The Toolbox A TEACHING AND LEARNING RESOURCE FOR INSTRUCTORS A TEACHING AND LEARNING RESOURCE FOR INSTRUCTORS
Volume 14 Issue 3 January 2016
Engaging Students in Online Discussions: A Digital Pathway to Engagement
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here is increased interest in higher education today regarding the most effective ways to engage students in learning outside of the classroom. This attention has been partly spurred by the credit-hour regulations issued in 2010 by the U.S. Department of Education (34 CFR 600.2), which stipulate that one credit-hour equates to one hour of in-class instruction and two hours of engagement outside the classroom per week (3 hours total), over the span of a 15-week semester. The regulations have increased awareness of the need to systematically plan for out-of-class learning. As a result, many colleges and universities are exploring varied strategies for enhancing the quantity and quality of their online and blended learning options. An effective way to connect students with one another and course content, as well as meet out-of-class requirements, is the online discussion forum. This tool is common to most campus learning management systems (LMSs), such as Canvas, Moodle, or Blackboard, and offers a structured format for students to respond to prompts created by the instructor and provide feedback to one another. Below are some strategies for creating vibrant online discussions for students as a pathway to engagement.
A Great Discussion Begins With an Enticing Prompt Instructors must first clearly identify the content and focus of the online discussion they are planning. In addition, they need to carefully consider the question(s) or prompts that would invite diverse opinions and perspectives as well as provide a platform for healthy exploration—and even disagreements—among students. Prompts can be as simple as an open-ended question or include a variety of formats, such as a video clip, webpage link, or quotation from an expert or radical thinker in the field. The main point is to provide a discussion prompt that will encourage students to think, feel, and respond.
The discussion itself is what most matters, the fact that we can reason together easily, with a blend of wit and seriousness, never descending into gossip or slander and always allowing room for alternative views.
— Stephen Greenblatt, author
Establish and Communicate the Procedures for Participation A typical LMS discussion tool will contain multiple features that allow the instructor to customize the students’ learning experience. These may include beginning and ending dates for the discussion, the option to allow students to edit their posts, the ability to make anonymous posts, and a requirement that students must submit their own discussion post before being able to see the work of their classmates. Prior to launching an online discussion, instructors need to spend time investigating the options in their LMS (or seek advice from their campus IT department) to decide which settings will be most conducive to achieve the desired learning outcomes. National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience ® and Students in Transition, University of South Carolina
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Outline Instructor Expectations As students begin to engage with a discussion forum, it is important for them to know and understand the instructor’s expectations (e.g., the date the initial post must be submitted, the number of responses they are expected to provide to their classmates). Additionally, it is helpful to provide students with a rubric that specifies the parameters of a quality response. Typical criterion might include the respondent’s working knowledge of the topic under discussion, level of critical thinking, quality of participation or interactions, timeliness, spelling, and mechanics. These aspects of the discussion process can be given varied levels of importance and value (e.g., point weighting) based upon faculty preferences.
References Bowen, J. A. (2012). Teaching naked: How moving technology out of your college classroom will improve student learning. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Gao, F. (2014). Exploring the use of discussion strategies and labels in asynchronous discussion. Online Learning, 18(3), 1-19. Greenblatt, S. (2011). The swerve: How the world became modern. New York, NY: Norton.
