Dorothy P. Fuller, Ed.D. Black Hills State University From Chit-Chat to Discourse: Improving Online Discussion

Common Uses of Discussion Check for regular attendance Check for keeping up with content Develop a learning community Develop higher order thinking skills Support group projects Q & A sessions

My Goals Expand and strengthen a fledgling learning community Develop higher order thinking skills Encourage regular self-evaluation of work Encourage peer-to-peer idea exchange

Course & Participants Graduate level course in educational technology integration 21 participants, all K-12 teachers, 9 males, 12 females From 4 states, 2 time zones Discussion grading periods 2 – 3 weeks long, depending on unit structure

Tools LMS asynchronous discussion tool with specific topics related to unit assignments Peer Rating System within the LMS discussion tool Reflective assignments

First Unit Assignment Identify personal learning goals Get comfortable with discussion environment and structure Common subject – identify current issues in their schools and their own research interests Post and respond to multiple messages

End of First Unit Assignment Review all unit discussion postings Identify those that were helpful or not helpful for personal learning Identify common traits of messages in both categories Share, compare & rate traits of effective and ineffective posting traits Agree on a 5-star rating system

5-Star Rating System ★★★★★ = Extended knowledge through supported analysis or evaluation, clear and organized narrative of application, or provision of additional quality resources

5-Star Rating System ★★★★ = provided unsupported analysis beyond peer experience and opinion, examples of application more general in tone, less organized ★★★ = provided general applications that merely reinforced others’ contributions

5-Star Rating System ★★ = “Me too” statements with unfounded or unsupported generalizations ★ = “I agree/disagree” statements only; applause statements only = rude, sarcastic, demeaning

Next Unit Assignment Discussion rating system turned on Participants posted according to discussion assignments Participants encouraged to rate peer postings according to established star system

Next End of Unit Assignment Participants rated their own postings according to star system Compared their own ratings to average message ratings by peers Addressed any discrepancies between self & peer ratings

Reflective Analysis Writers encouraged to analyze postings that were consistently rated 5 stars by peers Compare their own posting characteristics with those Identify ways to improve postings Set personal goal for improving postings in next unit

Results By end of course Quality of postings improved for all participants By end of course gap between personal ratings and peer ratings had decreased Effective for both over-raters and under-raters

Next Step Follow participants over the next year in 2 additional courses to see if improvements continue.

For More Information Contact: Dorothy Fuller Black Hills State University 1200 University St., Unit 9116 Spearfish, SD (605)