engaging students in your online course

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Synchronous and Asynchronous LearningTools: 15 Strategies for Engaging Online

Students Using Real-time Chat, ThreadedDiscussions and Blogs

2Synchronous and Asynchronous Learning Tools: 15 Strategies for Engaging Online Students Using Real-time Chat, Threaded Discussions and Blogs

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Synchronous and Asynchronous Learning Tools:15 Strategies for Engaging Online Students Using Real-time Chat,Threaded Discussions and Blogs

In a traditional face-to-face class, students have many opportunities to interact with theirinstructor and fellow students. Whether it’s an informal chat before or after class, or par-ticipating in the classroom discussion, interaction can be an important factor in studentsuccess.

Creating similar opportunities for participation and collaboration in an online course isone of the biggest challenges of teaching online. Yet, opportunities for meaningful interac-tion online are plentiful, provided you design and facilitate your course in the correctmanner and with the proper tools.

Asynchronous and synchronous learning tools, such as threaded discussions, instantmessaging, and blogs play an important role in humanizing online courses by replicatingthe classroom experience of information exchange and community building, not justbetween students and teacher but among the students as well.

This Faculty Focus special report features 15 articles from Online Classroom newsletter,and will provide you with specific strategies on how to use synchronous and asynchro-nous learning tools to engage your online students.

Here are just some of the articles you will find in this report:• A Plan for Effective Discussion Boards• Using Video Clips to Stimulate Discussion• Using Individual and Group Instant Messaging to Engage Students• Nine Strategies for Using IM in Your Online Course• Four Ways to Improve Discussion Forums

Synchronous and Asynchronous Learning Tools: 15 Strategies for Engaging Online StudentsUsing Real-time Chat, Threaded Discussions and Blogs is loaded with practical advice fromeducators who’ve found effective ways to promote learning and build community in theironline courses.

Rob KellyEditor

Online Classroom



Table of Contents

Asynchronous Discussion: The Heart of the Online Course ........................................................................................4

What Do Students Say about Online Discussion? ........................................................................................................5

Using Video Clips to Stimulate Discussion ..................................................................................................................7

A Plan for Effective Discussion Boards ......................................................................................................................8

Four Ways to Improve Discussion Forums ................................................................................................................10

Nine Strategies for Using IM in Your Online Course ..................................................................................................11

Blogs or Discussion Boards? ....................................................................................................................................12

5 Suggestions for Equitable Online Facilitation ........................................................................................................13

Using Individual and Group Instant Messaging to Engage Students ..........................................................................14

Protecting the Online Classroom Community ..........................................................................................................16

Using Discussion Boards for One-on-One Interaction ................................................................................................17

Threaded Discussion: ‘Lifeblood’ of Online Math Courses ........................................................................................18

How to Engage Students in Meaningful Discussion ..................................................................................................19

Threaded Discussions: They’re Not Just for Controversial or Ambiguous Issues ......................................................20

Open-Source Blog Platform Provides Much-Needed Communication Flexibility ........................................................22



Asynchronous online discussionplays a key role in humanizingonline courses. Asking

provocative questions is an importantpart of getting students to participatein discussions, but the rightquestions alone are not alwaysenough to create a truly connectedclass.“The discussion forum is most

closely going to replicate the experi-ence of exchanging information, notjust between students and teacherbut among the students, as if wewere in the classroom. It has to bethe heart of the course,” says KylaHeflin, director of extended studies inthe College of Education at theUniversity of Colorado at ColoradoSprings.To get students to appreciate the

significance of the discussion forum,Heflin has a Web page in her coursesthat explains the grading rubric fordiscussion and her expectations. Animportant part of her rubric is havingtwo deadlines for each weeklong dis-cussion. The first deadline, whichoccurs in the middle of the week, isfor students to post their initialresponses to the discussion prompt.Then the students have until thesecond deadline to respond to at leasttwo classmates’ initial responses.“At first, students were very

resistant to having two deadlines perweek. They felt that taking an onlinecourse would give them completefreedom to do the work on their own

schedules. I tried that, but the courselost that interactive quality. It’scritical to keep people on the sameschedule, or else they don’t talk toeach other,” Heflin says.With just one deadline at the end

of a discussion, students tend to cramthe discussion into a few hours justbefore the deadline. This decreases

the likelihood for well-craftedresponses and leaves those whoposted early waiting a relatively longtime to receive feedback.Requiring students to respond to at

least two classmates’ initial responseskeeps them from getting stuck intheir own threads and talking aboutwhat they posted.Heflin actively participates in each

discussion and holds herself to thesame deadlines in the discussionforum. “I noticed that that has helped

students know generally when I willbe in the course, and that’simportant.”To help get a better idea of how

well she was communicating in hercourses, Heflin sought feedback fromher students beyond the standardcourse evaluations. She learned thather communication was comingacross as “tense, concise, andabrupt.”She decided to use emoticons to

communicate tone and posted aphoto of herself and an introduction(not just an e-mail that gives infor-mation about the course, but amessage that gives some personal in-formation), and her students werevery positive. “These things don’tseem like a big deal, but they canchange the course. I’ve gotten somuch feedback from students thatthey like having a face to place witha name and the text that’s comingacross. It’s a very simple thing, but itreally works.”Heflin also makes it a point to

make students aware of her presencein the course by posting weekly an-nouncements and posting frequentlyin the discussion forum, “so it isn’tjust me posting one lecture and nevergetting back on there. It feels morelike a conversation that way.” @

Asynchronous Discussion:The Heart of the Online Course

By Rob Kelly

“The discussion forum is most

closely going to replicate the

experience of exchanging

information, not just between

students and teacher but

among the students, as if we

were in the classroom.”

5

We know that the literaturesuggests that online collab-oration and discussion are

key elements to success for an onlinecourse, but what do students thinkabout online discussion? We decidedto find out by conducting ananecdotal study to see if what ourstudents (undergraduate and graduatestudents in a midsize Midwest univer-sity) reported matched what the liter-ature suggests.After years of listening to varied

comments from our students, wesurveyed two classes at the beginningof a semester. Of 32 surveys sent, 25were returned. We then held focusgroups with an additional 20 graduatestudents and with 20 undergraduatestudents. Our topic was their percep-tions of course online discussion. Weasked such questions as• “Do you participate in face-to-faceclass discussions?”

• “How much do you generally readof online discussion?”

• “What motivates you to partici-pate?”

• “What has made for good (andfor poor) experiences of onlinediscussion?”

More than 80 percent of graduateand 66 percent of undergraduatestudents reported generally contribut-ing to face-to-face class discussions.More than 80 percent of the totalreported that they had participated inonline discussions in previous

courses. On average between the twogroups, nearly 12 percent reportedthat they read 100 percent of theonline discussion, and approximately55 percent reported that they typicallyread 75 percent to 99 percent ofonline discussion. Just over 24percent read less than half, whilenearly 10 percent chose not to answer.We were interested in what

motivates students to participate. In apre-class survey, 100 percentexpressed that interest in the subjectwill get them to participate; onaverage, 78 percent reported that theyparticipate if it is graded. This lastnumber, however, rose to closer to 85percent in a post-course survey. Fewclaimed that peer pressure served as amotivator, but comments included theimportance of other students also par-ticipating. Other comments suggestedcomfort in the online environmentbecause they have time to thinkbefore responding. Of particularinterest is how much of the onlinediscussion students read.Approximately 23 percent of

graduate students and no undergradu-ate students reported reading all ofthe online discussion; an averagebetween the two groups indicates thatapproximately 58 percent readbetween 75 percent and 99 percent.The rest (except for the 9 percent whodid not answer) read less than half,with about 8 percent of graduatestudents reporting reading less than25 percent.

