1. John Thompson, PhD Buffalo State College Improving Online Discussions

2. Actual Student Comments “I have found that I like the discussions. Although I agree with many other students on most topics, it is interesting for me to see what other people think. Sometimes it allows me to reflect on their thoughts as well as mine and gives me a chance to rethink what I have known.” “I agree that the discussions were relevant and having discussions with peers make the class more useful in the class.” John Thompson, PhD 2

3. Student Feedback John Thompson, PhD 3 “This being my first online class, I was in all honesty annoyed by the requirement to post seven messages on this discussion board every week. However, I must say that I have learned as much, if not more from reading other students/teachers comments than I have from the book itself. Thank you for your earnest comments.” “I think the emphasis on participation is the most valuable part of the course and although a bit demanding, it definitely makes the course very practical and useful.”

4. Actual Student Comments “I would like to summarize my thoughts by stating how much I enjoy the posting process and interactions between students[mostly K12 teachers]. I have mentioned to you before how much I now like interactive learning. The students in our class have brought up meaningful ideas and strategies used in their classroom environments I have always felt that I learn from other teachers, and from my students…Learning what has worked for another teacher can be invaluable to growing as a teacher.” John Thompson, PhD 4

5. Actual Student Comments “I also liked a lot of the discussions we've had. They have really helped me to think about what I want to do with this information in my classroom. I also really liked the discussions at the beginning of the course that let us know going little by little and improving and using a little more technology everyday is enough. I have felt and I'm sure so has everybody else very overwhelmed and wondered how or where to implement all the changes that needed to be made in our classrooms. Now I know that as long as we are making small improvements then we are doing enough and we are doing our jobs as educators. ” John Thompson, PhD 5

6. Actual Student Comments “I like the discussion posts, especially when some of the discussion gets many responses. My favorite discussion thought are the ones like The Slight Edge and The Starfish story. I like the idea of having us apply the ideas of the course and of the specific modules to stories. ” John Thompson, PhD 6

7. Actual Student Comments “Discussions relate directly to the subject matter of that week’s topics, are specific enough to keep us on track, and open-ended enough to allow us room to explore. I like having two discussions each week because it adds variety and if one grabs me more than the other, I can spend more of my time there. The expectation of five posts per week means that we are really discussing, not just tossing out an idea and moving on… Instructor involvement in discussion is the best I’ve seen in any class – waiting for most students to post makes the conversation “our own” and comments/questions help us to expand our discussion, clarify points, and give us food for thought; all things that I wouldn’t be able to do without instructor support.” John Thompson, PhD 7

8. Actual Student Comments “ The discussion forum is built to allow us students to have a learning community which brings a variety of learners of many different backgrounds together. I share my opinions and become challenged and grow with my thinking in a comfortable environment. Sometimes I jump right in at the beginning of the week and sometimes, mull things over until the end, or wait until other have their say before I shoot my opinions onto the court. ” John Thompson, PhD 8

9. Actual Student Comments “Contributing to the success of the course was the relevancy of the topics on the Discussion Board and the high standard of entries and insights from the participants… Overall the correlation of the course content with the effects of the particular group dynamics of the cohort made for a compelling learning experience. As can be seen from the above quotation some discussion topics led to passionate viewpoints on some students parts. While the format of the Discussion Board had its particular benefits such as ease of use, it also had its limitations such as the fact that it took place in a closed format, which meant that it was not available to non- participants of the course. In other words, it did not have the benefits associated with for instance an online Blog format.” John Thompson, PhD 9

10. Actual Student Comments “ The interface is very easy to use, the discussions are all related to things that happen in the classroom and the text was actually a bit helpful. This is not always the case with some classes I have taken. There was plenty of time to complete all of the discussions, and it was obvious that the instructor was reading our posts, which is also not always the case in other classes I have taken. ” John Thompson, PhD 10

11. Actual Student Comments “I feel you are giving us enough time to answer the discussion questions, and I like that you ask for personal experiences so that we can see how our classmates have or are dealing with a situation we are learning about. ” “ What I did not like about the board was the way that whoever replied first often set the tone for the entire discussion and everyone just kind of repeated what was just said. ” John Thompson, PhD 11

12. Actual Student Comments “Also kudos to Dr. T for actually participating in the discussions more that we did (maybe 20 posting to our 7). In absolutely every other online course I took it was the other way around, just some perfunctory postings by the instructor (usually well worded and well thought out, but not many of them). ” “I have gleaned so many incredible ideas from the discussion threads with my peers. ” John Thompson, PhD 12

