Tools for Online Student Participation Can my online students participate in class the way my students do in person? What tools are available to me, and what does each of them do? Why would I choose one kind of online participation over another? In this quick overview, we will explore some of the ways that your online students can have discussion and collaboration, both in real time and asynchronously. From live web conferencing or phoning in during lecture, to thoughtful blog posts or discussion board threads, students can participate in class dialogue in many ways.

Synchronous vs. Asynchronous Synchronous: interaction happening in real time Example: telephone conversation Asynchronous: interaction is delayed as participants contribute over time Example: comments on a blog

A word of caution: Not all of these methods are available to all online courses. Many campus classrooms have technical limitations. Consult with your course producer about what media are right for you!

How can I have synchronous participation online?

Synchronous Interaction Hold class entirely in a web conference Over 100 Extension School courses this academic year are held in web conference alone! Note: Must be listed this way in the Course Catalog before registration begins.

What’s a web conference? More info: Breakout Session II in room G125: “Web Conferencing - Is It for Me?”

Web conference platforms Blackboard Collaborate Fully supported by Extension school tech support Google Hangouts No tech support by Extension, must use Google’s support Requires all users to have personal Google accounts More info: https://www.google.com/+/learnmore/hangouts/ Big Blue Button Incorporated as part of new Canvas platform More info: http://bigbluebutton.org/ Others you may have heard of: WebEx, Adobe Connect, GoToMeeting

Synchronous Interaction Hold class on campus, with a live video feed*: How does communication become 2-way? *where available

Synchronous Interaction Hold class on campus, with a live video feed*: Online students can communicate with campus by Text chat room Telephone conference call Skype* Web conference* IM, SMS, email Virtual reality environment (Second Life)* *where available

Synchronous Interaction Hold class on campus, with a live video feed*: Online students can communicate with campus by Text chat room Telephone conference call Skype* Web conference* IM, SMS, email Virtual reality environment *where available

Synchronous Interaction Hold class on campus, with a live video feed*: Online students can communicate with campus by Text chat room Telephone conference call Skype* Web conference* IM, SMS, email Virtual reality environment (Second Life)* *where available + Easy tool to learn and use

Synchronous Interaction Hold class on campus, with a live video feed*: Online students can communicate with campus by Text chat room Telephone conference call Skype* Web conference* IM, SMS, email Virtual reality environment (Second Life)* *where available + Easy tool to learn and use - Students have to type everything out

Synchronous Interaction Hold class on campus, with a live video feed*: Online students can communicate with campus by Text chat room Telephone conference call Skype* Web conference* IM, SMS, email Virtual reality environment (Second Life)* *where available + Easy tool to learn and use - Students have to type everything out - Works best with a second TA to monitor chat

Synchronous Interaction Hold class on campus, with a live video feed*: Online students can communicate with campus by Text chat room Telephone conference call Skype* Web conference* IM, SMS, email Virtual reality environment (Second Life)* *where available + Easy tool to learn and use - Students have to type everything out - Works best with a second TA to monitor chat + Can answer quick questions within chat, without interrupting class

Synchronous Interaction Hold class on campus, with a live video feed*: Online students can communicate with campus by Text chat room Telephone conference call Skype* Web conference* IM, SMS, email Virtual reality environment (Second Life)* *where available + Easy tool to learn and use - Students have to type everything out - Works best with a second TA to monitor chat + Can answer quick questions within chat, without interrupting class + Can pass interesting questions to the speaking instructor in real time

Synchronous Interaction Hold class on campus, with a live video feed*: Online students can communicate with campus by Text chat room Telephone conference call Skype* Web conference* IM, SMS, email Virtual reality environment (Second Life)* *where available + Easy tool to learn and use

Synchronous Interaction Hold class on campus, with a live video feed*: Online students can communicate with campus by Text chat room Telephone conference call Skype* Web conference* IM, SMS, email Virtual reality environment (Second Life)* *where available + Easy tool to learn and use + Students can speak in real time

