Part II. Sample Synchronous
and Asynchronous Activities
(David Brown, Syllabus, January 2002,
p. 23; October 2001, p. 18)
From Learning Designers to
Experience Designers
(Reinhard Ziegler, March 2002, e-learning)
“How are we going to create
environments, simulations, and
real learning experiences unless
they’ve participated in them and
reflected on their importance for
themselves?”…the key is “how
to design the interaction so the
user lives the experience.”
How Bad Is It?
“Some frustrated Blackboard users who say
the company is too slow in responding to
technical problems with its coursemanagement software have formed an
independent users’ group to help one
another and to press the company to
improve.”
(Jeffrey Young, Nov. 2, 2001, Chronicle of
Higher Ed)
We’re Handing out degrees
in electronic page turning!!!
• To get the certificate, learners merely
needed to “read” (i.e. click through)
each screen of material
More Online PowerPoint
(even terrorists would be
too bored to read)
IIA. Ten Asynchronous Activities
1. Social Ice Breakers: Storytelling Cartoon Time
2. Learner-Content Interactions: Challenges, Animations,
Self-Testing, Double Jeopardy Quizzing
3. Scenario-Based Simulations
4. Anonymous Suggestion Box
5. Student Formative Surveys
6. Role Play: Assume the Persona of a Scholar
7. Case-Based Laboratories & Online Experiments
8. Authentic Data Analysis
9. Just-in-Time Teaching; Just-in-Time Syllabus
10. Perspective Taking: Foreign Languages
1. Social Ice Breakers
1. Storytelling Cartoon Time:
Find a Web site that has
cartoons. Have
participants link their
introductions or stories to
a particular cartoon URL.
Storytelling is a great way
to communicate.
http://www.curtoons.com/cartooncoll.htm
2a. Learner-Content Interactions: SelfTesting
2b. Learner-Content Interactions:
Double-Jeopardy Quizzing
Gordon McCray, Wake Forest University, Intro to
Management of Info Systems
1. Students take objective quiz (no time limit and not
graded)
2. Submit answer for evaluation
3. Instead of right or wrong response, the quiz returns a
compelling probing question, insight, or conflicting
perspective (i.e., a counterpoint) to force students to
reconsider original responses
4. Students must commit to a response but can use
reference materials
5. Correct answer and explanation are presented
3. Scenario-Based Simulations
“There’s something new on the horizon,
though: computer-based soft skills
simulations, which let learners
practice skills such as negotiation and
team building.”
Clark Aldrich, The State of Simulations,
Sept. 2001, Online Learning
eDrama (Front Desk Hiring)
Intermezzon: MoneyMaker Sales Training
SimuLearn’s Virtual Leader
Virtual Leader Goals
1.
2.
3.
4.
Employ real-time decision-making
Role play and practice leadership
Foster creativity to generate ideas
Recognize, monitor, and adjust tension in
meetings
5. Uncover underlying issues
6. Learn how and when to introduce,
support or oppose an idea or colleague
Ninth House: Management Scenarios
4. Anonymous Suggestion Box
George Watson, Univ of Delaware, Electricity
and Electronics for Engineers:
1. Students send anonymous course feedback (Web
forms or email)
2. Submission box is password protected
3. Instructor decides how to respond
4. Then provide response and most or all of suggestion
in online forum
5. It defuses difficult issues, airs instructor views, and
justified actions publicly.
6. Caution: If you are disturbed by criticism, perhaps do
not use.
5. Survey Student Opinions
(e.g., InfoPoll, SurveySolutions, Zoomerang, SurveyShare.com)
Poll Students for Formative Feedback
6. Role Play
A. Assume Persona of Scholar
– Enroll famous people in your course
– Students assume voice of that person
for one or more sessions
– Enter debate topic or Respond to
debate topic
– Respond to rdg reflections of others
or react to own
Role 1: Starter/Mediator
Reporter/Commentator
• Summarizes the key terms, ideas, and issues in
the chapters, supplemental instructor notes,
journal articles, and other assigned readings and
asks thought provoking questions typically
before one’s peers read or discuss the concepts
and ideas. In effect, the starter is a reporter or
commentator or teacher of what to expect in the
upcoming readings or activities. Once the
“start” is posted, this student acts as a mediator
or facilitator of discussion for the week.
Role 2: Wrapper/Summarizer
Synthesizer/Connector/Reviewer
• Connects ideas, synthesizes discussion,
interrelates comments, and links both explicit
and implicit ideas posed in online discussion or
other activities. Here, the student looks for
patterns and themes in online coursework
while weaving information together. The
wrapping or summarizing is done at least at the
end of the week or unit, but preferably two or
more times depending on the length of the
activity.