In the book Teaching Naked, Bowen (2012) compared moderating discussions in online and classroom settings:
You want to encourage good ideas, ask for clarification, and pose a new question when things get off track. Your standards for discussion should be higher in the online world than in the classroom. With time for reflection and the ability to stop and find and reference sources and complementary ideas, discussion should be richer. (p. 170)
Begin the Process, Join the Fray Faculty can choose and define the manner in which they engage with students during the discussion process. Their role should be as a facilitator who guides, shapes, and extends the conversation. The main task of the instructor is to move the conversation along without being intrusive, which can sometimes require walking a fine line to achieve balance. Gao (2014) suggested five ways for instructors to accomplish that task: Elaborate and clarify (e.g., ask students to provide additional information, expand their arguments, or restate their positions) Make connections (e.g., encourage students to pay attention to others’ opinions and find links between their point of view and the arguments or resources presented by their classmates) Challenge students’ views (e.g., raise concerns or alternate points of view in relation to a discussion post)
Additional Resources A Teacher’s Guide to Moderating Online Discussion Forums: From Theory to Practice http:// webmarginalia.net/pedagogy/moderationguide/ 15 Rules of Netiquette for Online Discussion Boards [Infographic] http://blogs.onlineeducation.touro.edu/15-rules-netiquette-onlinediscussion-boards/ Online Discussion Tips for Students http://ustpaul.ca/upload-files/DistanceEducation/Online_Discussions_tips_for_students. pdf Five Ways to Ace Discussion Board Assignments in an Online Class http://www.usnews.com/education/onlineeducation/articles/2015/04/03/5-ways-to-acediscussion-board-assignments-in-an-onlineclass
Build on students’ views (e.g., encourage comments on discussion posts that exemplify the kind of thinking and writing that is expected and desired) Question (e.g., help students go deeper through carefully crafted questions and content inquiries) Online conversations are an effective way to encourage students to think about and process course content beyond the confines of in-class learning experiences. Further, interactions and relationships created in online forums can spill over into face-to-face classroom settings, creating an added learning benefit.
Consider including regular online discussions as part of your class curriculum.
National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience ® and Students in Transition, University of South Carolina
www.sc.edu/fye/toolbox
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What’s Happening at The National Resource Center Conferences and Continuing Education Conferences and Institutes Save the Dates 35th Annual Conference on The First-Year Experience February 20-23, 2016 Orlando, Florida Early Registration Deadline: February 4, 2016 Institute on Sophomore Student Success April 22-24, 2016 University of South Carolina Columbia, South Carolina
Online Courses The National Resource Center offers online courses on topics of interest in higher education. The courses provide participants the same content and opportunities for interaction with peers and the instructor as traditional (i.e., classroom-based) learning environments while taking advantage of pedagogy and teaching techniques that are not possible or common in those settings. The courses use tools such as e-mail, threaded discussions or forums, listservs, and blogs. Enrollment is limited to 25 participants, and attendees will earn 1.5 continuing education units for each course. Visit http://www.sc.edu/fye/oc for more information.
Publications—New Releases Building Synergy for High-Impact Educational Initiatives: First-Year Seminars and Learning Communities Published in cooperation with the Washington Center for Improving the Quality of Undergraduate Education First-year seminars and learning communities are two of the most commonly offered high-impact practices on U.S. campuses. The goals of these initiatives are similar: helping students make connections to faculty and other students, improving academic performance, and increasing persistence and graduation. As such, it is not surprising that many institutions choose to embed first-year seminars in learning communities. A new book explores the merger of these two high-impact practices. In particular, it offers insight into how institutions connect them and the impact of those connections on student learning and success. Case studies from a variety of campus settings are featured, addressing first-year seminar-learning community structures for ESL students, science majors, and developmental education students. Other combined structures highlight living-learning initiatives, service-learning components, and support for transfer to four-year institutions. ISBN 978-1-889271-98-9. 212 pages. $30.00. To read an excerpt or place an order, visit www.nrcpubs.com.
National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience ® and Students in Transition, University of South Carolina
2016 ACPA Student Affairs Assessment Institute June 21 - 24, 2016 Charlotte, NC In partnership with the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition Look for some new and unique programming this year! Visit www.myacpa.org for more information and to register. www.sc.edu/fye/toolbox
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Resources supporting underserved students...