Synchronous Interaction Hold class on campus, with a live video feed*: Online students can communicate with campus by Text chat room Telephone conference call Skype* Web conference* IM, SMS, email Virtual reality environment (Second Life)* *where available + Easy tool to learn and use + Students can speak in real time - Can have distracting background noise if students don’t mute

Synchronous Interaction Hold class on campus, with a live video feed*: Online students can communicate with campus by Text chat room Telephone conference call Skype* Web conference* IM, SMS, email Virtual reality environment (Second Life)* *where available + Easy tool to learn and use + Students can speak in real time - Can have distracting background noise if students don’t mute - Hard to tell who is on the call

Synchronous Interaction Hold class on campus, with a live video feed*: Online students can communicate with campus by Text chat room Telephone conference call Skype* Web conference* IM, SMS, email Virtual reality environment (Second Life)* *where available + Easy tool to learn and use + Students can speak in real time - Can have distracting background noise if students don’t mute - Hard to tell who is on the call - Students can’t “raise hands” to talk

Synchronous Interaction Hold class on campus, with a live video feed*: Online students can communicate with campus by Text chat room Telephone conference call Skype* Web conference* IM, SMS, email Virtual reality environment (Second Life)* *where available + Easy tool to learn and use + Students can speak in real time - Can have distracting background noise if students don’t mute - Hard to tell who is on the call - Students can’t “raise hands” to talk - Can have confusing tech issues Video stream on slight delay Students need to mute video sound when on phone Phone-in students may not hear classroom well if you’re not in an advanced classroom.

Synchronous Interaction Hold class on campus, with a live video feed*: Online students can communicate with campus by Text chat room Telephone conference call Skype* Web conference* IM, SMS, email Virtual reality environment (Second Life)* *where available [http://www.skype.com/en/what-is-skype/] + Many students already know how to use

Synchronous Interaction Hold class on campus, with a live video feed*: Online students can communicate with campus by Text chat room Telephone conference call Skype* Web conference* IM, SMS, email Virtual reality environment (Second Life)* *where available [http://www.skype.com/en/what-is-skype/] + Many students already know how to use + Good for guest lectures

Synchronous Interaction Hold class on campus, with a live video feed*: Online students can communicate with campus by Text chat room Telephone conference call Skype* Web conference* IM, SMS, email Virtual reality environment (Second Life)* *where available [http://www.skype.com/en/what-is-skype/] + Many students already know how to use + Good for guest lectures -/+ Not fully integrated into most rooms, but some are

Synchronous Interaction Hold class on campus, with a live video feed*: Online students can communicate with campus by Text chat room Telephone conference call Skype* Web conference* IM, SMS, email Virtual reality environment (Second Life)* *where available [http://www.skype.com/en/what-is-skype/] + Many students already know how to use + Good for guest lectures -/+ Not fully integrated into most rooms, but some are -/+ Limited tech support from Extension AV Services

Synchronous Interaction Hold class on campus, with a live video feed*: Online students can communicate with campus by Text chat room Telephone conference call Skype* Web conference* IM, SMS, email Virtual reality environment (Second Life)* *where available [http://www.skype.com/en/what-is-skype/] + Many students already know how to use + Good for guest lectures -/+ Not fully integrated into most rooms, but some are -/+ Limited tech support from Extension AV Services - As with phone conference... Video stream on slight delay Students need to mute video sound when on the call May not hear classroom well over Skype if you’re not in an advanced classroom.

Synchronous Interaction Hold class on campus, with a live video feed*: Online students can communicate with campus by Text chat room Telephone conference call Skype* Web conference* IM, SMS, email Virtual reality environment (Second Life)* *where available [http://www.extension.harvard.edu/courses/course-formats/web-conference-courses/] + Allows full ability for online students to present material in classroom

Synchronous Interaction Hold class on campus, with a live video feed*: Online students can communicate with campus by Text chat room Telephone conference call Skype* Web conference* IM, SMS, email Virtual reality environment (Second Life)* *where available [http://www.extension.harvard.edu/courses/course-formats/web-conference-courses/] + Allows full ability for online students to present material in classroom - Learning curve if not already familiar with tools

