Session 3

Learning Outcomes
• Frame discussion questions to encourage divergent, reflective responses.
• Effectively moderate online discussions that promote learning.
• Write effective learning outcomes.
• Design an evaluation strategy/grading rubric for a student assignment.

philosophy of learner-centred instruction
1. participants as active and involved in their own learning
2. base on constructivist learning theory
3. prof becomes facilitator – a “guide on the side “ vs “sage on the stage”

WHY USE ONLINE DISCUSSION: Eight
Reasons to use online discussion

LACK OF PARTICIPATION?

8 reasons to use online discussions
1. participants are encouraged to analyze what they are learning -- test their own understanding against the professor and other participants
2. To bring real-world experience to the classroom

8 reasons to use online discussions
3. fosters critical reflection
4. enhances Forum for cooperation
5. team activities & building skills
6. develops a sense of community
7. adds social component
8. answer individual questions for benefit of group

INCREASING PARTICIPATION

KEEPING LINES OF
COMMUNICATION OPEN

WHY SHOULD YOU PARTICIPATE?
1. MODEL APPROPRIATE DISCUSSION FOR
PARTICIPANTS
2. UNDERSCORES THE IMPORTANCE OF THE
ACTIVITY
3. HELPS IN DEEPENING THE DISCUSSION

THINGS TO AVOID
1. TOO MANY POSTS FROM YOU CAN BACKFIRE
2. PRAISE! (TOO MUCH OF IT….)
3. PING-PONG DISCUSSION –
4. RESPONDING TOO QUICKLY

WHAT’S THE ROLE OF THE
FACILITATOR…?
1. YOU ARE THE PRIMARY MODERATOR / HELPS
YOU ASSIST PARTICIPANTS
2. HELPS ELEVATE THEIR PROGRESS AND
ENGAGEMENT
3. KNOW WHEN CLARIFICATION, ADDITIONAL
RESOURCES, OR OTHER TYPE OF ASSISTANCE
IS NEEDED
KEEP IN MIND - YOUR ROLE & PARTICIPANTS
ROLE WILL CHANGE…..

FACILITATORS’ & PARTICIPANTS’ ROLES
AT VARIOUS STAGES (1)
1. Access & Motivation
• Participants' roles : Getting in to the course: successfully logging on
• Facilitators' role: Encouraging, welcoming;
Clarifying role of conference

FACILITATORS’ & PARTICIPANTS’ ROLES
AT VARIOUS STAGES (2)
2. Online Socialization
• Participants' roles : Moving beyond browsing;
Learning to feel at home
• Facilitators' role: Creating an atmosphere where people feel respected ; May include contacting individuals by email as they
"arrive" (or fail to) in the conferencing space

FACILITATORS’ & PARTICIPANTS’ ROLES
AT VARIOUS STAGES (3)
STAGE 3. Information Exchange
• Participants' roles: Deal with potential information overload ;Work at finding information online ;Discuss content and issues in the conference area
• Facilitators' role: Present linkages in interesting ways; Ensure that contributions are not lost or ignored

FACILITATORS’ & PARTICIPANTS’ ROLES
AT VARIOUS STAGES (4)
STAGE 4: Knowledge Construction
• Participants' roles: Begin to analyze/interpret what they are learning; Experience different perspectives; become authors, based on their own reading and personal experience, not just transmitters of facts
• Facilitators' role: Begin to move out of the way Encourage critical thinking

FACILITATORS’ & PARTICIPANTS’ ROLES
AT VARIOUS STAGES (E)
STAGE 5 Development
• Participants' roles: Experienced participants may share the moderator’s role ;May challenge position of moderator ;Take responsibility for own learning
Clearly demonstrate critical thinking; Often reflect critically on role of the technology in learning, as well as on topic area
• Facilitators' role: Be prepared for challenges from participants; Don't interfere too much with discussion, but don't become obviously absent either

FRAMING QUESTIONS

Ineffective discussion question (1)
• Questions that lend themselves only to
yes/no answer.
• Questions that have a single correct response.
•
Questions requiring only unsubstantiated opinion as a response
• Encouraging participants to provide evidence that supports their opinion, or that refutes the
contentions of others, helps deepen understanding when used exclusively;

Ineffective discussion questions (2)
• Opinion-seeking questions are terrific for getting the conversation going..

Effective discussion questions
GOOD QUESTIONS …
• DIVERGENT TYPE QUESTIONS
• EXPLORE THE “WHY” OF THINGS
• ASK PARTICIPANTS TO EXPLORE MATERIAL IN LIGHT
OF THEIR OWN EXPERIENCES

Developing effective questions within dialogue
. Critical thinking in discussion allows participants to probe underlying assumptions, explore hypothetical outcomes, and explore personal and societal beliefs
• Questions that : ask for more evidence; clarification; extend responses; hypothetical questions; cause & affect questions; summary and synthesis questions

QUESTIONS THAT HIJACK DISCUSSION
• INTERJECTED INTO CONVERSATION WITHOUT
REFERENCE TO TOPIC/ISSUE UNDER DISCUSSION
• DON’T PICK UP ON THE THEMES
• CONTAINED IN RESPONSES THAT CONSIST OF 2-3
QUESTIONS
• RESPOND TO PARTICIPANTS RESPONSES
PREMATURELY

?

QUESTIONS TO BEGIN DISCUSSION
• RE-USED QUESTIONS
• ONES LINKED TO CURRENT EVENTS
• PARTICIPANT GENERATED

OTHER WAYS TO BEGIN DISCUSSION
• POST A QUOTE
• PARTICIPANTS FIND AND POST QUOTES
• PARTICIPANTS POST STORY

Learner-centred education
Guiding principles
The case for Learner-Centered Education

Learner-centred psychological principles
Learner-Centered Psychological Principles: A framework for School Reform by The American Psychological Association (APA)
Board of Educational Affairs 1997.

Effective Online Engagement
Building learning communities in Cyberspace: effective strategies for the online classroom
(1999: Jossey-Bass) Rena M. Palloff and Keith Pratt
Palloff and Pratt focus extensively on increasing participation.
Encouraging online participation?
Suzanne Ho, School of Design, Curtin University of Technology
This is an excellent article. The author begins with two questions:
"How do you encourage or facilitate online participation? What constitutes effective participation?" She explores theories about encouraging participation, surveys methods, and makes recommendations based on a literature review.

Planning Online Interaction
Techniques including instructor-led discussion, brainstorming, using case studies and debates are included in this tip sheet from
UVIC.
Groupwork in distance learning
Richard M. Felder and Rebecca Brent's article concentrates on setting up teams for collaboration at a distance.
Why don't face-to-face teaching strategies work in the virtual classroom? How to avoid the "question mill" by Sarah Havind

A framework for designing questions for online learning
Lin Muilenburg and Zane L. Berge begin with a discussion of the kinds of higher-order thinking we're trying to promote using online discussion. They explore the functions of questions in considerable depth and provide a detailed framework for generating questions.
The section, "Manage the discussion in process" is particularly useful for phrasing questions designed to move a conversation towards critical thinking.