You collaborate constantly in your classes, don't you? But, we rarely refer to it as "group work" though because that term has earned itself a negative connotation. You converse with your classmates and instructor in discussion boards, you complete peer review tasks, and on occasion, there is a partnered project assigned. You work with your classmates weekly, and sometimes daily, so let's make sure you're doing so effectively.
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Discussion Boards
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collaboration_on_discussion_boards.pptx | |
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For a discussion board to be effective, all participants must share their information in a timely manner.
Please share your ideas and your research (links to source material, names of books, etc) throughout the week so we can build thorough discussions. But what does that sharing look like for a week of online learning? How much time do you spend on a discussion board? When do you start? How much replying is needed?
Please share your ideas and your research (links to source material, names of books, etc) throughout the week so we can build thorough discussions. But what does that sharing look like for a week of online learning? How much time do you spend on a discussion board? When do you start? How much replying is needed?
Time Spent in Discussions
What are the components of a discussion, and how much time should you devote to the discussions each week? Think of the discussions as our "class time." In general, a lecture class may run 50 minutes but meet twice a week, or a class may run 120 minutes all at once. Online, we don't have a specific scheduled time to meet, but we do have an amount of time we should work according to the BOR requirements for the course. What does this mean for our discussions?
You should prepare, participate, and conclude discussions just as you would attend a class. |
Initial Posts
You, ahem, wouldn't show up for class without studying and doing your homework, would you? Then why would you submit an initial post without doing the prep? But, the initial post is an initial post, just like homework. It isn't the main lesson for the week. It is the introduction, so don't treat the initial as if it was the final assignment. Spend time preparing your initial thoughts, but expect to learn more as the week progresses.
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Continuing Contributions
After the introduction post in which you show your initial thoughts on the topic, you're not done yet! Keep up your reading. Keep following the discussion. As you learn more in the book, advance your ideas in your posts. When you need to draw from outside research because the book doesn't offer the information you need, seek out additional sources. Share that information with your peers to help them learn, too. More time will be spent in this section of the discussion board process because you're continuing to learn and you're continuing to share your knowledge.
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Final Posts
Depending on your time commitments for the week, you may need to post your work earlier in the conversation, or you may need to wait until closer to the deadlines to contribute. Let your peers know this, just like you would for class if you're running late or if you need to leave early. They, too, need to organize their time, and depending on the class size, will need to know when to expect replies from you. For each conversation, include a concluding remark to finalize your ideas or show where your learning has progressed based on what you've learned with your peers, add any last minute component of the assignment directions you may have missed, and make sure your peers know when you've stopped participating in the discussion.
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When should student start posting?
If you’re given a discussion board deadline, that’s the day to end the conversation, not to begin it.
Begin several days before to open the dialogue with your classmates. This is a conversation, so it should not merely be an initial post and then a comment to a classmate or two. Also, classmates (and I) will respond with questions, so ensure you continue the conversation. Think of our discussion boards this way: would you want an in-class discussion to be one-sided? Would you want a dinner conversation to be dull? |
Example
Student 1: I really enjoyed reading “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan because it reminded me of some of the stories my mother told me about her relationship with her mom. Student 2: Me, too! Student 1: Did you have a family like this, too? Student 2: [No Reply] Don't ignore your classmates!
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Participation Grade
Excellent Participation means a student
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Instructors want thorough, thoughtful discussions that display a depth of knowledge and an increase in understanding of the topic from the beginning of the conversation to the end of it. Rarely can this happen in a discussion board that begins the day it is due. There just isn’t enough time to get the full class to participate and to share content.
To ensure students begin participating early and regularly, sometimes instructors have a portion of their discussion board rubric set up for participation. The example on the left shows that a student who participates frequently and throughout the week with a variety of classmates may earn an A, but a student who only participates the day assignments are due may earn an F regardless of the quantity or caliber of the posts. |
How much replying is needed? 1) Enough to share information with the group!
We learn from each other in discussion boards, so please share content: your ideas, your arguments (claims/theses), and the sources for your information.
Be as specific and concrete as possible.
Share your information so the class can learn together. |
Simply agreeing with someone else doesn't continue the conversation. How can people reply to you when you don't provide an idea? Share content in your posts.
Example Student 1: I really enjoyed reading “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan. Student 2: Me, too! Student 3: I agree with the two of you. It was good. Instructor: Um, why did the three of you like the story? From the content in these posts, I can't even tell that you've read it. |
Here's another example. This time, each student provides information and is able to keep the conversation going!
Example
Student 1: I really enjoyed reading “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan. One thing that I kept thinking was of how Tan showed the love and guilt involved in mother/daughter relationships very accurately. Student 2: I like Amy Tan as an author, and she does like to examine family relationships between her women characters. Has anyone seen this interview clip on YouTube? Https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QishhWj5S10 Student 3: Thanks for the clip! I like hearing authors talk about why they write. In the video, Tan talked about why she might or might not write a story focused on men in her next book. That got me thinking: would the mother in "Two Kinds" have treated a son differently than she treated her daughter here? Instructor: Thank you for sharing this content, students! You have the beginnings of a great conversation about family dynamics, socialism, and even gender studies. I look forward to seeing how your classmates join the discussion. |
How much replying is needed? 2) Enough to learn ideas from the class.
Think about a discussion in a classroom. There are multiple questions, tangents, asides, and a lot of comments shared. If you only heard the portion of the in-class conversation immediately preceding or immediately after your own comments, you’d miss a great deal of information.
Online discussions run the same way, so post and then reply often! As the discussion board develops, join several conversations, not just the one you began. You’ll learn more about the topic as a whole if you are part of the entire discussion.
Think about a discussion in a classroom. There are multiple questions, tangents, asides, and a lot of comments shared. If you only heard the portion of the in-class conversation immediately preceding or immediately after your own comments, you’d miss a great deal of information.
Online discussions run the same way, so post and then reply often! As the discussion board develops, join several conversations, not just the one you began. You’ll learn more about the topic as a whole if you are part of the entire discussion.
Example Discussion Without Depth
Student 1: Initial Post
Student 2: Initial Post
Student 3: Initial Post
It is unlikely that the discussion threads above provide the class with detailed information about the topics they've chosen. The students reply to each other, but they're not conversing yet. |
Example Discussion With Depth
The discussion threads below, especially the one begun by Student 1, show conversations in progress. Student 1: Initial Post
Student 2: Initial Post
Student 3: Initial Post
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Discussion Board Collaboration Summary
How can you collaborate with your peers to have good online discussions?
How can you collaborate with your peers to have good online discussions?
- Start posting early.
- Share information.
- Join the conversation on multiple classmates' threads.
- Reply with information and questions to the classmates that join your initial post thread AND to the classmates that reply to you in other threads.
Peer ReviewsPeer reviews are practice in revision and editing for everyone! Writers practice meeting deadlines and graciously receiving constructive criticism in order to update drafts for audience needs. Reviewers practice meeting deadlines and graciously offering constructive criticism to help others improve their own writing. All participants gain insight from the examples they read because they may learn from the way others complete the assignment.
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