Equally interesting was looking attheir reasons for not participating inonline discussion. Responses variedbetween the anticipation of the onlinecourse discussion and the post-coursereality. Half of undergraduate and 65percent of graduate students believedthat a lack of interest would keepthem from participating, but fewerthan 19 percent reported the same atthe end. The biggest barrier to partici-pating was time. At the end of thecourses, an average of nearly 88percent reported that lack of time keptthem from participating. Half of un-dergraduate students thought that toomuch text on the discussion boardwas a barrier, as did 38 percent ofgraduates. On average, 12 percent didnot complete the preparation work, 10percent did not participate in non-graded discussion, and 14 percent didnot respond.Summarizing their responses, along

with the literature, we determined ourown “best practices.”

1. Make the topic interesting andrelevant. The online discussion mustbe a topic of interest. Questions thathave relevancy to the students,whether in their immediate lives orthat they can connect to their future,will elicit higher participation. Taketime to inform students why youvalue discussion and what you hopethey gain from it. Identify ahead oftime the educational objectives, andinform students how the discussionwill add to their understanding of thecontent (Jenkinson, 1994).

2. Encourage timely participation.Students reported that they preferredwhen all participated in a timelymanner. The instructor can be pre-scriptive in this, allowing only a fewdays for initial responses, with follow-

Synchronous and Asynchronous Learning Tools: 15 Strategies for Engaging Online Students Using Real-time Chat, Threaded Discussions and Blogs


What Do Students Say aboutOnline Discussion?

By Glenna L. Decker, EdD, and Sarah J. Cox

PAGE 6�

6

up responses one or two more timesthroughout the duration of the discus-sion. Another approach that has beensuccessful with the author’s graduatestudents is to spend the first week ofthe course having the students them-selves define the parameters. As theydiscuss their own positive andnegative experiences in online discus-sion, the students can then vote ontheir own expectations, includingwhen and how often they should con-tribute. With a social contract, theyown the criteria and hold each otheraccountable, allowing the instructor tobe less prescriptive.

3. Ask two or three open-endedquestions to provide opportunity forongoing dialogue. Students will con-tribute more when they learn from thediscussion and find the dialoguethoughtful and meaningful. They aremore interested when there are avariety of perspectives and opinions.Encourage their opinion, backed up byreferencing the literature. Studentswant somewhere to go with the dis-cussion; they do not want a closedresponse or to feel forced to rewordthe same response as others. Be clearthat simply agreeing with a colleagueis insufficient without explaining whatinforms their opinion.

4. Encourage clear, concisedialogue. Students shared that timerestraints were a barrier to participat-ing and they welcomed succinct, to-the-point responses. Model forstudents how to write for onlinedialogue. Short, inverted paragraphsand bullet points are more effective forreading online (Nielsen, 1997).

5. Rotate students or groups.Staying on topic is important tostudents, and a reminder of this maydissuade ill-prepared students from

posting solely for credit. One way tomanage this is to rotate students orgroups to be the topic facilitators.Students will then hold each other ac-countable for the relevancy of the con-tributions to the topic at hand.

6. Create a safe environment. Thequickest way to shut down discussionis for someone to feel attacked.Students need (and deserve) to feelsafe in class discussion (Doyle, 2005),and this is perhaps more challengingin the online environment, wheretyped messages are easily misinter-preted. Students report the need for anhonest, open, and respectful environ-ment. The instructor has the responsi-bility of setting this tone from thebeginning. Model appropriateresponses and challenges through ad-ditional questions.

7. Make expectations clear. Onechallenge with online discussion isthat it is not contained within theperiod of a class meeting. Studentslook for clear expectations and guide-lines, with an identified beginning andending. Address this with a rubric thatclarifies expectations of quality discus-sion, including how often, when, andhow posts must contribute to theongoing dialogue.

8. Use group discussions. Studentsreported that they favored group dis-cussion (these groups averaged fiveparticipants) and liked havingassigned roles. Requiring students torotate roles such as facilitator, re-searcher, summarizer, and questionergave them purpose and easedanxieties. They knew their expecta-tions and enjoyed the dialogue more.The quality and depth of the discus-sion also improves as the studentsengage further in higher-orderthinking skills.

A final note is to address the instruc-tor’s role in the discussion. Be clearwith your students about your ownparticipation. Students report that anoverly involved instructor will inhibitparticipation, as students will bewaiting to hear the “correct” answer.In addition to the author’s own inves-tigation, a study by Rourke &Anderson (2002) concluded that“student-led discussions provide a freeand relaxed atmosphere for discus-sion, which makes students feel unin-hibited in asking questions andchallenging the statements of others”(p. 4).

ReferencesDoyle, T. (2005, February 4). A real

world model for classroom discussion.Lecture presented at Pew FacultyTeaching & Learning Center, GrandValley State University.Jenkinson, E. (1994, January).

Writing assignments, journals, andstudent privacy. ERIC Clearinghouseon Reading, English, andCommunication, digest #88. RetrievedOctober 15, 2007, from IndianaUniversity School of Educationwebsite: www.indiana.edu/~reading/ieo/digests/d88.htmlNielsen, J. (1997). How users read

on the web. Retrieved October 15,2007, from Nielsen Norman Groupuseit.com website: www.useit.com/alertbox/9710a.htmlRourke, L., & Anderson, T. (2002).

Using peer teams to lead online dis-cussions. Journal of Interactive Mediain Education, March, 2002(1), 4.Retrieved October 15, 2007, from TheOpen University, United Kingdomwebsite: www-jime.open.ac.uk/2002/1/rourke-anderson-02-1-t.html@



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7

If you’re looking to improvethreaded discussions in youronline courses, consider using

brief video clips as discussionprompts. When carefully selected andintegrated into a course, these clipscan lead students to higher-orderthinking and appeal to auditory andvisual learning styles.Stacey Williams, distance learning

council co-chair and director ofdistance learning at Naugatuck ValleyCommunity College, uses video clipsto prompt discussion and says thather retention rates and student satis-faction have improved as a result.The key is to use these video clipswithin the context of scaffolding as-signments rather than as stand-alonecourse elements.Each unit in Williams’ courses in-

corporates the following elements:

• Learning objectives—Theseserve as a guide in selecting appropri-ate readings, activities, and videoclips. To make these objectives clearto students, Williams sends them tostudents as either weekly email orpop-up announcements. Theadvantage of using pop-up announce-ments is that students have to dosomething with them (either closethem or move them out of the way)before proceeding to the course activ-ities, which increases the likelihoodthat they will read them.

• Readings—These includetextbook and online readings foundin library databases on realcompanies.

• PowerPoint—The PowerPointslides emphasize the key conceptscovered in the readings. “Whateverthey didn’t get from the readings, thePowerPoint will hopefully bring outfor them and make it a little easier tofocus on the relevant key points,”Williams says.

• Concept quiz—After thePowerPoint presentation, Williamshas students do practice assignments,typically multiple-choice or true/falsequizzes. “They tend to do thosepractice tests or quizzes a little bitmore readily when it’s a safe environ-ment, so I keep those as a tool justfor them,” Williams says.

• Video clips—Williams uses brief(up to five-minute) video clips fromsources such as corporate websites,textbook publishers,www.merlot.org/,www.youtube.com/, andwww.teachertube.com/. “One of thebiggest challenges is finding videos touse in a streaming format, but I dolike the challenge of going out andfinding them,” Williams says.

• Discussion—After viewing avideo clip, students participate in adiscussion based on the video.

Williams typically asks students twoquestions based on the content of thevideo clip, and they are required torespond with a minimum of twoparagraphs and responses to at leasttwo classmates. “This gets the con-versation going. It simulates whathappens in a classroom, and it doestend to draw out the students whowouldn’t necessarily participate in adiscussion in person. For me, itbecomes a key part of an onlinecourse,” Williams says.

Each of these unit elements buildson the next. “I give them the founda-tional information first and thenbring in the video to kind of get themto that application point where theycan see the things that we talkedabout or the things that we readabout. They can see these conceptsbeing applied by real-worldcompanies,” Williams says.