Synchronous Interaction Hold class on campus, with a live video feed*: Online students can communicate with campus by Text chat room Telephone conference call Skype* Web conference* IM, SMS, email Virtual reality environment (Second Life)* *where available [http://www.extension.harvard.edu/courses/course-formats/web-conference-courses/] + Allows full ability for online students to present material in classroom - Learning curve if not already familiar with tools - Not well integrated into classroom systems: setup is complicated and requires a long time and much testing

Synchronous Interaction Hold class on campus, with a live video feed*: Online students can communicate with campus by Text chat room Telephone conference call Skype* Web conference* IM, SMS, email Virtual reality environment (Second Life)* *where available [http://www.extension.harvard.edu/courses/course-formats/web-conference-courses/] + Allows full ability for online students to present material in classroom - Learning curve if not already familiar with tools - Not well integrated into classroom systems: setup is complicated and requires a long time and much testing - Integration not available at all in most classrooms

Synchronous Interaction Hold class on campus, with a live video feed*: Online students can communicate with campus by Text chat room Telephone conference call Skype* Web conference* IM, SMS, email Virtual reality environment (Second Life)* *where available [http://www.extension.harvard.edu/courses/course-formats/web-conference-courses/] + Allows full ability for online students to present material in classroom - Learning curve if not already familiar with tools - Not well integrated into classroom systems: setup is complicated and requires a long time and much testing - Integration not available at all in most classrooms +/- When it works, very effective. When it doesn’t, very distracting.

Synchronous Interaction Hold class on campus, with a live video feed*: Online students can communicate with campus by Text chat room Telephone conference call Skype* Web conference* IM, SMS, email Virtual reality environment (Second Life)* *where available + Familiar media, easy to use

Synchronous Interaction Hold class on campus, with a live video feed*: Online students can communicate with campus by Text chat room Telephone conference call Skype* Web conference* IM, SMS, email Virtual reality environment (Second Life)* *where available + Familiar media, easy to use +/- Interrupts speaker when messages come in

Synchronous Interaction Hold class on campus, with a live video feed*: Online students can communicate with campus by Text chat room Telephone conference call Skype* Web conference* IM, SMS, email Virtual reality environment (Second Life)* *where available + Familiar media, easy to use +/- Interrupts speaker when messages come in +/- Higher “threshold” for students to speak up

Synchronous Interaction Hold class on campus, with a live video feed*: Online students can communicate with campus by Text chat room Telephone conference call Skype* Web conference* IM, SMS, email Virtual reality environment (Second Life)* *where available + Familiar media, easy to use +/- Interrupts speaker when messages come in +/- Higher “threshold” for students to speak up - May have to use personal devices, accounts, or third party apps

Synchronous Interaction Hold class on campus, with a live video feed*: Online students can communicate with campus by Text chat room Telephone conference call Skype* Web conference* IM, SMS, email Virtual reality environment (Second Life)* *where available

Synchronous Interaction Hold class on campus, with a live video feed*: Online students can communicate with campus by Text chat room Telephone conference call Skype* Web conference* IM, SMS, email Virtual reality environment (Second Life)* More information at http://secondlife.com *where available - Extremely high learning curve

Synchronous Interaction Hold class on campus, with a live video feed*: Online students can communicate with campus by Text chat room Telephone conference call Skype* Web conference* IM, SMS, email Virtual reality environment (Second Life)* More information at http://secondlife.com *where available - Extremely high learning curve + Potential for online students to create, present, interact fully with each other

Synchronous Interaction Hold class on campus, with a live video feed*: Online students can communicate with campus by Text chat room Telephone conference call Skype* Web conference* IM, SMS, email Virtual reality environment (Second Life)* More information at http://secondlife.com *where available - Extremely high learning curve + Potential for online students to create, present, interact fully with each other - Complicated to integrate with classroom AV, often can’t be fully integrated

Asynchronous interaction: Eliminate time zone and personal scheduling issues!

What’s g.harvard ???

What’s g.harvard? Allows FAS (and Extension) community to use many Google resources without requiring a personal Google/gmail account. Log into g.harvard using your FAS account credentials. Use Google apps like Drive, Calendar, Gmail, Sites, Groups, and Chat - without using your personal Google login.

