How Should We Talk?:Scaffolding the Work Process

for Online GroupsVanessa Dennen, Ph.D.

San Diego State University

http://www.vanessadennen.comvdennen@mail.sdsu.edu

Curtis J. Bonk, Ph.D.

Indiana University and Courseshare.com

cjbonk@indiana.edu

Research on Nine Online Courses(Vanessa Dennen, San Diego State Univ)

• 9 case studies of online classes using asynchronous discussion

• Topics: sociology, history, communications, writing, library science, technology, counseling

• Range of class size: 15 - 106 • Level: survey, upper undergraduate, and

graduate• Tools: custom and commercial• Private, semi-public, and public discussion areas

• Little or no feedback given

• Always authoritative• Kept narrow focus of

what was relevant• Created tangential

discussions, fact questions

• Only used “ultimate” deadlines

• Provided regular qual/quant feedback

• Participated as peer• Allowed perspective

sharing• Tied discussion to

grades, other tasks.• Used incremental

deadlines

Poor Instructors Good Instructors

Deadlines• Deadlines motivated participation

– Message counts increased in the days immediately preceding a deadline

• Deadlines inhibited dialogue– Students posted messages but did not

discuss– Too much lag time between initial

messages and responses

Modeling

• Instructor modeling increased the likelihood of student messages meeting quality and content expectations

• Modeling was more effective than guidelines

Guidelines and Feedback• Qualitative discussion guidelines and

feedback helped students know what their participation should look like

• Quantitative discussion guidelines and feedback comforted students and was readily understood by them

• Feedback of both varieties was needed at regular intervals, although the qualitative feedback need not be individualized

Common Instructor Complaints

a) Students don’t participate

b) Students all participate at the last minute

c) Students post messages but don’t converse

d) Facilitation takes too much time

e) If they must be absent, the discussion dies off

f) Students are confused

Reasons why...Students don’t participate

– Because it isn’t required– Because they don’t know what is expected

Students all participate at last minute– Because that is what was required– Because they don’t want to be the first

Instructor posts at the last minute

How would you respond?

1. Who invented ______?

2. Who was the most influential political figure of the 1990’s?

3. What were the 3 main points of the reading?

Common problems with online discussion prompts

Too vague– Learners have no idea how to respond

Too fact-based– Only one or two persons need to respond

Lack directions for interactions– Learners don’t know what acceptable

participation looks like

Elements of a good prompt

• Specifies the desired response type • Allows for multiple correct answers

(perspective sharing, unique application of knowledge)

• Provides guidance for peer interaction• Fosters reflection, thinking, or

collaboration

A 5-Stage Approach: Async

1) Initial topic or idea generation

2) Initial response

3) Respond to peers (can continue for as long as desired)

4) Wrap up questions

5) Reflect

A sample 5-part prompt

Step 1: Idea Generation– Find a recent news story online or

announcement that provides an example of one of the issues or concepts in our recent readings. Post the URL and a brief summary of the article. Do not go into detail of what this is an example of or how it relates to the reading.

A sample 5-part prompt (2)

Step 2: Initial Response– Select and read one of your classmate's

contributions, and post a message under their thread that discusses what major issues this article relates to and support your assertions with references to our course readings. If there are secondary issues, mention those as well. Please respond to a message that has not yet received a response so that we can make sure everyone gets at least one response. You may, of course, respond to multiple threads if you wish.

3-sentence rule Avoid overwhelming “I agree” type

messages Require that all students post messages of 3

sentences or longer The result:

1. I agree with you.2. That’s a good idea3. Ummm…. I have to actually say

something now!

Web Facilitation???

Facilitation (Dennen, 2001)

• High instructor presence– 1:1 student-instructor message ratio created low

peer interaction– Participant-like IP facilitated peer interaction

• Instructor modeling increased student messages meeting quality and content expectations

• Modeling was more effective than guidelines• Deadlines motivated participation• Deadlines inhibited dialogue

Facilitation (Dennen, 2001)

• Participation was higher when students had a clear goal & extrinsic motivation to participate

• Relevance has a positive effect on participation• Greater dialogue when shared perspectives• Fact-based q’ing strategies did not work well• Consistent, regular fdbk motivates students• Quantitative and qualitative guidelines

Year 2: Focus on Forming Groups

Social Interaction in Online Learning

A situationalities framework for choosing instructional methods

Dr. Brian J. BeattyCenter for Research on Learning and TechnologySchool of Education, Indiana University

August 15, 2002

What are effective combinations of social interaction methods to use, for different conditions and values, in order to achieve specific learning goals?

• Case Survey– 30 cases from published, peer reviewed sources

• Interviews– 5 selected authors

• Surveys– All authors solicited, 50% participation

20 Implications

1. Select instructional methods based on fundamental values and goals.

2. Take the time to consider the instructional conditions associated with selected instructional methods.

20 Implications (cont.)

6. Be prepared to modify instructional methods to accommodate emergent instructional conditions.

7. Keep a record of changes to instructional methods you’ve used in response to changing situations.

8. The use of domain experts outside of the “official” class is an effective method to build a sense of learning community.