13. Actual Student Comments “I always like to hear about things that I can turn around and use in my classroom the next day. This class has come up with some great things, but the week to week discussions mean that discussions can/are stopped abruptly as everyone scrambles onto the next week. Perhaps having a problem solving discussion that is added onto and participated in each week building throughout the entire course? ” John Thompson, PhD 13

14. Actual Student Comments “I love reading everyone's postings and the different perspectives of high school, middle school, elementary, and pre-K teachers, students and classrooms. Responding to other people and knowing other people are reading my post makes me write more thoughtful responses that if I thought no one was reading them. ” “Feeling like my opinion counted also motivated me to read what everyone posted too. ” John Thompson, PhD 14

15. Actual Student Comments “ What I enjoy is receiving input from other teachers on what they have done and reading about their experiences. I find myself not just looking for your name when you have responded to my postings, but also look forward to reading how you respond to other students’ postings. ” John Thompson, PhD 15

16. Actual Student Comments “I like weeks with more discussion questions so that the topics of people's responses can be more varied. When there are only two discussion prompts and everyone has to post a certain number of responses or comments the string can get long and that is when things get hard to follow, in my opinion. ” John Thompson, PhD 16

17. Actual Student Comments “Occasionally the chats go off on a tangent, and I know I feel guilty adding to the thread when someone asks me a personal question, but a response doesn't seem to fit in the social board either. I have a lot of personal interest in the course material because of family members and friends' children, so I glance through most comments, concentrating on the ones that seem most beneficial to me. I tend to read all of your comments because of the sites you reference and also to get your clarifications…I like the fact that we have freedom within the discussion topics. Since they are not too specific I always find interesting information from someone that I can apply.” John Thompson, PhD 17

18. Actual Student Comments “I like the discussion format but I am finding that I am wanting to go back to previous weeks to find more answers or responses to questions that come up later. I'm not sure how it could be done but to be able to have a review or continuous discussion board to revisit some topics would be helpful. ” “I also like how frequently Mr. Thompson posts. It shows that he really cares about what we post and that he's not just counting how many times we post and then assigning us points. That helps, as do his comments. ” John Thompson, PhD 18

19. Actual Student Comments “ The most stimulating part of this course was the instructor’s willingness to allow dialogue among class members. This dialogue, though often heated, allowed me to hear and feel the passion of others concerning issues surrounding technology (present and future) impact on society. The passion generated from this subject is a direct result of the concern of classroom teachers in regards to issues such as equity. While opinions varied in these discussions, we all agreed that technology is definitely in all of our futures whether we’re ready or not. ” John Thompson, PhD 19

20. Actual Student Comments “I enjoyed the discussions about the different facets of technology in education. I will say that there are areas I didn't think about or would have without these discussions. It is nice to pop my head out of my gopher hole and see the vast difference across the state. Not only that, it is refreshing to see the spirit of ingenuity alive and kicking where budget cuts, near sighted admin, and tech phobic peers. ” John Thompson, PhD 20

21. Actual Student Comments “ Your presence in the class has been very helpful for me because I can leave a response for which I will get feedback (rather than blindly posting and hoping that my ideas are ‘correct’). In most of the discussions, you have included a ‘if you haven’t had a classroom, what experiences have you had’ section in the question. If you could include something like that in all posts, it would help people like me a lot! ” John Thompson, PhD 21

22. John Thompson, PhD 22 Why all big whoop about online courses and online discussions?

23. Online Course Growth – Higher Education John Thompson, PhD 23 Over 4.6 million U.S. higher ed students taking at least one online course in fall 2008 >25% of all students taking at least one online course 17% growth rate since 2007 for online enrollments far exceeds 1.2% growth of overall higher ed student population Previously, online enrollment increased 2007 – over 3.9 million 2006 – almost 3.5 million 2005 – nearly 3.2 million 2004 – about 2.3 million 2003 – about 1.97 million

24. Source: Allen & Seaman (2010)

25. Research About Online Discussions What do researchers have to say? What do others report about the topic? What’s working? John Thompson, PhD 25

26. Online Discussions John Thompson, PhD 26 95% of student respondents had positive views of using asynchronous discussion (Black, 2005) “A successful online discussion has the same synergistic effect of group or in-class discussion, in which students build on one another's perspectives to gain a deeper understanding of the materials” (http://www.dartmouth.edu/~webteach/articles/discussion.html)http://www.dartmouth.edu/~webteach/articles/discussion.html