Selecting video clipsVideo clips can come from a wide

variety of sources. When selectingvideo clips, consider the following:

• Select video relevant to thecourse. There is a wealth of videoposted online that has potential foruse in online courses. However, it’simportant to select video clips thatare directly related to learning objec-tives and the concepts in the unit,Williams says. “Don’t just put upvideo without context around it.Don’t just build an assignmentwithout telling them why they’reviewing it. Tie it into the topics thatyou’re trying to cover that week.Don’t let that be the only thing.Scaffold it with the lower-orderthinking—objectives, readings,PowerPoint—and then start to getinto the application part and let thatpush the students to think about



PAGE 8�

Using Video Clips to StimulateDiscussion

By Rob Kelly

8

things and apply the concepts andunderstand them and demonstratetheir understanding through howthey respond to questions and otherstudents’ responses.”

• Check sources. Textbook pub-lishers are an excellent source ofvideo. To incorporate videos on acourse site requires permission fromthe publisher. If the videos are inDVD format, they will need to beconverted to streaming format, whichcan take a substantial amount oftime. Videos from other sources suchas YouTube are easily accessed, butremember that YouTube is not thecreator of the video, nor is the creatornecessarily the person who posted it.“I pretty much stick to educators orcorporations because it’s easy toverify that a certain professor holds aPhD and does indeed work at a par-ticular institution. I also limit myvideos to things that are recognizableto the students and companies thatare recognizable,” Williams says.

• Have a contingency plan.Williams does not currently haveaccess to a streaming server, so shelinks videos from other sources to hercourse site. The disadvantage of nothosting the videos is that the creatorsor hosts of these videos can takethem down at any time, which meansthat it is important to have a contin-gency plan in case students cannotview a particular video. “I’m alwaysthinking, what if we can’t get to avideo? Typically I have reviewedseveral when I make my choice sothere are other possibilities out there.I use a variety of sources as well soI’m not just pulling [videos] fromYouTube. If YouTube were to go downtomorrow, I have some otherresources I can use,” Williams says.

Once you have incorporated videoclips into your course, it’s importantto check the links on a regular basis.“You need to check to see if thevideos are still there. You need tokeep your course fresh, and I thinkthat’s a really good practice. Using

video is forcing us to do that,”Williams says.

Student reactionAlthough she has not yet

conducted research on the effects onusing video clips to prompt discus-sion, Williams has gotten positivefeedback from students. “They ab-solutely love them. It’s hard to feel astudent’s passion for a topic whenthey’re not right in front of you, butwhen I get the conversation goingand see a threaded discussion oftwenty threads from the first posting,that to me is a measurable outcome.That to me is feedback that thesestudents are really engaging on acollegial level and a scholarly level.”@

Meaningful online discussionsthat promote learning andbuild community usually do

not happen spontaneously. Theyrequire planning, good use of ques-tioning techniques, and incentives forstudent participation.Before the course begins, the in-

structor should consider the purposeof each discussion, how it relates tothe learning objectives, and how it can

promote deeper thinking, says ElaineBennington, director of instructionaltechnology, distance education, andadjunct faculty development at IvyTech Community College of Indiana.The first step that Bennington rec-

ommends in planning discussion-board use in an online course is toconsider how many discussions toinclude. She recommends at least 12discussion boards for a 16-week

course, focusing on the most contro-versial, most difficult, and mostimportant concepts. “People don’teven think about that for their on-campus courses. Half the time theyprepare a three-hour lecture with notime for questions, and that trend hascontinued online. But you cannot dothat. This is your feedback



A Plan for Effective Discussion Boards

By Rob Kelly

PAGE 9�

FROM PAGE 7

9

mechanism. This is your listening op-portunity, and you’ve got to primethe pump with the best questions youcan think of,” Bennington says.

The first discussion in an onlinecourse should serve as a way of intro-ducing students to each other and tothe use of the discussion forum,including technical issues andnetiquette.Discussions should not be included

in courses arbitrarily, Benningtonsays. Rather, the instructor shouldbuild the discussions around thecourse’s learning objectives.“[Discussions] have got to bring

the concept and objective together ina way that brings out more questions.That to me is very important—torelate those objectives and theconcepts under those objectives tothe discussion board,” Benningtonsays. “The questions allow thestudents to complete the learningoutcomes. The questions in a discus-sion board are like essay questionson a test where students can givethese ideas and then communicatemore creatively. But the question inthe discussion board is even moreimportant. It allows students morefreedom because it is not a test. Itallows students to answer a questionin a way that a teacher can know thatthe student has got it.”Here are two key questions to ask

when planning a discussion:• What do I want students to beable to do?

• In what ways do I want studentsto understand this material?

Answering these questions canhelp determine the types of questionsto ask, says Laurie Kirkner, Internettechnician at Ivy Tech.A course can include different

types of online discussions. In

addition to an introduction, discus-sions can be used for reflection,debate, or exploring case studies,among other things. And as a courseprogresses, the online discussionscan help move students to the higherend of Bloom’s Taxonomy ofCognitive Domain (knowledge, com-prehension, application, analysis,synthesis, and evaluation).

Types of questionsThe asynchronous nature of the

discussion board makes it moreimportant to plan specific questionsbecause it’s not as easy as in a face-to-face class to ask a follow-upquestion when your initial questionfails to elicit the level of dialogue youhad hoped for. This is not to say thatall questions in online discussionsneed to be scripted. Anotherimportant role for the instructor is toparticipate in these discussions andhelp students explore relevant butunplanned discussion topics and toget them back on topic when theystray too far.“Spontaneity can be there, but it is

not a justification for not planningthe initial discussion,” Kirkner says.Initial questions in an online dis-

cussion might ask closed questions,which can help establish a set ofprinciples to build upon. But for themost part, threaded discussionsshould feature open-ended questionsthat elicit divergent thinking from thestudents.Too often, however, instructors

simply ask students to state their in-dependent thinking on a subject andperhaps comment on two classmates’postings. Bennington and Kirknerrecommend using the following sixSocratic questioning techniques asdelineated by Richard Paul (seereference below) to get studentsinvolved in discussions that gobeyond simply their opinions:

• Conceptual clarificationquestions—questions that getstudents to think about conceptsbehind their arguments, forexample, Why are you sayingthat? What exactly does thismean? How does this relate towhat we have been talkingabout? Can you give me anexample?• Probing assumptions—questions that get students tothink about the beliefs that theybase their arguments on, forexample, What else could weassume? How did you choosethose assumptions? How can youverify or disprove that assump-tion? What would happen if …?• Probing rationale, reasons, andevidence—questions that getstudents to think about thesupport for their arguments, forexample, Why is that happening?How do you know this? Can yougive me an example? What doyou think causes …? On whatauthority are you basing yourargument?• Questioning viewpoints andperspectives—questions that getstudents to consider other view-points, for example, What aresome alternate ways of looking atthis? Who benefits from this?How are x and y similar?• Probe implications and conse-quences—questions that getstudents to think about the whatfollows from their arguments, forexample, Then what wouldhappen? What are the conse-quences of that assumption?• Questions about the question—questions that turn the questionin on itself, for example, Whatwas the point of asking thatquestion? Why do you think Iasked this question?



PAGE 10�

FROM PAGE 8



Rebecca Arbisi, chair of thebusiness department at StateFair Community College in

Missouri, offers the following tips forimproving the quality of threaded dis-cussions:

1) Model good communication. Ifstudents do not meet your expec-tations for proper grammar, capi-talization, etc., email theindividual student privately toexpress those concerns.

2) Although proper grammar isimportant, do not overempha-size it to the point that you in-timidate students and makethem reluctant to post. “Ifyou’re teaching an English class,and grammar is part of thecourse, [you need to emphasizegood writing], but in mostclasses, you need to focus onwhat students are saying, not onhow they say it. Don’t expect thatjust because these are Webstudents that they will have

wonderful English skills,” Arbisisays. Sometimes when a studentwrites poorly in an online forum,the other students in the coursewill comment about it. “I thinkpeer pressure is a good thing.

