Issues and Strategies for Facilitating Interactivity in Large Online Classes

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Issues and Strategies for Facilitating
Interactivity in Large Online Classes
BbFLUGMarch 7, 2003

• Maria Puzziferro (Schnitzer) Program Manager,
  Distance Learning, FCCJ
• Lynne S. Crosby Program Coordinator, Open
  Campus, FCCJ

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What is a Large Class?

• 15-20 recommended in the literature as ideal
  class size for online
• Does it depend on
• Content?
• Session length?
• Level (undergraduate/graduate)?
• Course design?
• Desired learning outcomes?
• Availability of technical and teaching assistants?

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Instructor Challenges

• Overcoming distance
• Limited personal interaction
• Helping the online student feel engaged in the
  process of teaching and learning
• Helping the online student feel important
• Variations in student ability and commitment
• Managing student records and grades
• Creating cooperative learning environment

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What is the Benefit of Interactivity?

• Research on interactivity shows that interaction
  with peers and instructor helps online students
  succeed!
• Carefully designed activities help develop
  critical thinking skills
• Discussions allow for written thought and
  reflection
• Students feel engaged
• Peer-based learning

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• Large isnt necessarily bad! It is an
  opportunity to create broader, deeper interaction
  for students.

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Creating Interactivity

• Get Acquainted
• Discussions
• Chat
• Group Projects

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Getting Acquainted

• Getting to Know You Exercise
• Student Homepages
• Guided Introduction
• Pictures

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Discussions What is the Role of the Instructor?

• Discussion Designer
• Leader
• Organizer
• Contributor
• Supporter
• Summarizer

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The Discussion Guidelines

• Online discussion is new to many students
• Explain how you will organize and use the
  Discussion Board
• Communicate expectations
• Netiquette
• Quality
• Desired Learning Outcomes
• Grading criteria

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The Discussion Guidelines

• Specify a quantitative expectation, as well as
  qualitative
• Allow students to provide feedback to each other
• Encourage students to analyze their own
  participation and impact on the discussion

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Discussions Considerations for Larger Classes

• Make discussions meaningful
• Avoid assignments that require students to post
  responses per week
• Devise narrower questions
• Within question, communicate expectation and
  relate to course topic/content
• Controversial or debate style questions
• Manage separate forums for each unit/week
  establish time limits on topics
• Consider and balance other course requirements

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Facilitating Discussions

• Model participation
• Jump in early to correct topic drift
• Moderate the discussion
• Guide the discussion interject leading questions
• Create structure for debate-style questions
• Encourage students
• Ensure balance of perspectives
• Summarize and highlight

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Large Discussions Challenges and Strategies

• Threaded discussions require the opening and
  closing of many messages this can be
  frustrating for larger groups
• Large discussions require effort on Instructors
  part to keep discussion focused
• Discussions can easily turn into a flurry of
  opinions, and lose the relevance to the
  topicConsider small group discussions

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Large Discussions Challenges and Strategies

• Keep the content topic discussions on topic, and
  clear of side issues
• Create separate continuous discussion forums for
  the following
• Questions for Instructor
• Questions and Answers by Students
• Cyber Café
• Technical Issues and Tips

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Chat

• Purpose
• General class questions
• Social time
• Office hours
• Review session
• Content discussion
• Size limits
• Time limits
• Guidelines for chat discussion
• Typing speed

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Group Projects

• Group tasks or projects facilitate interaction
• Portfolios
• Case studies
• Reports
• Insight exercises
• Groups projects may also require more
  constructivist activity than discussions

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Other Strategies

• Capitalize on Team Models
• Team teaching
• Use of mentors
• Use of Teaching Assistants
• Get Organized
• Create distribution lists
• Use email filters or separate email accounts for
  different courses
• Use a spreadsheet and make notes to track
  communication with students

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Other Strategies

• Prepare all course materials and assignments in
  advance
• Small group discussions with moderators
• Create course FAQs
• Consider technical level
• Use technology to the lowest common denominator
• Provide alternative formats
• Comprehensive technical orientation
• Practice discussion board, chat, email
• Availability of technical help

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Discussion
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• Maria Puzziferro (Schnitzer) Program Manager
• Distance Learning, FCCJ
• Mschnitz_at_fccj.edu
• Lynne S. Crosby Program Coordinator,
• Open Campus, FCCJ
• Lcrosby_at_fccj.edu