27. Best Practices John Thompson, PhD 27 Specific guidelines, checklists, and rubrics regarding acceptable responses Well-designed open-ended questions and topics to provide a context for the discussion and to help students stay centered Requirement of specific connections made to the readings Private note to students who are inappropriate or off topic with their talk Summary or wrap up of the discussion by the instructor or students (Black, 2005)

28. Best Practices John Thompson, PhD 28 Avoid responding to every comment Provide clear instructions on how and where to post messages and give general navigation techniques Be good listener and know when and when not to intervene in the student discussion People skills are as important online as they are off-line (Ambrose, 2001)

29. Best Practices John Thompson, PhD 29 Require participation. Students must post x-number of items each week or for each topic Make the activity interesting. If it is a discussion topic, make it one that students have a reason to get engaged in Don't settle for just opinions. Opinions must be supported with data and rational discourse Structure the activity. Give students guideposts to help them think of things to say that are academically meaningful (Klemm, 1998)

30. Best Practices John Thompson, PhD 30 Maintain an informal tone Relate online discussions to what is happening in class Clarify the payoff for participation in the discussion, either by enhancing one's grade or by enhancing one's understanding of material that is likely to be on a graded exam Set up a "for fun" discussion board where students can post anything they wish to let other students know them better (Brown, 2002)

31. Best Practices John Thompson, PhD 31 Show teaching presence though postings Have an administrative role (e.g., notify students of assessment arrangements) Suggest activities and roles to generate debate Take responsibility for monitoring the nature and scope of discussion and group processes (Hammond, 2005)

32. What’s Been My Experience? What have I found that works? How has my approach changed in 10 years? What tips do I have? John Thompson, PhD 32

33. Best Practices John Thompson, PhD 33 Initiate contact via e-mail before the first day of class “Introduce yourself” ice-breaker Include a social board (aka social café) for non-topic discussions Include “Have a question or problem?” discussion Connect discussions to course & specifically to current assignments - no “busy work” discussions

34. Best Practices John Thompson, PhD 34 Goldilocks Syndrome Too many discussions dilute the broth Too few discussions bring “I can’t think of anything new” whines Keep most current discussions at top of page Include clip art & video clips in discussion intro Make it interesting Bring in guest participant Include note with weekly points

35. Best Practices John Thompson, PhD 35 Mandate minimum student participation Require at least one posting by 5 th day in each discussion No anonymous postings Delete postings that do not advance discussion Promote quality participation by publicly acknowledging it Ask for more detail from students who submit incomplete or shallow comments

36. Best Practices John Thompson, PhD 36 Use enticing subject line/header Insert a ? at beginning of subject line to indicate the posting includes a question With multiple discussions going at once, it is likely there will be more student postings in the discussions that appear first Some students need extrinsic self-motivation (e.g., points)

37. Best Practices John Thompson, PhD 37 Be active - make your students feel connected, not neglected Include “test” postings to encourage reading your postings Include new info (e.g., Web sites) Relate personal experiences Provide safe, comfortable environment Keep your sense of humor

38. Best Practices John Thompson, PhD 38 A balance needs to be reached in the amount of discussion entries submitted by the instructor Discussions should strive to reflect higher order thinking skills (HOTS). Avoid “I agree” or “Thanks” postings On a rotating basis, have students lead discussions More…?

39. John Thompson, PhD 39 More about online discussions in students’ own words…

40. Student Feedback John Thompson, PhD 40 “I really enjoyed the discussion board. This particular activity opened up the discussions within our class to a new level. People who hardly ever say anything became more vocal and were able to clearly express their opinions on particular topics...The discussion board creates a comfortable atmosphere for discussion which would allow my shy students’ more freedom to comment.” “The discussion boards allowed everyone to have a voice. Sometimes in the classroom there are some people that dominate discussions but on the computer everyone has the opportunity to really state how they were feeling.”

41. Student Feedback “Another part of the class that I will not forget is the discussion board. Since I am connected to the internet often, it was not hard to find time to respond, but it was a bit embarrassing to be the first one to post every time. One week I even waited 12 hours, hoping someone else would post, but when they didn’t, I just went ahead. The only thing I would have done differently if I had been in control, was change the topics more often. It seemed as if we exhausted some topics, as everything was said early in the week, but we still had to post 6 more times. There were several other ‘Impact Issues’ that I would like to have discussed.” John Thompson, PhD 41

42. Student Feedback John Thompson, PhD 42 “The greatest challenge for me during this class was to write and express my opinion on certain issues... This was different for me because I am normally very quiet and reserved. However, after responding to the questions from the professor and other members in my cohort, I began to feel more comfortable with this assignment. I was able to write and express myself to others in a way that boosted my confidence in speaking to the group during our discussions in class.”