Sometimes students can saythings that have more effect thanmy telling students over and overto be careful about what you[write],” Arbisi says.

3) Help students understand yourrole in the discussion forums.Arbisi often plays devil’sadvocate in the online forums in

her courses. When teaching newonline learners or first-yearstudents, she makes it a point tolet students know that the viewsshe is expressing are not neces-sarily her own. Whereas more so-phisticated learners are able topick up on that without herhaving to explicitly state it, “Ithink it’s important to helpstudents see all different sides ofan issue and to help themproblem solve and think a littlebit more,” Arbisi says.

4) Use color for emphasis.Occasionally, you will need to getstudents’ attention in the onlineforum to redirect the discussionor clarify what you expect ofstudents. One way to do this is touse a different color font. @

Make it countBennington and Kirkner

recommend grading online discus-sions according to a rubric that in-structors share with students at theoutset of the course that considersthe quality and quantity of students’postings. “These discussion boardshave to be a graded situation so that

the students will take themseriously,” Bennington says.

There are many online-discussion-grading rubrics out there. Thefollowing are links to some examples:• http://ois.unomaha.edu/amfarm/Courseinfo/discuss.htm

• www.cu-portland.edu/its/WebCT/student_orientation/DB_PDX.htm

• www.cos.edu/view_page.asp?nodeid=3885&parentid=3872&moduleid=1

ReferencePaul, Richard, Critical Thinking:How to Prepare Students for aRapidly Changing World, 1993.@

FROM PAGE 9

Four Ways to Improve Discussion Forums

By Rob Kelly

Occasionally, you will need

to get students’ attention in

the online forum to redirect

the discussion or clarify

what you expect of students.



Instant messaging can be aneffective online learning tool thatcan build community and foster

collaborative learning. The followingare some suggestions from DebbyKilburn, computer science professorat Cero Coso Community College, formaking the most of this tool:

1.Explain how to get set up.Although many students mayhave used IM, they probablyhave not used it for academicpurposes. The syllabus shouldexplain how to set up students’IM accounts. Have students use amultiprotocol instant messagingapplication such as Trillian orGaim to make communicationacross different IM systemseasier. Remind students to addeach other to their buddy lists.

2.Offer group chats at differentdays and times. IM can be usedfor group chats. In order to keepchats manageable, limit them toeight students per session andoffer them at different days andtimes, so students can find asession that is convenient forthem.

3.Ask for students’ undividedattention. Online learners oftenbalance many responsibilitiesand can get distracted duringsynchronous chats. Ask that theyfocus exclusively on the chat.This will improve the quality of

the interaction and help studentsget the most out of the sessions.

4.Form study groups. Group chatsare an excellent way for studentsto make connections with eachother. Encourage them tocontinue their chats in groups orone on one.

5.IM your students. Isolation isone of the dangers of onlinelearning. Simple, synchronousmessages from the instructor canopen up communication andencourage students.

6.Invite students to IM you.Because you are on their buddylists, students will be able to tellwhen you are online (as long asyou have your IM applicationopen). This open line of synchro-nous communication can be anexcellent way of holding onlineoffice hours.

7.Establish realistic expectations.Increased access to the instructorcan foster unrealistic expecta-tions. For example, just becausestudents are able to communicatewith you synchronously does notmean that they will get theirgraded assignments back anysooner. Explain your communica-tion policies clearly in yoursyllabus.

8.Don’t micromanage. Like theprivate conversations that takeplace among students before andafter face-to-face classes, IM canbe an informal form of communi-cation that can help studentslearn and provide social connec-tions that might not otherwise beavailable in the course.

9.Keep a chat log. Not everyonecan be available for synchronoussessions, but they can still benefitfrom transcripts of the communi-cation that occurs in thesesessions. @

Nine Strategies for Using IM inYour Online Course

By Rob Kelly

Not everyone can be

available for synchronous

sessions, but they can still

benefit from transcripts of

the communication that

occurs in these sessions.

Blogs and discussion boardsboth provide opportunities forinteraction in online courses,

but there are instances when one ismore appropriate than the other, saysMatt Crosslin, instructional designerat the University of Texas atArlington’s Center for DistanceEducation.Blogs are typically organized in

reverse-chronological order and focuson the most recent input, whereasdiscussion boards focus on thefeedback to an initial prompt.Blog entries are typically longer

than discussion board prompts andcan include multimedia. These blogentries are excellent places to com-plement the content in the rest of thecourse by providing current informa-tion on a topic culled from the Web.“When you’ve got five, six, or ten

paragraphs of initial stuff to commenton versus one question, it does givethe students a lot more to base theirresponse on,” Crosslin says.Often the prompt for commenting

on blogs is simply a comment button.With discussion boards, since there isusually just a short introduction, theprompts tend to be more specific. “Adiscussion board can have a broaderrange of questions, more than just‘what are your comments?’” Crosslinsays.

Pros and cons of blogsAs with all tools, there are positive

and negative aspects of blogs in anonline course.

According to Crosslin, blogs havethe following pros:• Blogs generally have an interfacethat is intuitive to use.

• Blogs present content in reversechronological order, which makesit easy to follow.

• Blogs enable instructors to addcurrent content to their courses.

• Blog platforms have tools thatenable live chat and the viewingof content by date or topic.

Crosslin cites the following cons:• Most course managementsystems do not feature blogs, andso blogs are often hosted byexternal websites, which bringsup the issue of support andownership.

• One downside of keeping one’scourse up to date is that there arefewer opportunities to proofreadthis content before posting it.

Advice for using blogsCrosslin offers the following advice

for those considering using blogs intheir online courses:• Use blogs for a specific pedagogi-cal purpose.

• Don’t duplicate content from themain part of the course.

• Provide a rubric to help studentsknow what is expected of them.

• If possible, host the blog withinthe course management systemso you won’t have to depend onan external host.

Uses for discussion boardsDiscussion boards will continue to

have a place in the online classroom,Crosslin says. “Some instructors justwant the questions up there and thestudent responses. That’s their focus.I still think there’s a great use for dis-cussion boards, especially forfeedback forums, to ask questions. Ifyou don’t have a news or announce-ment function, a discussion boardcan be a great place to put news andannouncements, and students canask questions if they needclarification.” @



Blogs or Discussion Boards?

By Rob Kelly

Blogs and discussion boards

both provide opportunities

for interaction in online

courses, but there are

instances when one is more

appropriate than the other.

13

Handling equity and diversityissues sensitively can be a keyto retention in online

programs. In asynchronous discus-sion forums, participants usuallycome from diverse backgrounds,including gender and culture, and thetextual cues they post online areusually reflections of their owndiversity. Such postings sometimesdisclose personal information,whether the authors are consciouslydoing so or not. These disclosurescould impact the interaction online inmeaningful ways.What is usually required to

promote this and any other kind ofinteraction is a sense of safety on thepart of participants to express them-selves without fear of repercussions.This sense of safety could enhancethe learning experience, promoteacademic performance, and create alearning community in which partici-pants are enriched by each other’sideas and the sharing of individualand common personal experiences.Having online facilitators who aresensitive to diversity issues andskilled in facilitating the exchange ofcontent in discussion forumsbecomes a critical component thatdefines the effectiveness and qualityof an online course.Common to any facilitator role is

the active promotion of strategies thatresult in deeper and deepeninginsights among participants as wellas shared inquiry. This is usually

manifested in discussion forums andmay be enhanced by fostering a safeand prosperous learning communityby the facilitator. An effective facilita-tor is mindful and purposeful aboutdiversity and its accompanyingissues, ensuring equity and respectfor all.A goal of equitable online facilita-

tion is the promotion of a safety netand the provision of opportunities tofreely express one’s ideas, feelings,and experiences in an online discus-sion forum. The hope is that this willensure respect for diversity and otherimportant issues as well as promotereflection and better understanding.At the Education DevelopmentCenter’s Gender, Diversities, andTechnology Institute, we exploredissues regarding equity in online pro-fessional development. Based on Dr.Joyce Kaser’s publication, “Equity inOn-line Professional Development: AGuide to E-learning That Works forEveryone” (2004), I describe brieflythe suggestions discussed for facilitat-ing issues of equity in online courses.

1. Monitor the course to makesure that the equity content isaccurate and comprehensive. Thefacilitator is the individual who mustbe aware of possible stereotypes andbiases embedded in the course andwho is able to examine and analyzethese issues in light of what is beingdiscussed in the course and theforum.

2. Establish early an environmentthat enables participants to be safeand secure. This could come fromthe type of professional developmentor learning the group is participatingin as well as the facilitator’s style ofengagement. The facilitator couldprovide the ground rules, includingthe right to ask questions and torespond in ways that are respectful ofone another. The facilitator could alsotake the discussion to a deeper levelor move to the exploration of issueswith equity implications.

3. Intervene, as necessary, to keepthe discussion on track. When par-ticipants become disrespectful toeach other, demonstrate rudebehavior (flaming), or post inaccu-rate information, the facilitator needsto intervene as quickly as possible.While a telephone call could be aneffective course of action, much ofthe conflict resolution should be doneonline. Modeling good and effectivebehavior that fosters equitable inter-action is critical.

4. Monitor the level of trust thatexists. The facilitator is the agentwho promotes the building of trustamong participants. At the sametime, the facilitator makes sure thatany sensitive issue that becomes apoint of discussion and explorationwithin the course is appropriate forthe level of trust within the group.When several of the participants postmessages and no one dominates thediscussion in any significant way, it ispossible that participants trust oneanother to express what’s on theirminds.

5. Note your own hesitancy aboutexploring any aspect of equity. Thefacilitator should ask him/herselfwhat his/her personal biases or fears



5 Suggestions for EquitableOnline Facilitation

By Marianne Castano Bishop, Indiana University South Bend

PAGE 14�

14

might be that may interfere witheffective facilitation. These issuesmay result in the facilitator’savoidance of certain salient topics ordiscomfort when participants raisepoints related to those topics. In suchan instance, the facilitator could raisehis/her reservations to the group,making this a learning opportunityfor everyone.While online courses are becoming

increasingly available, online facilita-tors are faced with finding effectivestrategies that help promote excel-lence in teaching and learning.Knowing and implementing ways tofacilitate that respect diversity andensure equitable interaction is a surestep in the right direction. This couldresult in deeper insights, reflection,and understanding.

ReferencesBender, T. (2003). Discussion-based

Online Teaching to Enhance StudentLearning: Theory, Practice andAssessment. Sterling, VA: Stylus

Publishing.Castano, M. (2003). Disclosure in

Online Racial Dialogues: A Study ofHow and Why Participants Disclose,and How Others Respond to theDisclosure. Cambridge, MA: HarvardUniversity.Collison, G., Elbaum, B., Haavind,

S. & Tinker, R. (2000). FacilitatingOnline Learning: Effective Strategiesfor Moderators. Madison, WI:Atwood Publishing.Collison, G., Facilitating Online

Learning: Effective Strategies forModerators. Madison, WI: AtwoodPublishing.Hanson, K., Flansburg, S. &

Castano, M. (2004). Genderspace:Learning Online and the Implicationsof Gender. In Suki, A., Benjamin, S. &Mauthner, M. L. (Eds.). The Politicsof Gender and Education: CriticalPerspectives. London: PalgraveMacmillan Ltd.Kaser, J. S. (2004). Equity in On-

line Professional Development: AGuide to E-learning that Works forEveryone. Gender, Diversities, andTechnology Institute, Education

Development Center, Inc., Newton,MA.Palloff, R. M. & Pratt, K. (1999).

Building Learning Communities inCyberspace: Effective Strategies forthe Online Classroom. San Francisco:Jossey-Bass.Palloff, R. M. & Pratt, K. (2005).

Collaborating Online: LearningTogether in Community. SanFrancisco: Jossey-Bass Guides toOnline Teaching and Learning.Rudenstam, K. E. & Schoenholtz-

Read, J. (Eds., 2002). Handbook ofOnline Learning: Innovations inHigher Education and CorporateTraining. Thousand Oaks, CA: SagePublications.

Marianne Castano Bishop (EdD,Harvard University) is the instruc-tional strategies consultant at theUniversity Center for Excellence inTeaching at Indiana University SouthBend. She is also associate faculty inthe Psychology Department. @

Debby Kilburn, a computerscience professor at Cero CosoCommunity College, has two

compelling reasons for using instantmessaging (IM) in her online courses.First, it’s an integral part of thecontent—she teaches an online versionof introduction to computer informa-tion systems, and “learning about

computers involves learning aboutinstant messaging.” Second, it createsa sense of connection that, she says,improves student satisfaction andretention.Kilburn uses IM for conducting syn-

chronous chat sessions, as well as toprovide individual communicationwith students. She also encourages

students to add each other to theirbuddy lists and use the tool throughoutthe course as they see fit.The syllabus explains how IM will be

used in the course and how to get setup. In many cases, students havealready been using IM, but not neces-



FROM PAGE 13

Using Individual and Group Instant Messagingto Engage Students

By Rob Kelly

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15

sarily in an academic setting. Kilburnuses a multiprotocol instantmessaging application and encour-ages her students to do the same.This makes communication easieracross different synchronous commu-nication systems, such as AOL InstantMessenger, Yahoo! Messenger, andMSN Messenger.

Group sessionsKilburn uses IM for one-hour chat

sessions throughout her onlinecourses. She schedules them atdifferent times and on different daysto accommodate as many students aspossible. She allows students to signup for sessions that are convenientfor them but limits each chat sessionto seven or eight people to keep eachsession manageable.The chat sessions are not intended

as spaces for formal writing; rather,they should be used for collaborationand brainstorming. The only thingKilburn asks of students is to avoidmultitasking during these sessions.However, she does not restrict the in-dividual student-to-student instantmessaging that goes on during groupsessions. “Having multiple streams ofcommunication going on doesn’tbother me, as long as the studentsare participating in the [main discus-sion]. What I want [them] to get outof using instant messaging is somesense of community—some sensethat there are classmates [whom]students can turn to. In the face-to-face classroom, students may chatwith the people sitting next to themor talk to people on the way out thedoor. Using instant messaging mimicsthat in the online classroom,” Kilburnsays.The first group chat sessions occur

during the second week of thecourse. During these group chats,students have the opportunity to

establish study groups, and Kilburnencourages students to add eachother to their contact lists. After thisfirst session, each student has agroup of six or seven people that theyhave already interacted with, whomthey can turn to individually if theyhave questions. “Even if they don’ttalk to each other, they can see when[other students are] online, whichgives them some sense that they’renot in this by themselves,” Kilburnsays.In addition to seeing when class-

mates are online, students andKilburn get a sense of people’s per-sonalities when interacting synchro-nously that they might not getotherwise. “It seems that the peoplewho are involved in instantmessaging more tend to be a littlemore engaged. They joke around. Youget a real sense of people’s personali-ties. To me, that comes through muchbetter than it does just in a flat dis-cussion-board message. When you’rechatting with somebody, or a groupof people, you get a sense of whojokes around, who’s more serious,who likes to think about things alittle bit more. When I chat withstudents I’ve chatted with a lot, I cantell when something’s wrong. Theydon’t even have to tell me,” Kilburnsays.

Instructor accessIM increases the level of access that

students have to the instructor.Generally, when she is online,Kilburn keeps her IM open, whichindicates to students that she isonline and open to having a conver-sation. When she is not available tocommunicate synchronously withstudents, Kilburn turns off her IM.She encourages students to view thisas the equivalent of an open officedoor. All she asks is that studentswho want to IM her let her know

which class they’re in and to keepthe conversation focused on thecourse.When Kilburn sees that one of her

students is online, she may contacthim or her as well. “I’m veryrandom, especially if I see somebodycome online whom I haven’t seen alot of activity from. I’ll pop them offa quick note such as, ‘Hey, I seeyou’re online. Do you have anyquestions?’ just to let them know thatI am available for them if they do,but I don’t force myself on them,”Kilburn says.

IM usesNot everybody likes to communi-

cate synchronously, but for thosewho do, it can add a new dimensionto an online course. When consider-ing using IM for pedagogicalpurposes, instructors should carefullyconsider how they might use it.IM is not a good way to deliver a

lecture, Kilburn says. It’s better suitedto brainstorming, investigating, orexploring issues. “I set things up ontwo levels: here’s how we’re going touse it academically for class chat; butalso here’s a list of all the otherpeople in the class. Add them to yourbuddy list. Reach out and connectwith people, so that if you have aquestion, and I’m not available, youmight see three other people on yourbuddy list and one of them mighthave the answer.” @



FROM PAGE 14

16

“Dr. Durow, the grad studentsthink they’re smarter than we(the undergrads) are and are

always putting us down.” Thus readthe private message from an under-graduate education student during arecent synchronous chat session inmy 500-level course, SecondaryTeaching Methods in the Humanities.The message came during the sixthweek of the course. I was shockedand surprised. During none of ourasynchronous or synchronous discus-sions had I perceived any offendingmessages. While I knew how I wouldrespond in the traditional classroomsetting, I was given pause by thestudent’s plea. What to do?The students in this course fall into

three groups, all with academicmajors in either English,history/social studies, or Spanish: 1)traditional undergraduate studentscompleting their subject area majorsand the required education coursesjust prior to student teaching in thenext term; 2) graduate students witha baccalaureate degree in one of thedisciplines named above, completingthe sequence of education courses inabout 15 months for a master’sdegree in teaching; and 3) anothergroup of students with undergraduatedegrees who are seeking teacher cer-tification but not a graduate degree.Some of the graduate students arenontraditional-age college students.Silverman (Online Classroom, March,2006) noted that teaching across gen-

erations may be more challenging inthe online environment, but typicallythat is related to increased comfortwith technology in younger students.The coursework is not self-paced, asthere are discussion board and chatsegments required of each studentweekly with time specific deadlines.I did a mental review of the

proactive steps I’d taken to establishthe online community in this course.I had followed most of the recom-mendations made by Sull (OnlineClassroom, January 2006), especiallya welcoming email, clear due dates,frequent emails throughout thecourse, and use of simple, nontechni-cal language. I had posted guidelinesfor online discussion participation,and rubrics for evaluating discussionperformance were in place and hadbeen reviewed with students. I evenscheduled a first session, face-to-facemeeting. I’d used icebreakers, makingmyself the object of humor to makeeach student feel comfortable. Andnow some of my students werefeeling bullied and intimidated.Rubenstein (Online Classroom,

June, 2005) suggested interdiscipli-nary communities within the largerclassroom community. I had usedsome subject-specific groupings forspecific tasks that mixed grads withundergrads, but I did not want tosegregate the undergrads from others.In addition, my online studentsduring the last three years havefound online group projects to be

more burdensome (and lesscommunity building) than in face-to-face classes.In that same June 2005 issue of

Online Classroom, DiRamio notedtwo factors that were clear in mycourse design: the instructor’s roleand student’s responsibility. I hadstructured my role as mentor andguide and placed significantemphasis on student responsibility. Ahelpful notion I hadn’t tried was topair students to be helpers to eachother. That has promise!I had set a tone of positive,

frequent communication viaBlackboard, email, and the traditionalmethods of phone calls and officehours. My syllabus even indicated“virtual office hours” reserved for themembers of this class. Following hersuggestions, I had established apositive social atmosphere in the chatsessions, been very predictable incommunication patterns, andprovided frequent feedback tostudents. I dare say that my enthusi-asm for the subject matter andteaching was infectious! Coppola(Online Classroom, June, 2005) didnote, however, that “trust cansometimes be undermined by a singlecomment.” I hadn’t perceived thenegativity in the same manner as oneof my students.While most who write about the

online community note that there is agreater potential for misunderstand-ing than in traditionally deliveredcourses, two articles in the October2006 issue of Online Classroomcaught my attention in particular.Humbert noted that students whofeel isolation because of the onlineformat frequently drop out of coursesand programs. Bishop commentedthat online student needs are thesame as in the traditional format:



Protecting the Online ClassroomCommunity

By Patrick Durow, PhD

PAGE 17�

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safety, sensitivity to diversity, and ap-propriate intervention when a disrup-tion of those needs occurs.My strategy to protect the online

environment will include thefollowing: first, I will ask myself, as I

always do, “What else do I need toknow?” Second, I will be proactive ininjecting those elements into our in-teractions that promote a positivecommunity. Third, I will exercisevigilant oversight to be aware ofcomments that might be misinter-preted. Finally, I will monitor the

apparent level of trust among mystudents, and supply the appropriateintervention where needed.

Patrick Durow is an assistantprofessor in the Department ofEducation at Creighton University. @

In a face-to-face class, studentshave many opportunities tointeract individually with the in-

structor before, during, and afterclass. This interaction can be animportant factor in a student’ssuccess. Opportunities for interactiononline can plentiful as well, providedyou design and facilitate your courseto bring about one-on-oneinteraction.To facilitate this online conversa-

tion, Karen Kirkendall, psychologyprofessor at the University of Illinoisat Springfield, uses what she calls“personal learning spaces” in heronline courses. These are individualBlackboard discussion groups thatshe creates for each student, whereshe interacts with students individu-ally. These personal learning spacesenable one-on-one interaction andprovide a way to document eachstudent’s progress.Students submit all their assign-

ments to their personal learningspaces, and Kirkendall providesfeedback within that space in severalways. For informal assignments, shewill respond in a thread on the indi-vidual discussion board. For more

formal assignments, she will respondwith a score and the student’s assign-ment with inserted comments as anattachment.This type of interaction is a more

effective means of communicationthan email, Kirkendall says. “I findemail to be very discontinuous in in-teracting with students. I don’t carefor it at all. My students do contactme via email, and that’s fine, but Idon’t feel I have any way of connect-ing with my students in a continuousway through email.”Kirkendall uses these personal

learning spaces to provide studentsopportunities for continuous im-provement, much like a portfolio. Sheencourages students to turn in as-signments early by offering themfeedback on each version of an as-signment. “They can turn assign-ments in again and again. I havestudents engage with me over a par-ticular exercise as many as five or sixtimes until they master it. I’m tryingto model the [interaction] we see inthe on-ground classroom setting,where we know that the studentswho have more interaction withfaculty, whether it is before class,

during class, or after class, the morethey learn,” Kirkendall says.For ease of use, Kirkendall divides

these personal learning spaces intomeaningful units rather than havingall the semester’s assignments in asingle forum. For example, one unitmight be on textbook chapters 1though 7 and include 10 exercises.Kirkendall also has multiple forumsfor different phases of writing assign-ments. For example, in her adolescentdevelopment course, she has studentsdevelop interview questions andconduct interviews with adolescents.For this assignment, she has eachstudent submit their interviewquestions for review before doing theinterview in a separate forum (“tomake sure they’re not asking outra-geous questions”) and the finishedinterview in yet another forum.These individual discussions are

not the only interaction inKirkendall’s courses. Each coursealso features extensive use of groupdiscussions. Since providing a highlevel of individual interaction takes alot of time, Kirkendall sometimes



Using Discussion Boards for One-on-One Interaction

By Rob Kelly

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18

uses an online peer tutor to help withthe group discussions. The tutor is astudent who has taken the courseand other online courses and helpsfacilitate discussions, chats, andgroup sites, and addresses technologyproblems.The peer tutor asks questions

(many of which Kirkendall hasprovided in advance) and keeps thediscussion on track. These discus-sions are intended to get students toapply the course content to real-world issues that “[don’t] alwayscome off as you think they would.”And every once in a while discus-sions can get heated. This is why it isimportant to have somebody monitor

the discussion continuously.Kirkendall starts each discussion,

even when she is not the main dis-cussion facilitator. She also reads allthe responses to make sure thestudents are not being rude or disre-spectful. She also ends the discussionwith a summary of the discussionand feedback on it. @



FROM PAGE 17

Threaded discussions are the“lifeblood” of KathleenOffenholley’s online math

courses. They help build a sense ofcommunity, encourage higher-orderthinking, and provide opportunitiesfor peer collaboration.Offenholley, associate professor of

mathematics at BrookdaleCommunity College in New Jersey,teaches statistics, liberal arts math,and basic skills algebra using WebCT.In each of these courses, participationcounts for 10 percent of eachstudent’s grade (part of thehomework and lab grades).Offenholley’s use of threaded dis-

cussions varies somewhat among heronline courses. She requires studentsto post seven times a week in theliberal arts math class and a little lessfrequently in the algebra class. Sheuses threaded discussions to• encourage higher-order thinking,• monitor students’ progress, and• encourage peer collaboration.Offenholley encourages higher-

order thinking by asking studentsspecific questions about theconcepts they learn in the course.“I think that if you ask a vaguequestion, you’re going to get avague answer. So to get at thehigher-order thinking, I don’t say,‘Tell me about standarddeviation,’ or ‘What doesstandard deviation mean?’ I askthe students, ‘Where do you usestandard deviation at your job?’Or I give them a problem about acall center where there’s a largestandard deviation for onetelephone call center and a smallstandard deviation for another,and I ask them, ‘What does thismean?’ I tell them I want at leasttwo of their three posts to clearlyshow that they understand whatstandard deviation means so weavoid those long riffs on howannoying call centers are, whichhave nothing to do with the dis-cussion about standarddeviation.”

Threaded discussions inOffenholley’s courses go beyond dis-cussion of key concepts. She alsouses them to help students to sharetheir work on problems. For example,she will ask students to post theiranswers to an even-numberedhomework problem (the answers tothe odd-numbered problems are inthe textbook) and how they arrivedat their answers. After everyone hashad a chance to respond, Offenholleytells students the correct answer.“It’s basically a way to keep track

that the students are doing thehomework and understanding theconcepts,” Offenholley says.Another discussion technique

Offenholley uses is the “roundrobin,” in which she gives thestudents a problem that has tradition-ally been difficult for students. Oncea student posts the correct answer,Offenholley changes the numbersuntil all the students have solved the

Threaded Discussion: ‘Lifeblood’ of OnlineMath Courses

By Rob Kelly

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problems.“The first person—usually an A

student—does the most work. Thenthe next person who goes models hisor her problem off of that firststudent’s problem. I’ve gottenwonderful results from that where Ican see whole classes that used tonot get that particular kind ofproblem now getting it,” Offenholleysays.One of the challenges of having

students solve problems online is thatsome course-management systems donot have math symbols. Using mathsymbols in algebra and calculus isessential, but they are not necessaryin some of the courses thatOffenholley teaches. And whenstudents must explain what they didusing text, they look at the math

problems in a different way, whichcan help students who are more com-fortable with text learn mathconcepts.However, Offenholley acknowl-

edges that not all students learn bestin a text-based environment. “In thefuture, we’re going to see morestreaming media. We’re going to seethe instructor be able to have anaudio post, and students will be ableto respond by speaking into a micro-phone.”Offenholley has used tutorial

software and various presentationmethods, including ArticulatePresenter, which enables her to addnarration to her PowerPoint presenta-tions. However, the content deliveredby these means merely supplementsher courses. The bulk of the learningoccurs in threaded discussions,which is why she requires students to

participate in discussions. “I think insome ways I hear every student moreonline than I do in the classroom, butthat’s because I require posts. If youdon’t require posts, then you get theA students talking the most. Theonline discussions really turn thewhole teacher-lecture-student thingon its head. It ends up more like agraduate seminar, where everyone issupposed to talk and analyze,”Offenholley says.Participating in an online seminar

can be empowering for somestudents. For others, it can be verydifficult. To help students who havetrouble in this environment,Offenholley holds on-campus officehours and encourages students to call(after scheduling a time via e-mail).@

Getting students to participatein an online course is perhapsthe biggest challenge of

teaching online, says Deborah Raines,professor and director of theAccelerated Second-Degree BSNProgram at Florida AtlanticUniversity. Part of the problem is thatstudents often have misconceptionsabout what participation means. Thisis why Raines makes it a point, par-ticularly during the first two weeks ofa course, to model and encourage ap-propriate participation.

During the first week of a course,Raines communicates individuallywith each student. She makes herresponses specific so that thestudents know that she read theirposts.Because many of her students hold

full-time jobs and attend to theirstudies at night, Raines also logs onto the course at night to interact withthe students. Although this communi-cation is asynchronous, Raines’responses are timely and demonstrateher commitment to helping them. “If

you’re authentically there and re-sponding to them with more than‘Good idea’ or ‘Nice suggestion,’ butreally asking a probing question thattakes them to the next level, I thinkthat gets them more committed toand involved in the whole process,”Raines says.To model the collaborative relation-

ships found in clinical settings,Raines encourages her students toanswer each other’s questions and



How to Engage Students in MeaningfulDiscussion

By Rob Kelly

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FROM PAGE 18

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share information. This collaborationcomes into play in regular discus-sions and those built around realisticnursing situations. Because thesesimulations evolve over the course ofa week, Raines tells her students tolog on and participate in these dis-cussions at least five days a week,even if it’s for just 10 minutes at atime.

As the semester progresses, Rainestends to be less visible in the course,although she continues to monitorthe discussions. However, she doescome in at the end of each discussionto summarize the most importantpoints. “At the end of the week, Iusually take all the questions I askedthem and write a paper that summa-rizes everything so that they get theright information, because we do get

offtrack sometimes. And sometimesthose tangents are important even ifthey are not directly related to theinitial question. By writing thesummary at the end of the week, Iknow that they get the informationthat’s most critical for them toproceed in the curriculum,” Rainessays. @



Instructors use threaded discus-sions to engage students, createcommunity, and encourage explo-

ration of open-ended questions thataddress the important issues of a dis-cipline. But are threaded discussionsappropriate for all online courses,even skills-based courses that don’tseem to have controversial orambiguous issues to explore? RebeccaArbisi, chair of the business depart-ment at State Fair Community Collegein Missouri, says they are, and sheuses threaded discussions in all ofher online courses, including skills-based courses on database manage-ment and microcomputerapplications.“I try to make [threaded discus-

sions] really relevant to currentevents or with students’ personallives. I think that’s important becausewhen I can get them to bring in infor-mation that’s relevant to them, theyremember it better and it’s more in-teresting to the rest of the class.

Discussion is a big part of all of myclasses. I stress to the faculty [in theonline course introduction to

teaching online] that discussion is theheart and soul of any online classbecause there are so many things itprovides. If you don’t have [discus-sion] in the course, it could be con-

sidered more like a correspondenceclass because there’s not the interac-tion, and interaction is so importantto creating that community oflearners, to getting the students com-fortable with expressing theirthoughts,” Arbisi says.Coming up with discussion

questions in skills-based courses isperhaps more difficult than in othercourses. The trick is to ask questionsthat get students engaged whileremaining relevant to the coursecontent. “I have found that if I’mcreative I can come up with thingsthat are not only relevant but thathelp students see the importance ofwhy they are learning the skill,”Arbisi says.

ExpectationsArbisi will typically have two dis-

cussion forums per week in herskills-based courses (compared to

Threaded Discussions: They’re Not Just forControversial or Ambiguous Issues

By Rob Kelly

FROM PAGE 19

PAGE 21�

Coming up with discussion

questions in skills-based

courses is perhaps more

difficult than in other courses.

