Strategies for Times When More Is Less Collaboration to Maximize the Educational ROI Gary Pandolfi Instructional Technologist Adjunct Associate Professor of English Quinnipiac University Cheryl Kerison, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Education Quinnipiac School of Education Quinnipiac University

How many?

The Course(s) ED 302 Elementary Field Study Situational Factors – 20 students submitted a reflection paper (3-5 pages) once every two weeks (x20 = 600 pages) – Papers contained reactions to field observations tied directly to course content – Teacher provided the only feedback – Some papers discussed in class

Targeted Questions How important is it that every student post a journal entry every week? Which is more important, the journal entry or the comments from other students?

The Problem How could the assignment leverage technology to maximize learning outcomes, shift the center from the teacher to the students, and make the workload manageable?

A Solution! Small groups (5 Groups of 4) 1 group posts each week Each student posts once before and once after the course mid- point Students who are not posting comment on each of the four postings

Rationale 1.2 < n n = number of observations 2.Students perceive peer review as easier than self-evaluation 3.Critiquing other student work fosters attitudes towards their own work 4.Establishing critical habits of mind becomes paramount especially when the student is learning what it means to practice a discipline. ?

Results Comparison of outcomes before and after using blogs in this way. – Students wrote every week and comments were substantive. – Journals incorporated links to other sites that supported students’ conclusions. – Course was easier to manage from facilitator’s position. – Peer review was the collaborative element that sustained student interest.

Summary Collaborative practices such as peer review… – maximize learning outcomes – center learning with the students – provide authentic experience of working/thinking in a discipline – multiply the sources of knowledge – balances the work load among students and teacher – develop both the cognitive and affective domains

Any questions?