Teaching with online discussion

Learning outcomes: participants will be able to use the BSCW
software to take part in discussion, and start their own
discussion spaces with students.

1. Background

	Types of online learning,
	Online functions needed,
	CMC Technology at Keele

2. Use bscw.keele - hands-on

3. Issues about teaching with online discussion

	Types of tasks
	Differences online and face-to-face
	Potential benefits
	Potential problems
	Design issues

4. Using BSCW for teaching - hands-on

1. Background

Types of online learning

	online learning, e-learning includes various uses of online information, tutorials, quizzes, simulations
	person-to-person: computer mediated communications (CMC) between students and teachers
	varied forms: media, synchronicity, access access: private/public, 1-to-1, 1-to-many, many-to-many synchronous: text chat, audio/phone, video conferencing asynchronous: voice mail, video tape, stored text messages

Online functions needed

	access to learning resources, web space (Keele learning server)
	course administration, recording, student records, key skills
	computer assisted assessment, testing, quizzes
	CMC for discussion - environments for structured collections  of messages by a group
	virtual learning environments, e.g. Blackboard, integrate these in one web based environment, but one-size fits all isolation of module resources steeper learning curve for staff

CMC Technology at Keele

	email: personal, course list aliases
	email lists: e.g. announce
	usenet: Keele newsgroups e.g. keele.classics.poets
	public web-based discussion off campus e.g. Smartgroups, public BSCW
	the Keele BSCW pilot service

2. Use bscw.keele.ac.uk

1. Register with Keele BSCW using the emailed invitation
2. go into Cafe folder and then the first discussion for introductions.  Read the messages and reply to the Introduce yourself here discussion using the small grey menu button at the right of the first message
3. as more message arrive watch the discussion grow
4. Look at the Options, preferences menu and promote yourself to Expert. This gives you more orange icons top left including 'start a new discussion'
5. Go back ('up') to the Cafe folder by clicking Cafe on the Your location bar
6. Using the orange 'speech bubble' icon, start a new discussion on a subject of your choice. Add responses to other discussions in the cafe.
7. Go back to the main course folder clicking on the Your location bar
8. Look at the folder Documents and the uploaded an example document, read the document and  then the discussion a note about the document and add a reply to it.  Note how the Your location line is telling you the current position
9. From the main folder go to the useful web addresses folder and add a web address (URL) with the menu File, new, URL
10. try the Help menu, help files are at the public BSCW site
11. tips on using BSCW e.g.

catch-up

3. Issues about teaching with online discussion

Types of online tasks (many-to-many)

	Discussion groups
	Debates
	Simulations, cases, games
	Role plays
	Online portfolios
	Brainstorming
	Delphi technique for consensus
	Group projects
	Working groups and plenary
	Visiting experts

Differences online and face-to-face

	Tutor's control
	Scheduling meeting, discussion
	Attendance, absence, rejoining
	Mode of communication
	Physical vs. virtual meeting
	Timing, scheduling
	Parallel issues, tasks
	Group dynamics
	Accessing other groups
	Giving feedback on work
	Supports group work
	More room for misunderstanding
	Explicit tasks needed
	Gender and minorities
	Novelty

Potential benefits of CMC on campus

(based on CSALT report, address below)

	Interactive but flexible use unlike f2f
	Promotes active engagement with well designed tasks
	Aids reflective deep learning, with time available
	Permanent record can assess discussion with an audit trail
	Opportunities for group work
	Social interaction
	Ease of accessing web resources
	Democratisation of teacher-learner relationship
	Improved access for minority groups, shy, part time, working students

	Flexibility for staff e.g. no need to duplicate messages to individuals -  one message is available to all - e.g. frequently asked questions
	Can use 'free' learning support from other students, if you encourage it
	Practice writing skills

Potential problems using CMC on campus

	Lack of expressive richness, e.g. emoticons
	Lack of immediacy, difficulty turn-taking
	Information overload
	Prolongs decision making
	Requires technical access and skills
	Requires writing style, skills
	Absent 'lurkers' not participating
	Mix of levels of discourse
	Depersonalising, analytical, judgemental
	Needs shared goals and tasks to sustain
	Teachers need new skills, extensions of f2f skills discussions need managing - 'moderating'
	Students need netiquette, ground rules
	Teacher' s time commitment limit teaching but require student time

Design issues

	Group size, optimum depends on task time available and schedule type of student ease of physical access and user interface to software ...
	Construction of discussion space give a space for social chat, to keep it out of working areas how many spaces, how fine grained a discussion?   Too structured and it inhibits flow, too little and it's  a mess and no-one can find things how much threading of discussion streams,  versus an unstructured bucket of messages
	Scheduling overall pace required frequency of logins how many tasks over what period what to do about non-attendance?
	To assess or not to assess?
	How much intervention from the tutor? move messages, delete messages, guide discussion, lurk,  provide summaries, use parallel email to individuals to  control or encourage them....?
	Your educational values and theories will influence your design  and management online.  (See Lancaster model for details, from the CSALT web site below) Will you make these explicit or clear to students? Will they know how to behave, what is expected of them?

From CSALT, Lancaster report: Effective networked learning in higher education: notes and guidelinesJanuary 31st, 2001 http://csalt.lancs.ac.uk/jisc/

4. Using BSCW for teaching

either  go into the Using BSCW for teaching folder and
contribute to the discussions there

or  start your own discussion:

1. go to the main workshop folder and enter the folder named make your own folder  and make a own new folder with your name on it
2. start a new discussion in it
3. look at other people's folders and respond to their discussions
4. look at how you could invite new members  to your folder (members of the workshop folder will be automatically members of your folder within it unless you exclude them). You may not be able to actually invite new people to register with BSCW until given access rights to do so.

Further reading

	Effective networked learning in higher education: notes and guidelines, January 31st, 2001 http://csalt.lancs.ac.uk/jisc/advice.htm
	browse http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/cs/Stephen_Bostock/keywords/cooperative.html

 

Stephen Bostock, Keele University, www.keele.ac.uk/depts/cs/Stephen_Bostock/

 

Keele University Home | Learning Technology Home | email Stephen Bostock Stephen Bostock asserts his moral right to be acknowledged as the author of documents on this site, unless another author is identified.  Copyright remains with Keele University, or the author.  The views expressed in this site are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Keele University.  Last edited: 18 Mar 2002