The trick is to ask questions

that get students engaged

while remaining relevant to

the course content.

21

four per week in her other courses).She begins her online courses by es-tablishing participation expectations.Each student is required to post oneinitial posting on each forum and atleast one response to a classmate’smessage. “I consider that their atten-dance in class. If they don’t partici-pate, they build absences,” Arbisisays.If a student does not participate in

the discussion forum for an entireweek, he or she receives a warninggrade, which counts as two absences.Each student is allowed just fourabsences for the entire semester. Lateor insignificant posts result in asingle absence. “I encourage them, ifthey have a problem and have to postlate, to go ahead and do that becauseeven though that’s counted againsttheir attendance as half absences, it’sbetter to have that than an incom-plete. That keeps the discussionflowing. Students are less inclined topost late,” Arbisi says.Arbisi begins the threaded discus-

sions at the start of the course, evenbefore the students begin to delveinto the content. The first threadeddiscussion focuses on netiquette,academic honesty, and the impor-tance of threaded discussions inonline courses.In addition to the content-related

forums, Arbisi creates forums for fre-quently asked questions and socializ-ing. Unlike the content forums,participation in these two otherforums is not required.

Forum examplesArbisi uses forums to get students

to discuss the implications of theskills they are learning. In a forumrelated to word processing, forexample, she might ask students thefollowing: does having word-process-ing skills improve students’ writing?

Does having word-processing skillsmake a teacher more effective? “Idirect them toward an issue ratherthan the software itself. Yes, they’retalking about the software, butthey’re also talking about how it’sgoing to affect them in their lives,”Arbisi says.Arbisi also has students use the

discussion forum to explain how toperform a task. “I have found thatstudents like those,” she says.In a unit on creating PowerPoint

presentations, Arbisi has students

search the Web for guidelines fordoing good PowerPoint presentationsand then bring these ideas to theforum for discussion. She then hasstudents create a one-slidePowerPoint presentation based on theguidelines and explain why theychose a certain font or color scheme,animation, or narration.Arbisi might also have students

discuss the implications of usingtools such as PowerPoint—is itnecessary to use presentationsoftware in the classroom? What doesit add? Students usually have a lot tosay about these questions, Arbisisays.“Instead of just focusing totally on

the software itself, they focus on howthey might use it in the classroom.It’s a skills-based class, but they’re

applying what they’re learning totheir future professions, and so thatseems very interesting to them,”Arbisi says.In addition to the skills-based

forums, Arbisi uses the forums to getstudents to reflect on their ownlearning and provide feedback to herto improve the course. “Halfwaythrough a course, sometimes I’ll ask,‘What’s right about this class? What’swrong? What can we do better?’ I tellthem I am very open to their sugges-tions.”Arbisi also asks students to share

what is helping them succeed in theonline course. “Maybe it’s the waythey organize their work or the waythey set up their calendars. It’s veryhelpful to them, and it is something Ican use to help myself do better inthe class,” Arbisi says.Arbisi also has students reflect on

their own participation in the forums.“I have them analyze what they do inthe discussion forums as if they werethe instructor, so they can seewhether they got the point of a forumor got off track. Did I express myselfclearly and concisely? They don’tknow the answers to these questionsuntil they do it as an assignment. Ithelps them to analyze their own dis-cussion and to be a better mentor totheir students when they teachclasses online.” @



FROM PAGE 20

If a student does not

participate in the discussion

forum for an entire week, he

or she receives a warning

grade, which counts as two

absences.

22

When Margaret Anderson, apsychology professor at theState University of New

York at Cortland, began teachingonline 12 years ago, she used anopen-source communication tool tofacilitate online discussions. She latermoved to WebCT when the collegedecided to stop supporting the open-source product for security reasons.But WebCT did not provide her withthe flexibility she needed, so shefound a new open-source communi-cation tool—LiveJournal.LiveJournal is a blogging tool that

has helped Anderson to work aroundseveral shortcomings of WebCT.WebCT’s discussion feature workswell for discussions among thoseenrolled in a course, but Andersonwanted to open certain discussions toformer students, interns’ site supervi-sors, and colleagues in similar depart-ments at other institutions (includingseveral overseas).Anderson chose LiveJournal

because it is free, easy to use, andallows users to change securitysettings to enable variable access.She takes full advantage of the abilityto change security settings to providedifferent access—individual, instruc-tor, class group, entire class, select in-dividuals outside the class, and eventhe entire online community—to suitspecific communication needs.

At the beginning of her courses, theclass as a whole has access toLiveJournal to build a sense ofcommunity and discuss issues thatare pertinent to all the students. Eachof these discussions lasts for twoweeks. Anderson posts a question inthe first week, and students responddirectly to the question. In the secondweek, students continue the discus-sion. (The discussion can extendbeyond two weeks, but it is notrequired.)For discussions that are relevant

beyond the students in a particularcourse, Anderson may invite col-leagues and students from similarcourses at other institutions to partic-ipate. For example, a discussion onhow states are implementing lawsrelated to No Child Left Behind mightbenefit from the perspectives ofeducation students in different statesor even the perspectives of a broadergroup. (Anderson reserves interactionwith the general public for the end ofthe term.)Anderson has students use

LiveJournal for group work as well.In these instances, she can easily setup groups by changing the securitysettings to restrict access to certainstudents.She also conducts one-on-one com-

munication with her students bycreating groups consisting of herselfand each individual student. She uses

this mainly for student journal entriesbased on each class session. In thepast, she would ask students tosubmit their journals every twoweeks for her to review. The problemwith that method was that oftenstudents would write several journalentries just before they were duerather than writing them after eachclass session. With LiveJournal,however, each entry is date stamped.In addition to journal entries to sharewith the instructor, Anderson encour-ages students to write entries that areaccessible only to the individualstudent.For students participating in intern-

ships, Anderson is able to do “virtualobservations,” in which she can havestudents post artifacts of their work,such as audio or video files.Anderson also opens these internblogs to the student’s site supervisor,which provides more insight into thestudent’s experiences.The archives of these blogs provide

students with a record of theirlearning, which they can use tocreate electronic portfolios, Andersonsays. “I have students who haveworked with me for three semesters,and they’ll look back at their firstyear’s journal and say, ‘Wow! I didn’tremember that.’ In that sense I dolike it because it provides opportuni-ties for reflection.”Use of these blogs also benefits

students after the class has ended, byproviding them with experience usinga tool that they might be able toadapt to the courses they teach in thefuture. “Most of my students arecurrently teachers, and they hear alot about the use of technology butdon’t necessarily see it in action. Sofor a lot of them this is modeling atool that they can use in their ownclasses. One of the reasons I preferthis to something like WebCT or any



Open-Source Blog PlatformProvides Much-NeededCommunication Flexibility

By Rob Kelly

PAGE 23�

23

of the proprietary course manage-ment systems is that if a high schoolor middle school teacher uses thissystem in my class, students canreplicate it on their own because it’sfree,” Anderson says.When considering a tool such as

LiveJournal or other bloggingplatforms, Anderson recommendsthat you carefully consider the needsof the course. “Pedagogy needs todrive the technology use. I love tolook at new toys and new things outthere, but I want to know what theneeds of my course are, and what isthe best technology to meet thoseneeds?”Before using a blogging platform,

consider who will have access toeach blog before the course begins, toavoid having to change securitysettings, which can be cumbersome.It also helps to adopt standard username conventions to make it easierto grant access to specific forums. Forexample, for students enrolled in herPsychology 501 course, Anderson hasstudents log in as 501lastname toenable her to easily sort users.One of the disadvantages of using

open-source tools is that you may nothave on-campus technical support forthem. However, in the case ofLiveJournal, there are “excellent”user groups and FAQs to help withtechnical issues that arise, Andersonsays. @



FROM PAGE 22

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