DIscussion Rubric
Online discussions are essential for many kinds of learning activities. The success of the activity is dependent on a solid design of the online discussion activities. In the book excerpt E-Learning by Design (Horton, W., Designing for the Virtual Classroom, E-Learning by Design). Copyright 2006, Horton provides us with guidelines for online discussion activities. Horton mentions six guidelines specifically related to learner success.
- Starting the discussion
- Preparing the learners to discuss
- Moderating the discussion
- Keeping the discussion lively
- Challenging shallow thoughts
- Handling inappropriate posts
Begin by re-reading Chapter 9, “Design for the Virtual Classroom” (pp. 463–471).
Focusing on the six guidelines above...
- Discuss how you plan to apply these guidelines to your next discussion activity.
- What are some of the challenges you may face in applying these guidelines to your discussion activities?
- How will you overcome these challenges?
By Wednesday:
Post your thoughts and discussion on this weeks discussion board. Be sure to cite resources used.
By Sunday:
Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings. As you read their responses, note those to which you would like to respond with advice, questions, comments, and/or encouragement.
Respond to two or more of your colleagues’ postings to ...
- Build on something your colleague said.
- Explain why and how you see things differently.
- Ask a probing or clarifying question.
- Share an insight from having read your colleague's posting.
- Offer and support an opinion.
- Validate an idea with your own experience.
- Expand on your colleague's posting.
- Ask for evidence that supports the postings
Resources:
Book Excerpt: E-Learning by Design
(Horton, W., Designing for the Virtual Classroom, E-Learning by Design). Copyright 2006 John Wiley & Sons Inc. Used with permission from John Wiley & Sons Inc. via the Copyright Clearance Center.
Discuss how you plan to apply these guidelines to your next discussion activity.
ReplyDeleteFor my next discussion activity, I plan to use the guidilnes from this week’s by making sure that my expectations for the discussion and the instructions are clear to the students, make sure the students are acclamated with the learning environment that ‘ve created, choosing a competant moderator, and providing a place for student to converse outside of the discussion.
What are some of the challenges you may face in applying these guidelines to your discussion activities?
Some of the challenges I face inplementing these guidelines are dealing with inappropriate posts, keeping the discussion on topic, challenging the students to think outside the box, making sure students feel welcomed in the course, and unmotivated students.
How will you overcome these challenges?
To overcome theses challenges, I could comment on every students posts duing the welcome or icebreaker, choosing an interesting and thought provoking discussion topic, ask a question with an opposing view to promote deeper thinking, establish guidelines for the discussion ahead of time, dealing with problem posters descreetly, and creating a discussion rubric.
Resources
Oosterhof, A., Conrad, R.-M., & Ely, D. P. (2008). Assessing learners online. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Pallof, R. & Pratt, K . (2011). Assessing Interaction and Collaboration in Online Environments [Video].
Thank you for your post Yolanda. Could you expound upon the application information a bit? I'm interested in the projects others are working on and specific of topics. Thank you. D
ReplyDeleteThere are a few ways I plan on using the guidelines for my next discussion. I enjoyed the idea of inviting the participants to the discussion. This is a great way to encourage participation. The title, scenario, instructions, and then the invitation are a fun way that the instructor can get the learner excited about what they are going to be doing (Horton, 2006). I also liked the idea of recruiting guests to the discussion (Horton, 2006). This is a wonderful way to bring in some “experts” and allow students to pick their brain and ask questions. I think this also allows for deeper understanding and questioning.
ReplyDeleteThe challenges that come with these ideas include the time it would take to plan. But I think the time taken to perform these tasks would be worth it and in the long run provide more feedback and greater participation. A way to overcome this challenge is to potentially recruit help that will be able to provide ideas for those expert guests. This is a great way to encourage colleagues to join in and even change some of their practices in their discussions.
Horton, W. (2006). E-learning by design. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer