Real-Time Engagement
Is Where It’s At !
Dr. Michael E. Scheuermann
Associate Vice-President
Instructional Technology Support
Information Resources and Technology
Drexel University
Philadelphia, USA
Abstract
• "Anytime-Anywhere" is a marketing phrase to entice students to consider taking
online courses. Unfortunately, that very phrase also eliminates the opportunity for
online course facilitators to include mandatory (or even optional) synchronous
course elements and strategies in their teaching and learning initiatives.
• This highly-interactive session will focus on group interaction relative to
synchronous course element strategies, successes, challenges, and failures.
• Attendees will leave the session more fully informed on what inclusion of
synchronous elements in their online courses can bring to their teaching and
learning initiatives and course offerings. They will have seen many actual student
responses to their experiences in participating in real-time course activities, what
they liked, how it enhanced their learning, and the overall experience.
Copyright 2009 Michael E. Scheuermann, All Rights Reserved.
Michael E. Scheuermann, Ph.D.
 Associate Vice President

 Adjunct Faculty Member
Instructional Technology Support
ITS
OLT
ATI
CST
 Engineering Management
 College of Business
 School of Education
 Online Graduate Course Facilitator
2000 – Present
 Blackboard Vista 8
 Wimba Classroom
Course Elements
Synchronous Chat
in Online Courses
What faculty, and others, typically have to
say about synchronous elements
“The Myths”
Copyright 2009 Michael E. Scheuermann, All Rights Reserved.
Myth #1
“Anytime – Anywhere”
is the way that online learning
needs to be!
Copyright 2009 Michael E. Scheuermann, All Rights Reserved.
Myth #2
“I will never be able to get my
students together for any
synchronous online chat
sessions!”
Copyright 2009 Michael E. Scheuermann, All Rights Reserved.
Myth #3
“My students will either think it is
impossible to do chat sessions –
or – they will not find any value
in them anyway.”
Copyright 2009 Michael E. Scheuermann, All Rights Reserved.
Myth #4
“By the way - conducting online
chat sessions will be too much
work for me!”
Copyright 2009 Michael E. Scheuermann, All Rights Reserved.
Student-Directed Chat Sessions
• Skeletal set of topics to cover during the online chat
– linked to the reading assignments
• Students determine the direction of the chat session
• Instructor role:
– alternate topics (aligned with assigned readings)
– heighten student engagement
– energize the conversation
– redirect / correct ~ only when necessary
Copyright 2009 Michael E. Scheuermann, All Rights Reserved.
Synchronous Chat
•Four scheduled sessions per term
•Two in the 1st half-of-term and two in the 2nd half
•7:30pm-9:00pm or 7:00pm-8:30pm (Eastern)
•7-10 participants per session (optimal)
<13 students
1 chat night
14-20 students
21-30 students
2 chat nights
3 chat nights
Copyright 2009 Michael E. Scheuermann, All Rights Reserved.
Synchronous Chat (cont.)
• Students are randomly-assigned to the chat nights
(based on enrollment)
• Students can switch chat nights
– session-by-session, or, across the term
• Students make “the switch”
– Contact course colleagues and make the switch
– Students advise the instructor of the switch
– Builds learning community!
– Diminishes instructor administrative role!
Copyright 2009 Michael E. Scheuermann, All Rights Reserved.
Synchronous Chat
in Online Courses
Qualitative Data from the Students
Copyright 2009 Michael E. Scheuermann, All Rights Reserved.
Do Students Want Me to
Eliminate Mandatory Chat Sessions?
Copyright 2009 Michael E. Scheuermann, All Rights Reserved.
Question Posed to Students
“Should I eliminate these chat sessions in
future offerings of this course and make
them completely asynchronous?”
Student Responses – Winter 2008
“NO !! Please do not eliminate these on-line chat sessions. This is a great way
to garner everyone's thoughts, comments, opinions, expertise and
examples of how principles in this course are applied in real world
situations. I look forward to these sessions.”
“No, I like the chats. It makes me feel like I am in a more interactive
environment, like I am in a classroom setting rather than 100% online.”
“No, keep these chats, they are very beneficial to the class and learning
experience. They bring a personal feel to this virtual class.”
Copyright 2009 Michael E. Scheuermann, All Rights Reserved.
Student Responses – Spring 2008
“I think you should keep it as is, because it allows direct interaction between
classmates and it makes it feel like a class room atmosphere.”
“No, do not eliminate. This is good, it makes people a little bit more
accountable to this class, and you can hear people answer to questions.
It kept me up to date with the reading knowing that I needed to do this
chat.”
“NO, I believe that the chat will continue to improve and provides an
interesting, classroom type medium, to improve the interaction with
students. Perhaps some student-to-student chatting should be
considered.”
Copyright 2009 Michael E. Scheuermann, All Rights Reserved.
Student Responses – Summer 2008
“I think you should keep the chats. Being able to associate a voice with a
response also helps to assume the personality of the individual.
Because we don't meet face-to-face, this voice-contact is important.”
“No, the chats really made me feel closer to my classmates and made
the on-line class more ‘real.’ Hearing the opinions of others helped
increase my knowledge of each of the subjects.”
“No. You should keep it. I think the interaction that we have in these
chats is a valuable addition to the takeaways that we receive in this
class. It's a chance for us to get together and actively probe one
another on some topics. You can't get the level and pace of
interactive participation in the asynchronous threads.”
Copyright 2009 Michael E. Scheuermann, All Rights Reserved.
Student Responses – To Eliminate OCs
“I would prefer not to do the chats. I like being able to do the course when I
want to and not have to log in at any specific time.” [Winter 2008]
“I think making it asynchronous would really help as I choose online
classes for their flexibility. but i did enjoy the chat sessions but I would
miss it but I did have difficulties in keeping this time clear of my
schedule.” [Spring 2008]
“Although I find these Chat Sessions very interesting, I think it should be
eliminated because there may be some students in different time zones.
In addition, Drexel E-learning did not inform applicants that there will by
synchronous chats. So there is some disconnect there. It would have
been helpful to have adequate information.” [Summer
2008]
Copyright 2009
Michael E. Scheuermann, All Rights Reserved.
Quantitative Overview
of Student Responses
Winter 2007-08
Spring 2007-08
Summer 2007-08
16/22 Positive 73%
24/29 Positive 83%
10/12 Positive 83%
Copyright 2009 Michael E. Scheuermann, All Rights Reserved.
Synchronous Chat
in Online Courses
Qualitative Data from Faculty
Copyright 2009 Michael E. Scheuermann, All Rights Reserved.
What Value Did Faculty Find
in Using Wimba Classroom?
Copyright 2009 Michael E. Scheuermann, All Rights Reserved.
Question Posed to Faculty
“How have you utilized Wimba
Classroom elements in your online
teaching, and, what has that meant to
you and your students?”
Faculty Feedback (1)
“I don’t know how innovative it is, but I use Wimba classroom to hold
virtual office hours for our students who are in Sacramento. They log
in, turn their webcam on and we talk as if we are in the same room.”
Copyright 2009 Michael E. Scheuermann, All Rights Reserved.
Faculty Feedback (2)
“Yes... I have used it several times in all my courses this term. The
students appreciate the live atmosphere yet in the comfort of their
dorm, apartment, etc. I have used voice-over PPT and asked the
students to listen to the lecture over a two day period. I thought they
would like this method better than the time-constricted Live Class
room. They did not. They preferred the Wimba class.”
Copyright 2009 Michael E. Scheuermann, All Rights Reserved.
Faculty Feedback (3)
“Wimba Classroom continues to enhance my graduate courses in
toxicology as a method by which individuals can chat with me in realtime during our weekly 'ToxCHAT' sessions. I have found that if I
offer these sessions as 'voluntary', student participation is still
good. I've done this now for two terms [4 sections] and have found
that individuals who find it helpful will use it...[numbers vary but 1/3 to
1/2 of the class utilize it regularly].
I think this is an interesting example of offering flexibility and watching
students respond depending upon their individuals needs,
schedules, and interest in further discussion about the course
materials.”
Copyright 2009 Michael E. Scheuermann, All Rights Reserved.
Faculty Feedback (4)
“Mike, I have been using Wimba on a Weekly basis. My students are enjoying a
lot. Some nice features that I like is the capability of uploading a PPT
presentation, and then using my tablet to make marks on the presentation,
and/or write my math equations. Also, I am starting to use the polling feature.
That gets my students excited. And it seems as though they interact even
more after the each polling. It is kind spicing up the presentation a bit more.
Another important feature that I like is the sharing stuff. I can show my
desktop, and walk the students through a series of computations using a
financial calculator. I have a program in my computer that simulates a
financial calculator's operations. With that said, I was not only able to teach
my students how to set the financial calculator up, but also carry out time
value of money (TVM) computations, bond valuation, and advanced
problems in capital budgeting and M&A as well.”
Copyright 2009 Michael E. Scheuermann, All Rights Reserved.
Getting Started w/ Chat
• Conduct “online office hours”
– Solicit student feedback
• Should OCs be regular parts of the class?
• Try some optional Chat sessions
– Extra credit opportunity, perhaps?
• Introduce a few mandatory sessions
– Regulate the number of participants
– Solicit student feedback
• Should the # of OCs be increased?
• Constantly monitor student feedback
Getting Started w/ Chat (cont.)
•
•
•
•
•
Make-up credit
Prep for mid term / final test and/or papers
Student “group work”
Guest speakers, e.g., “Ask a Librarian”
Mandatory ~ at a low level, initially
Provide instant feedback
Appeal to various learning styles
Focus on best practices
Current Grading Scheme
ORGB-631
My workload?
Current Grading Scheme
EGMT-581
My workload?
Online Chats and Cyber Office Hours:
Everything but the Office
“…educators should consider including interactive
components that utilize both synchronous and
asynchronous computer-mediated
communication when designing web-based
courses” (p. 114).
Lavooy and Newlin, University of Central Florida,
International Journal on E-Learning:
Corporate, Government, Healthcare, & Higher Education Vol. 7, No. 1, 2008
Copyright 2009 Michael E. Scheuermann, All Rights Reserved.
Online Chats and Cyber Office Hours:
Everything but the Office (2)
“Certainly, as these results suggest, students will
avail themselves of the opportunity to meet with
an instructor and fellow cyber-students when
afforded
a synchronous environment” (p. 114).
Lavooy and Newlin, University of Central Florida,
International Journal on E-Learning:
Corporate, Government, Healthcare, & Higher Education Vol. 7, No. 1, 2008
Copyright 2009 Michael E. Scheuermann, All Rights Reserved.
Online Chats and Cyber Office Hours:
Everything but the Office (3)
“Shouldn’t we as instructors, make use of all
available tools that serve to benefit the student in
web-based, web-enhanced, and traditional, live
courses? As we continue to evaluate course
components, we can better address the needs of
students, thereby increasing the chance of
success” (p. 115).
Lavooy and Newlin, University of Central Florida,
Copyright 2009 Michael E. Scheuermann, All Rights Reserved.
The Myths
1. Anytime – Anywhere” is the way that online
learning needs to be!
Copyright 2009 Michael E. Scheuermann, All Rights Reserved.
The Myths
1. Anytime – Anywhere” is the way that online
learning needs to be!
2. “I will never be able to get my students
together for any synchronous online chat
sessions!”
Copyright 2009 Michael E. Scheuermann, All Rights Reserved.
The Myths
1. Anytime – Anywhere” is the way that online
learning needs to be!
2. “I will never be able to get my students
together for any synchronous online chat
sessions!”
3. “My students will either think it is impossible to
do chat sessions – or – they will not find any
value in them anyway.”
Copyright 2009 Michael E. Scheuermann, All Rights Reserved.
