respond to groups of students as appropriate

(students give you the cue)• Respond to students by acknowledging, adding

information as appropriate, and re-engaging by challenging them with additional questions

Interaction Quality example

Ramon--sounds like you have a good handle on the basic distinctions between physicalism/materialism and dualism. However, I wondered why specifically you find fault with physicalism? Part of the reason that I ask this is that it is probably the most popular/dominant tradition in contemporary philosophy. A good many philosophers are physicalists.

With respect to Strong AI, why do you believe that reasoning is not possible in computers? Does Searle's Chinese room argument express what a computer might lack?

What do others think of the Chinese room argument?

Another Interaction Quality example

Kristin, Haley and Bethany,What outstanding and creative work you have shared for this

Unit. Your stories are lively, engaging and full of the passion that befits Medieval folk on a pilgrimage. Well done!

Haley, your descriptions of the Cathedral at Chartres are enlightening. Here are two different virtual tours of Chartres: http://www.ithaca.edu/chartres/explore/explore_new.html and http://gallery.sjsu.edu/chartres/tour.html. The cathedral is well known for many outstanding examples of stained glass and architectural elements.

Our Threaded Discussion Rubric and how it encourages quality discussion

• Acknowledgement: Instructor posts regularly acknowledge students' understanding of content.– Good or Best:

– Remember to pat students on the back (as appropriate) or correct/refer them elsewhere if understanding is lacking.

Our Threaded Discussion Rubric and how it encourages quality discussion• Additional Posts: Instructor posts regularly add

additional information and direct or redirect the discussion or appropriately close it.– Good or Best:• As appropriate, add information (can be in many

forms) and keep reins of the discussion: direct it

Acknowledgement & Add’l Posts example

Hi, Janice and Kristi,Thanks for your collaboration on this problem. It's different from those that have been solved

previously.Kristi, you were on the right track but that simple arithmetic error threw your answer off. It happens

to the best of us, but when your answer doesn't seem reasonable or it doesn't check with the wording of the original problem, then it's time to hunt that error down. I made comments in your solution below. Please check them out. Recommendations:

1) Always get us off to a good start by restating the original problem and its directions.2) Please, please, please label your steps as Step 1, Step 2, Step 3, etc. That enables your reviewers

to refer to specific steps of your solution if need be.3) Check your answers with the original wording of the problem. That may have helped you find

your error.Janice, thank you for your timely response. You put a GREAT DEAL OF WORK into your reply. Thank

you! You arrived at the correct answers by correcting the error found in Kristi's solution. I appreciate you taking your role as poster very seriously.

Nice teamwork, you two. Good luck in wrapping up Unit D and the Vocab Quiz if you haven't done so already. Keep up your good work within this fast-paced course.

Prof . Y

Our Threaded Discussion Rubric and how it encourages quality discussion

• Engagement/Re-engagement: Instructor posts regularly re-engage individual learners as well as the entire class through the use of additional questions at the same or higher level.– Good or Best:• Ask questions about what students post.• These can be judiciously placed throughout discussion.

Engagement/Re-engagement example

In each of the discussions that were reviewed, she posted several questions which were directed to the whole class, as well as questions for individual students. An example of each is shown below, and one of the examples is a good reminder that questions to the class do not need to be lengthy.

Hello Crystal,I am sorry that what sparked your interest was a sick friend. An interesting

pathogen, though. Can you tell us about the role that fungus plays in its environment?-Dr. X Hello Class,Samantha has a great question. Who can address this?-Dr. X

Your turn . . .

• What discussion methods do you use at your college?

Credits

• MorgueFile, Wikimedia Commons, CCCS.edu (photos)

• Threaded Discussion Rubric at http://ccconline.org/Instructor_Resources/Instructor_Handbook/Discussion_Evaluation

• Debbie Morrison, 10/8/13, “Ten Reasons Students Don’t Participate in Discussion and How to Remedy Each,” Online Learning Insights blog