9. Prepare students to use the communications technologies before requiring significant collaborative work.

10. Encouraging students to provide technical support to one another can be an effective method of building online learning community.

20 Implications (cont.)

11. The educational purpose for using instructional methods that use social interaction should be readily apparent to students.

12. Do not overwhelm students with many new technologies at once.

13. For asynchronous discussions, plan for structuring student participation patterns.

14. Allow for socially-focused discussions, but don’t expect them to thrive in all situations.

15. Synchronous methods should vary depending on the size of the participant group.

20 Implications (cont.)

16. External, non-instructional conditions can influence the effectiveness of instructional methods.

17. Plan to support student self-regulated learning (self pacing, etc.).

18. Student motivation is the most common and overall the most important instructional condition..

19. Instructor motivation is an important condition, too. 20. There are instructional methods that use social

interaction that can be effectively used to meet any instructional situation.

Vanessa Dennen: Year 2

How Should We Talk?

• Inspired by students in an online class asking “How should we talk?” in response to being assigned to a group project

• The advice in this presentation comes from– Research on online classes and work groups

(Dennen, 2001-2)– Experience during 5 years of teaching online

and blended classes and requiring group projects

Online Work Groups:Instructor Perspective

• Students can learn from each other

• Groups can accomplish more than individuals

• Prepares students for real-world teamwork

• Fewer projects to monitor / grade

Online Work Groups:Student Perspective

• Potential for aggravating team members• Potential for lazy/non-productive team

members• Potential for team members who hijack

projects

Challenges of Group Work

• Equitable distribution of labor• Timeliness of contributions• Quality of contributions• Communication and within-group feedback

These challenges are felt more strongly by online groups who never meet face to face and may not communicate in real time

Helpful Group Qualities

• Shared interests

• Adequate ability across members to complete tasks

• Ability to communicate effectively– MAY NEED TO BE LEARNED IN AN

ONLINE CLASS

Key Strategies for Scaffolding Online Group Work

• Structure the assignment

• Determine communication tools

• Check on progress

• Assess process as well as product

Structuring the Assignment

• Start date, end date, and final deliverable may not be enough– Procrastination in an asynchronous environment can be

deadly!

• Break the project into smaller parts with incremental due dates– Helps keep students focused– Encourages continuous participation/discourages

procrastination

• Require students to create a work plan

Sample Assignment Structure

• Week 1: Developing a work plan and picking a topic

• Week 2: Gathering and summarizing resources

• Week 3: Outlining and writing report• Week 4: Editing report and preparing

presentation• Week 5: Presentations

The Work Plan

• Helps keep groups focused• Essentially, a group contract for when and

how the work will be done• Groups can follow a format recommended

by the instructor, but personalized to meet their needs

• Helps lay the groundwork for a successful group process

Sample Work Plan Topics

• Listing of each group member’s strengths – subject matter areas; editing; creating presentations

• Schedule for completing work– Includes group expectations for submitting drafts or

commenting on each others’ contributions

• Commitment for how work will be completed– collab. writing process, divide and conquer, etc.

• Communication methods and expectations– Contact info, commitment for checking in with group

• Tool and style expectations– Preferred word processors, fonts, etc.

More Tips for Group Productivity

• Post the assignment well in advance– Students will know it is coming and (hopefully) check in

at the beginning of the assignment period)

• Encourage roles and meeting minutes– One student should be project manager– One student should be the group liaison with the instructor– One might serve as compiler and editor

• Assign project groups to provide each other with formative (and perhaps summative) peer feedback– Students are kept on task when outsiders are reviewing

their work

Help With Communication Tools

• Students likely don’t know how to be productive online teammates

• Different students may have different preferred communication styles

• Organization and clear expectations are important– Imagine tracking different drafts of a group paper, all

with different titles and posted in various locations

How Can An Instructor Help?

• Make students aware of their communication options

• Provide strategies for using different tools effectively– When to use each tool– How to thread discussion– How to quote messages to maintain context– How to organize and name files

Possible Communication Tools

• E-mail– Students may default to this medium– Good for reaching people quickly– Not good for substantive group work (doesn’t archive

or thread well)

• Asynchronous discussion board– Good for sharing information, providing critique– May need to e-mail non-active group members and get

them to check the board

More Communication Tools

• Chat– Good for making decisions and/or periodic check-ins

• Should encourage students to have regularly scheduled chats, if possible, and archive them

• File exchange– Good for keeping all files in one location

• Should encourage students to find a naming convention that indicates file draft/version

• MS Word– Teach students how to use the comments and track

changes features

Checking on Progress• Require students to submit regular (weekly?)

updates via an agreed upon medium, such as e-mail• May use a designated contact for each group, or

request a report from each student– Group reports are easy to track– Individual reports help keep everyone involved and

identify non-participants quickly

• Require a standard reporting format– Makes keeping tabs on groups more efficient– May want to vary format/content based on the week/part

of project

When to Intervene

• Request access to discussion boards and file exchanges to monitor progress– Peek in once/week just to make sure the group is

productive• Monitor (browse) interim deliverables and contact the

group if there are problems such as– Deliverable not complete– Deliverable not as expected / off-track– Evidence of project hijacking/ non-participating

members

Intervention Options

• E-mail the group and comment on the state of their project

• E-mail an individual (hijacker, non-participant) and provide suggestions for how they might get others (or themselves) more involved