Role 3: Conqueror or
Debater/Arguer/Bloodletter
• Takes ideas into action, debates with
others, persists in arguments and
never surrenders or compromises
nomatter what the casualties are
when addressing any problem or
issue.
Role 4: Devil's Advocate or
Critic/Censor/Confederate
• Takes opposite points of view for
the sake of an argument and is an
antagonist when addressing any
problem posed. This might be a
weekly role that is secretly
assigned.
Role 5: Idea
Squelcher/Biased/Preconceiver
• Squelches good and bad ideas of others
and submits your own prejudiced or
biased ideas during online discussions
and other situations. Forces others to
think. Is that person you really hate to
work with.
Role 6: Optimist/Openminded/Idealist
• In this role, the student notes what
appears to be feasible, profitable,
ideal, and "sunny" ideas when
addressing this problem. Always sees
the bright or positive side of the
situation.
Role 7: Idea Generator Creative
Energy/Inventor
• Brings endless energy to online
conversations and generates lots
of fresh ideas and new
perspectives to the conference
when addressing issues and
problems.
Who do you think invented the
Internet???
Alt Role: Connector/Relator/Linker/Synthesizer
"Internet? Is that thing still around"
Homer Simpson
Role: Questioner/Ponderer
Funny thing is that Al thinks he
invented e-learning as well!!!
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
(June 26, 2002) *AL GORE IS TEACHING a distance-education course
on the role of families in discussions about community
development. Videotapes of the two-semester course, made this past
year, are available for other institutions to use.
SEE http://chronicle.com/free/2002/06/2002062601t.htm
Role 11: Controller/Executive
Director/CEO/Leader
• In this role, the student
oversees the process,
reports overall findings
and opinions, and
attempts to control the
flow of information,
findings, suggestions,
and general problem
solving.
Role 12: Slacker/Slough/Slug/Surfer
Dude
• In this role, the student does
little or nothing to help
him/herself or his/her peers
learn. Here, one can only sit
back quietly and listen, make
others do all the work for you,
and generally have a laid back
attitude (i.e., go to the beach)
when addressing this problem.
7a. Case-Based Laboratories
Virginia Polytechnic Institute: Veterinary Medicine (Active
learning goal: access diagnostic test results, interpret significance, &
read ref materials)
• Instructors provide all materials for case-based labs: WP
files, patient photos & materials, color slides of specimens
• Create Web images through scanning photos, slides,
radiographs, and computed scans.
• Students view patient info (photo, lesion photos, history,
physical exam findings)
• Can click on active links of sounds (breath, cardiac, etc.)
• Students encouraged to discuss cases before class
7b. Online Co-Laborative Psych Experiments
PsychExperiments
(University of Mississippi)
Contains 30 free psych
experiments
• Location independent
• Convenient to instructors
• Run experiments over
large number of subjects
• Can build on it over time
• Cross-institutional
Ken McGraw, Syllabus,
November, 2001
8. Authentic Data Analysis
Jeanne Sept, IU, Archaeology of Human Origins;
Components: From CD to Web
• A set of research questions and problems that
archaeologists have posed about the site (a set
of Web-based activities)
• A complete set of data from the site and
background info (multimedia data on sites from
all regions and prehistoric time periods in Africa)
• A set of methodologies and add’l background
info (TimeWeb tool to help students visualize,
analyze, interpret, and explore space/time
dimensions)
9. Just-In-Time-Teaching
Gregor Novak, IUPUI Physics
Professor (teaches teamwork,
collaboration, and effective
communication):
1. Lectures are built around student
answers to short quizzes that have an
electronic due date just hours before
class.
2. Instructor reads and summarizes
responses before class and weaves
them into discussion and changes the
lecture as appropriate.
Just-In-Time Syllabus
(Raman, Shackelford, & Sosin) http://ecedweb.unomaha.edu/jits.htm
Syllabus is created as a "shell" which is thematically organized
and contains print, video, and web references as well as
assignments.
Goal = critical thinking (analysis, evaluation), developing
student interests, collaboration, discussion
e.g., Economics instructors incorporate time-sensitive data, on-line
discussions as well as links to freshly-mounted websites.
Instructor reads and summarizes responses before class and
weaves them into discussion and changes the lecture.
e.g., To teach or expand the discussion of supply or elasticity, an
instructor would add new links in the Just-in-Time Syllabus to
breaking news about gasoline prices or the energy blackouts in
California
10. Perspective Taking: Foreign
Languages
Katy Fraser, Germanic Studies at IU
and Jennifer Liu, East Asian
Languages and Cultures at IU:
1. Have students receive e-newsletters from a foreign
magazine as well as respond to related questions.