Research Report on College Transitions No. 6 Investigating Sophomore Student Success: The National Survey of Sophomore-Year Initiatives and the Sophomore Experiences Survey, 2014 Dallin George Young, Laurie A. Schreiner, and Eric J. McIntosh Less is known about the second college year compared to other transition points, and fewer high-impact initiatives and curricular programs tend to be offered to sophomores. To increase our knowledge of this important, but sometimes neglected, year on the collegiate journey, Investigating Sophomore Student Success presents findings from two parallel research projects—the National Survey of Sophomore-Year Initiatives and the Sophomore Experiences Survey. Researchers explored sophomore student characteristics, institutional efforts to support sophomores, and student perceptions of their learning and development. Divided into three sections, the report offers an overview of each survey instrument and an integrated discussion of findings and their implications for practice and ongoing research. The research report provides useful tools for institutions looking for benchmarks to create new sophomore-year programs or restructure existing initiatives. ISBN 978-1-889271-95-8. 124 pages. $25.00. To read an excerpt or place an order, visit www.nrcpubs.com.
An Exploration of Intersecting Identities of First-Generation, Low-Income Students Research Reports on College Transitions No. 5 Rashné R. Jehangir, Michael J. Stebleton, and Veronica Deenanath ISBN 978-1-889271-97-2. 65 pages. $20.00
National Resource Center Exhibits and Presentations Like many of you, the staff of the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition is actively involved in the conference circuit. We are pleased to share the following upcoming opportunities to hear about the results of research studies conducted by the Center, learn about best practices, and meet National Resource Center staff members. Developing Class-Conscious Strategies for Student Success
Welcoming Blue-Collar Scholars Into the Ivory Tower should be required reading for everyone working with college students. Contextualizing issues of first-generation students within the complexities of social class helps us all do better work by identifying issues that are personal and those that are part of the campus system.
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Leveraging First- and Second-Year Transition Programs to Support Transfer. “ Presentation by Dallin George Young, National Resource Center Assistant Director for Research, Grants, and Assessment, at the 14th Annual Conference of the National Institute for the Study of “ Transfer Students; February 3-5, 2016; Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead; Atlanta, Georgia. Will Barratt Lotus Delta Coffman Distinguished Professor Indiana State University
An invaluable and exhaustive resource on supporting working-class, lowincome, and first-generation students on college campuses. Soria’s book should be required reading for all college administrators and faculty.
Debbie Warnock Assistant Professor, Sociology University of Louisville
F I R S T- Y E A R E X P E R I E N C E ® A N D S T U D E N T S I N T R A N S I T I O N UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
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Georgianna L. Martin Assistant Professor, Educational Studies and Research The University of Southern Mississippi
College and Career Readiness: Setting Up First-Year Student Success. Presentation “ by Dallin George Young, National Resource Center Assistant Director for Research, Grants, and Assessment, with Meredith Love and Matt Nelson, Codirectors, Center of Excellence for College and Career Readiness, at the 35th Annual Conference on The First-Year Experience; February 2023, 2016; Rosen Centre Hotel; Orlando, Florida.
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Soria presents educators with an overdue challenge to acknowledge and explore the ways higher education systems exclude working-class students. This volume compels educators to turn the magnifying glass on our own practices, to explore our complicity in keeping social class invisible, and to create pathways for moving working-class students from the margins to the center.
ISBN 9781889271965
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Canadian and International Peer Leader Experiences: Theoretical and ResearchBased Perspectives. Presentation by Robert A. Kenedy, Associate Professor, York University, and Dallin George Young, National Resource Center Assistant Director for Research, Grants, and Assessment, at the 35th Annual Conference on The First-Year Experience; February 20-23, 2016; Rosen Centre Hotel; Orlando, Florida. How “HIP” Is Your First-Year Seminar? National Research and Trends. Concurrent session by Jennifer R. Keup, National Resource Center Director, at the 2016 NASPA Annual Conference, March 14, 2016; 1:15-2:05 pm in Meeting Room 203 at the Indianapolis Convention Center; Indianapolis, Indiana.