• Set up a time to chat with the group– Particularly helpful if you identify

• Difficulty coming to consensus or making decisions• Tensions amongst group members• Group members not “listening” to each other

Assessing ProcessStudent Perspective

• Assessing process indicates to students that you care how they get the work done

• When process is assessed, students are more likely to:– Engage in reflection and discussion (instead of “just

getting it done”)

– Seek team feedback

– Communicate more regularly

– Get work done on schedule

Assessing ProcessInstructor Perspective

• Provides formative feedback for improving the assignment next time

• Prevents students from “snowing” the instructor about their involvement– HOW the work got done and WHO did it is clear

• Helps assign grades appropriate to the individual students’ contributions

• Maintains the sense that the instructor is guiding students throughout all parts of the class

Possible Methods of Assessment

• Review of online group work spaces– Evidence of regular and substantial contributions

• Self and peer assessment– Have students rate team members on various dimensions– Have students indicate where work plan was followed/not

followed

• Student reflection– Have students write brief reflections on their group

process, indicating what they might change the next time

Closing Thoughts

• Students need help in online classes to:– Form groups

– Chunk and schedule work

– Select and use appropriate communication tools

• Progress reports help maintain a smooth process• Assessing process helps debrief a project and

improve the assignment and student work habits for the next time

Please feel free to contact me…

• My sincere apologies for being unable to present today

• Please contact me at vdennen@mail.sdsu.edu

if you have any specific

questions

• THANK YOU!

Online Mentoring and Assistance Online

Twelve forms of electronic learning mentoring and assistance

(Bonk & Kim, 1998; Tharp, 1993; Bonk et al., 2001)

1. Social (and cognitive) Acknowledgement: "Hello...," "I agree with everything said so far...," "Wow, what a case," "This case certainly has provoked a lot of discussion...," "Glad you could join

us..."

2. Questioning: "What is the name of this concept...?," "Another reason for this might be...?," "An example of this is...," "In contrast to this might be...,""What else might be important here...?," "Who can tell me....?," "How might the teacher..?." "What is the real problem here...?," "How is this related to...?,“,

"Can you justify this?"

3. Direct Instruction: "I think in class we mentioned that...," Chapter ‘X’ talks about...," "Remember back to the first week of the semester when we went over ‘X’

which indicated that..."

4. Modeling/Examples: "I think I solved this sort of problem once when I...," "Remember that video we saw on ‘X’ wherein ‘Y’ decided to...," "Doesn't ‘X’ give insight into this problem in case

‘Z’ when he/she said..."

5. Feedback/Praise: "Wow, I'm impressed...," "That shows real insight into...," "Are you sure you have considered...," "Thanks for responding to ‘X’...," "I have yet to see you or

anyone mention..."

6. Cognitive Task Structuring: "You know, the task asks you to do...," "Ok, as was required, you should now summarize the peer responses that you have received...," "How might the

textbook authors have solved this case."

7. Cognitive Elaborations/Explanations: "Provide more information here that explains your rationale," "Please clarify what you mean by...," "I'm just not sure what you mean by...," "Please evaluate this solution a little

more carefully."

8. Push to Explore: "You might want to write to Dr. ‘XYZ’ for...," "You might want to do an ERIC search on this topic...," "Perhaps there is a URL on the Web that addresses this topic..."

9. Fostering Reflection/Self Awareness: "Restate again what the teacher did here," "How have you seen this before?," "When you took over this class, what was the first thing you did?," "Describe how your teaching philosophy will vary from this...," "How might an expert teacher handle this

situation?"

10. Encouraging Articulation/Dialogue Prompting: "What was the problem solving process the teacher faced here?," "Does anyone have a counterpoint or alternative to this situation?," "Can someone give me three good reasons why...," "It still seems like something is missing here, I just can't put my

finger on it."

11. General Advice/Scaffolding/Suggestions: "If I were in her shoes, I would...," "Perhaps I would think twice about putting these people into...," "I know that I would first...," "How totally ridiculous this all is; certainly the “person” should be able to provide some..."

12. Management (via private e-mail or discussion): "Don't just criticize....please be sincere when you respond to your peers," "If you had put your case in on time, you would have gotten more feedback." "If you do this again, we will have to take away your

privileges."

Which of these 12 do you think are the most prevalent on the Web?________________________________________

24%

9%

7%

24%3%

1%

4%

14%

5%

3% 6%

Acknowledge

Question

Examples

Feedback

Task Structure

Push to Explore

Foster Reflection

Enourage Dialogue

Scaffold

Manage

Weave

(Bonk, Ehman, & Hixon, 2000)

TICKIT Staff Mentoring (IU Study) (direct instruction and explanations = 0)

Bye, Bye