2. Students assume roles of those in literature from that
culture and participate in real-time chats using assumed
identity.
3. Students use multimedia and Web for self-paced lessons
to learn target language in authentic contexts.
Part IIB. How can you motivate
with synchronous?
(Sheinberg, April 2000, Learning Circuits)
Help Wanted
Jennifer Hoffman, Online Learning Conference (2001, Oct.)
Wanted:
Synchronous Trainer. Experienced
training professional with 5 yeas
working with synchronous training
methods. Must be able to create
HTML, PowerPoint, and use various
authoring tools in order to create
engaging media. Masters in
Educational Technology preferred.
Synchronous WBT Products
Jennifer Hoffman, ASTD, Learning Circuits, (2000, Jan)
• Deluxe (InterWise, LearnLinc, Centra)
– 2-way audio using VOIP, one-way or two-way video, course
scheduling, tracking, text chat, assessment (requires thick
client-side software)
• Standard (HorizonLive, PlaceWare)
– One-way VOIP or phone bridge for two-way audio, text chat,
application viewing, (requires thin client-side app or browser
plug-ini)
• Economy (Blackboard, WebCT)
– Browser-based, chat, some application viewing (Requires Javaenabled browsers, little cost, free)
Web Conferencing Features
• Audio (VOIP, bridge) and Videostreaming
• Application Sharing or Viewing (e.g., Word
and PowerPoint) Includes remote control
and emoticons
• Text (Q&A) Chat (private and public)
• Live Surveys, Polls, and Reports
• Synchronous Web Browsing
• File Transfer
Web Conferencing Features
• Content Windows—HTML, PowerPoint
• Discussion Boards—post info, FAQs, post
session assignments
• Archive Meeting—record and playback
• Breakout Rooms
• Shared Whiteboards
• Hand-Raising and Yes/No Buttons
Types of Synchronous
Activities
1. Webinar, Webcast
2. Social Ice-Breakers: Know You Rooms
3. Synchronous Testing and Assessment
4. Sync Guests or Expert Forums
5. Threaded Discussion Plus Expert Chat
6. Moderated Online Team Meeting
7. Secret Coaches and Protégées
8. Collaborative Online Writing
9. Online Mentoring
10. Graphic Organizers in Whiteboard (e.g., Venn)
1. Webinar
2. Social Ice Breakers
1. KNOWU Rooms:
a. Create discussion forums or chat room topics
for people with diff experiences (e.g., soccer
parent, runner, pet lovers, like music, outdoor
person). Find those with similar interests.
b. Complete eval form where list people in class
and interests. Most names wins.
3. Synchronous Testing & Assessment
(Giving Exams in the Chat Room!, Janet Marta, NW Missouri
State Univ, Syllabus, January 2002)
1. Post times when will be available for 30
minute slots, first come, first serve.
2. Give 10-12 big theoretical questions to
study for.
3. Tell can skip one.
4. Assessment will be a dialogue.
5. Get them there 1-2 minutes early.
6. Have hit enter every 2-3 sentences.
7. Ask q’s, redirect, push for clarity, etc.
8. Covers about 3 questions in 30 minutes.
4. Electronic Guests & Mentoring
5. Threaded Discussion plus Expert
Chat (e.g., Starter-Wrapper + Sync Guest Chat)
6. Moderated Online Team Meeting
7. Secret Coaches and Protégées
1. Input learner names into a Web site.
2. When learners arrive, it randomly assigns them a
secret protégé for a meeting.
3. Tell them to monitor the work of their protégé but
to avoid being obvious by giving feedback to
several different people.
4. Give examples of comments.
5. At end of mtg, have protégées guess coaches.
6. Discuss how behavior could be used in other
meetings.
8. Collaborative Online Writing:
Peer-to-Peer Document Collaboration
9. Online Mentoring
(e.g., GlobalEnglish)
Typical Features (e.g., Englishtown (millions
of users from over 100 countries)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Online Conversation Classes
Experienced Teachers (certified ESL)
Expert Mentors
Peer-to-Peer Conversation
Private Conversation Classes
Placement Tests
Personalized Feedback
University Certification
Self-Paced Lessons
10. Graphic Organizers (e.g., Digital
Whiteboards)
Ok, Who Completed
Their Matrix???
Some Final Advice…
Or Perhaps Some Questions…