WELCOMING BLUE-COLLAR SCHOLARS INTO THE IVORY TOWER
Welcoming Blue-Collar Scholars Into the Ivory Tower: Developing Class-Conscious Strategies for Student Success
Welcoming Blue-Collar Scholars Into the Ivory Tower
Developing Class-Conscious Strategies for Student Success
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F I R S T- Y E A R E X P E R I E N C E ® A N D S T U D E N T S I N T R A N S I T I O N
Krista M. Soria
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
Welcoming Blue-Collar Scholars Into the Ivory Tower Developing Class-Conscious Strategies for Student Success Krista M. Soria ISBN 978-1-889271-96-5. 92 pages. $25.00
www.nrcpubs.com National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience ® and Students in Transition, University of South Carolina
www.sc.edu/fye/toolbox
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The Power of Peers: Exploring the Impact of Peer Leadership Experiences. Concurrent session by Jennifer R. Keup, National Resource Center Director, and Jodi Koslow Martin, Vice President for Student Engagement at North Park University, at the 2015 NASPA Annual Conference, March 15, 2016; 3:30-4:20 pm in Meeting Room 206 at the Indianapolis Convention Center; Indianapolis, Indiana.
Awards and Recognition Institutional Excellence in Students in Transition Award The National Resource Center’s Institutional Excellence in Students in Transition Award is presented annually to institutions that have designed and implemented outstanding collaborative initiatives enhancing significant transitions during the undergraduate experience. Award recipients will have demonstrated the effectiveness of the initiative in supporting student success, learning, and development at a variety of transition points beyond the first college year and in responding to unique institutional needs. We are proud to announce this year’s award recipient:
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FOR COLLEGE TRANSITIONS
Looking for new teaching strategies or fresh ideas for first-year seminars? E-Source, the National Resource Center’s online newsletter for college transitions, offers a wealth of information. E-Source also is accepting submissions for future issues. To view the archives, review submission guidelines, and receive content alerts for new issues, please visit: www.sc.edu/fye/esource
Kent State University In 2012, Kent State’s University College implemented the Exploration Plan program designed to enrich the first-year experience for undecided students and to expedite a shift into a degree-granting program within the first three semesters. The Exploration Plan comprises six components. Students become engaged in the Plan at the point of admission when they are required to select one of 13 university-wide concentration areas to explore first. Linked courses based on that concentration, a career exploration focus in the first-year seminar, the use of the Career Maturity Inventory, and a newly developed career navigation course series are all components of the Plan. Multiple required advising sessions add to the intrusive, high-touch nature of the program.
Partner Event National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students February 3-5, 2016 Grand Hyatt Atlanta Atlanta, Georgia http://transferinstitute.org/events/annual-conference/
35th ANNUAL FYE ORLANDO, FLORIDA FEBRUARY 20-23, 2016 An Invitation While the needs and challenges our students and institutions face are constantly evolving, The First-Year Conference series continues to provide a relaxed environment conducive to intensive learning and professionally enriching discussions. The Annual Conference on The First-Year Experience® provides a forum where higher education professionals can share experiences, concerns, and accomplishments regarding meeting these challenges. We invite you to be a part of productive collaborations, conversations, and relationships aimed at providing successful transitions in the first college year.
The Toolbox Author: Brad Garner Telephone: 765.677.3341 E-mail: brad.garner@indwes.edu Address: Indiana Wesleyan University 4201 South Washington Street Marion, IN 46953 The Toolbox is an online professional development newsletter offering innovative, learner-centered strategies for empowering college students to achieve greater success. The newsletter is published six times a year by the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition at the University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina. The online subscription is free. To register for newsletter alerts and access back issues, please visit www.sc.edu/fye/toolbox.
Publication Staff Editor: Toni Vakos Graphic Designer: Joey Hilton
Early Registration Deadline: February 4, 2016 WWW.SC.EDU/FYE/ANNUAL National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience ® and Students in Transition, University of South Carolina
www.sc.edu/fye/toolbox
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