43. Student Feedback John Thompson, PhD 43 “I also like the idea that I can ponder each question and give an answer after I have thought about it or discussed it with my peers. Is a great way to learn and very rewarding experience.” “I was a little unsure of what to expect from this class, but I have found that I actually enjoy the discussions. In a classroom setting I have a hard time responding to people's opinions out loud but it is a lot easier on-line. The discussion topics are very thought provoking and I have taken in quite a few tips that will help me. I also love being able to sit down and do my work when I have time, like when the kids are asleep.”

44. Student Feedback John Thompson, PhD 44 “I also like how discussions are a large part of this class. I have to say that for whatever reason, both of my classes this semester have a lot of discussion participation and I think it's great. I feel more connected to my classmates than I have in the past, and we do learn a lot from each other. Without discussions, we wouldn't discover and share our commonalities.” “The discussion questions pointed me in directions I never even knew I needed to address until I came to them.”

45. Student Feedback John Thompson, PhD 45 “I really like your timely responses to everyone's posts. It makes me feel like I am in a real class and not just typing a blog it also motivates me to get my posts in so that I can see your response. I am taking another course right now and the only reason that I know that the professor has been on the site is that our participation points are posted for the first 2 weeks. So that is pretty frustrating and not very motivating.”

46. Summary John Thompson, PhD 46 Online learning & discussions growing Highlighted some best practices with online discussions Heard from online students

47. References John Thompson, PhD 47 Allen, I. E., & Seaman, J. (2010). Learning on Demand: Online Education in the United States, 2009. http://www.sloan- c.org/publications/survey/pdf/learningondemand.pdfhttp://www.sloan- c.org/publications/survey/pdf/learningondemand.pdf Allen, I. E., & Seaman, J. (2008). Staying the Course: Online Education in the United States, 2008. http://www.sloan- c.org/publications/survey/pdf/staying_the_course.pdfhttp://www.sloan- c.org/publications/survey/pdf/staying_the_course.pdf Allen, I. E., & Seaman, J. (2007). Online Nation: Five Years of Growth in Online Learning. http://www.sloan-c.org/publications/survey/pdf/online_nation.pdfhttp://www.sloan-c.org/publications/survey/pdf/online_nation.pdf Allen, I. E., & Seaman, J. (2006). Making the grade: Online education in the United States, 2006. The Sloan Consortium. http://www.sloan- c.org/publications/survey/pdf/making_the_grade.pdfhttp://www.sloan- c.org/publications/survey/pdf/making_the_grade.pdf Allen, I. E., & Seaman, J. (2005). Growing by degrees: Online education in the United States, 2005. The Sloan Consortium. http://www.sloan- c.org/publications/survey/pdf/growing_by_degrees.pdfhttp://www.sloan- c.org/publications/survey/pdf/growing_by_degrees.pdf

48. References Ambrose, L. (2001, September). Learning online facilitation online. Moving Online Conference II. Gold Coast, Australia. http://flexiblelearning.net.au/leaders/fl_leaders/fll00/lyn_ambrose.htm http://flexiblelearning.net.au/leaders/fl_leaders/fll00/lyn_ambrose.htm Black, A. (2005). The use of asynchronous discussion: Creating a text of talk. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education [Online serial], 5(1). http://www.citejournal.org/vol5/iss1/languagearts/article1.cfm http://www.citejournal.org/vol5/iss1/languagearts/article1.cfm Brown, D. G. (2002). The role you play in online discussion. Syllabus, 16 (5), 9. Hammond, M. (2005, October). A review of recent papers on online discussion in teaching and learning in higher education. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 9(3). 9-23. Klemm, W. R. (1998, August). Eight ways to get students more engaged in online conferences. T.H.E. Journal, 26(1). http://www.thejournal.com/magazine/vault/A1997.cfm http://www.thejournal.com/magazine/vault/A1997.cfm John Thompson, PhD 48

49. Presenter John Thompson, PhD 49 John Thompson, Ph.D. Associate Professor Educational Technology Program Computer Information Systems Department Chase 208 Buffalo State College 1300 Elmwood Avenue Buffalo, NY 14222 716.878.3531 thompsjt@buffalostate.edu