The Myths
1. Anytime – Anywhere” is the way that online
learning needs to be!
2. “I will never be able to get my students
together for any synchronous online chat
sessions!”
3. “My students will either think it is impossible to
do chat sessions – or – they will not find any
value in them anyway.”
4. “By the way - conducting online chat sessions
Copyright 2009 Michael E. Scheuermann, All Rights Reserved.
The Myths
1. Anytime – Anywhere” is the way that online
learning needs to be!
2. “I will never be able to get my students
together for any synchronous online chat
sessions!”
3. “My students will either think it is impossible to
do chat sessions – or – they will not find any
value in them anyway.”
4. “By the way - conducting online chat sessions
Copyright 2009 Michael E. Scheuermann, All Rights Reserved.
YOUR Insights
What other approaches do you take with Chat in your courses?
Copyright 2009 Michael E. Scheuermann, All Rights Reserved.
Questions ?
mes27@drexel.ed
u
Real-Time Engagement
Is Where It’s At !
Dr. Michael E. Scheuermann
Associate Vice-President
Instructional Technology Support
Information Resources and Technology
Drexel University
Philadelphia, USA
Threaded Discussions
Copyright 2009 Michael E. Scheuermann, All Rights Reserved.
Threaded Discussions
• 10 topics each week, +
– 1 “open” topic, 1 “Water Cooler” topic
– 1 “Report LMS Problems” topic
• Requirements:
– Read all of the topics
– Post in four of your choosing
– Make 4 “original” posts by 11pm Tuesday EST
– Read your colleagues’ posts
– Make 4 “response” posts by 11pm Thursday EST
– Participate in (at least) 8 different topics
Copyright 2009 Michael E. Scheuermann, All Rights Reserved.
Threaded Discussions (cont.)
What constitutes “a post”?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
A few salient sentences on the topic (consult the Syllabus ~
rubric)
Encourage the participation of others
Defend your position
Dispute others’ positions with which you do disagree
Link posts to course / text content
Cite sources whenever possible
Copyright 2009 Michael E. Scheuermann, All Rights Reserved.
What Does This
Approach Accomplish?
• Heightens student-student interaction / builds learning community
• Students:
–
–
–
–
read the available topics
post to four topics that interest them most
read posts of colleagues
make response posts in four other topics
• participate in at least 8 different topics each week
– spread the work across the week
• no “wait-for-the-one-deadline” procrastination
• “Water Cooler” / “Report Problems” / FAQs
• Students can author their own topics in the “Open” topic
Copyright 2009 Michael E. Scheuermann, All Rights Reserved.
TD – Grading Rubric
•
100% of available points
–
–
–
–
Read all of the topics in a given week
Post a salient, original comment in four of them
Read 80% of the postings of your colleagues
Post a salient response to four of them in four different topic areas
•
75% of available points – doing the above, but
•
50% of available points – doing the above, but
•
25% of available points – doing the above, but
•
0 points - not participating at all that particular week
– making original and response (O&R) posts in only 6-7 topics, or,
– making posts of mediocre quality in the required number, or,
– reading 60% of your colleagues’ postings
– making (O&R) posts (good quality & meaning) in 4-5 topics, or,
– making posts of lesser quality in the required number, or,
– reading 40% of your colleagues’ postings
– making (O&R) posts (good quality & meaning) in 2-3 topics, or,
– making posts of little quality in the required number, or,
– reading 20% of your colleagues’ postings
Copyright 2009 Michael E. Scheuermann, All Rights Reserved.
Student-Authored
Discussion Topics
• Courses is “seeded” with multiple topics for each week
– Each week also includes space for topics that students author
(the “Open” topics)
– Participation in those additional topics counts the same as the
instructor-authored ones
• Student-authored topics this term could become permanent topics
in subsequent terms
Copyright 2009 Michael E. Scheuermann, All Rights Reserved.
YOUR Insights
What other unique approaches do YOU take with Discussions in your
courses?
Copyright 2009 Michael E. Scheuermann, All Rights Reserved.