Which Google apps can I use? Note: does not include Google Hangouts

How do I get a g.harvard account? Have an active FAS account Extension faculty, staff, and students are entitled to FAS accounts To set up, contact HUIT (http://huit.harvard.edu) Go to http://g.harvard.edu to activate your g.harvard account Remember: Tech support is by Google, not the Extension School lab!

Asynchronous Interaction Discussion boards Course blog Social media Twitter, FaceBook, G+, LinkedIn, etc. Course wiki Google Drive + Included in course website platforms + Easy to learn and use +/- Discussion usually limited to enrolled students (internal only) - Participation low if not required - Specific instructions and curation can be needed for quality discussion - Lack of spontaneity in conversation + Encourages deeper analysis in each message

Asynchronous Interaction Discussion boards Course blog [http://wordpress.org] Social media Twitter, FaceBook, G+, LinkedIn, etc. Course wiki Google Drive - Often uses third party sites/tools + Google Sites available in g.harvard - No in-house tech support (must use the platform’s help resources) + Easy to use once set up +/- Posts and discussion usually visible to public and search engines (FERPA concerns) - Participation low if not required - Specific assignments usually needed for quality posts - Less conversational + Encourages deep analysis of material For more information on FERPA, see Breakout Session III: “Plagiarism and FERPA”, room 119

Asynchronous Interaction Discussion boards Course blog Social media Twitter, FaceBook, G+, LinkedIn, etc. Course wiki Google Drive + Most students already familiar with tools - No in-house tech support (must use the platform’s help resources) - All but Google Plus require students to register on third party sites. (G+ can be accessed via g.harvard) +/- Posts and discussion usually visible to public and search engines (FERPA concerns.) - Participation low if not required - Specific assignments usually needed for quality posts

Asynchronous Interaction Discussion boards Course blog Social media Twitter, FaceBook, G+, LinkedIn, etc. Course wiki Google Drive + Some learning curve for many +/- Highly flexible, no inherently fixed format for contributing - No in-house tech support (must use the platform’s help resources) - Requires students to register on third party sites. +/- Posts and discussion usually visible to public and search engines (FERPA concerns.) - Participation low if not required - Specific assignments usually needed for quality posts What’s a wiki? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki

Asynchronous Interaction Discussion boards Course blog Social media Twitter, FaceBook, G+, LinkedIn, etc. Course wiki Google Drive + Easy to use - No in-house tech support (must use Google support) + Students can access in g.harvard + Great for group collaboration and projects + Highly flexible: can be used for online notes and slides, sharing data sets, and more

Scenario: Interactive section Section Style Recommended Medium * Synchronous option Asynchronous option Supplemental lecture On-campus section with a live webcast. Optional interaction via chat room. Video recording Sample problems Q&A or office hours Web conference Discussion board Round-table discussion Lab or in-class activities Varies, depending on type of activity Discussion board or homework assignment

Scenario: Group Project Collaboration Google Drive Web conferencing Telephone conferencing Email, chat, other

Scenario: Final project presentations Present live remotely: Web conference, Skype, phone Submit a video: Screencast recordings: Camtasia, Screenflow Submit via YouTube, Vimeo (or other upload site), Dropbox (course website or third party), or directly http://www.techsmith.com/download/camtasia/ http://www.telestream.net/ screenflow/ https://www.youtube.com/ https://vimeo.com/ https://www.dropbox.com/

Scenario: Participation grades for a discussion board Foster good discussion: Allow students to think through and answer each other’s questions, but... Keep comments on track by correcting information when needed, and gently guiding off- track threads back to the core topics Point out excellent examples of posts and comments Provide separate forums for general questions, and casual or social interaction. Rubric: Set clear requirements for frequency, length, and quality Example: Post on each week’s topic by Friday. Reply thoughtfully to at least two colleagues by Sunday. Typical posts should be about 500 words and reflect understanding of the readings. Provide regular feedback to students, so they can adjust and improve participation More tips: http://ta-portal.dce.harvard.edu/?page_id=2538

What other scenarios do you have? What tools could you use?

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