Chat and Discussion Tips. Moderating Chats and Facilitating Discussions

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1 Mderating Chats and Facilitating Discussins 1. Determine hw chats and discussins can assist the learners in achieving the verall curse bjectives. 2. Determine the integratin f chats and discussins within the verall curse design. 3. State chat and discussin expectatins and guidelines in the curse syllabus a. include plicies n acceptable behavir, b. infrm learners f yur expectatins fr hw these appraches will be used as part f the curse, c. prvide a weekly verview f agenda and requirements, d. prvide participatin guidelines t students, e. indicate participatin grading plicies and infrmatin abut hw students can succeed with reference t quality and quantity f chat and discussin psts, f. prvide expectatins n timeliness f discussin psts (entering an asynchrnus discussin after it is nearly ver can be unprductive; thugh there are ways arund this prblem - such as asking a late student t summarize the discussin that has already ccurred), g. prvide infrmatin abut intrductry discussin pst (shuld be nn-graded t keep anxiety lw, ensure students have access and can successfully cmplete a psting). 4. Design t keep cmmunicatins fcused. Discussins (as well as Chats) can be unfcused unless the instructr exercises a strng guiding influence n the cnversatin with prmpts, cues, and suggestins. Fcus the discussin by carefully preparing questins in advance. Invite students t develp questins and respnses in advance in anther wrd prcessing dcument t then cut and paste int the discussin (r the chat) frum. 5. Be encuraging, supprtive, timely, and cnstructive in all chats and discussins. Prmte quality participatin by publicly acknwledging it. Ask fr mre detail frm students wh submit incmplete r shallw cmments, but d this in a cnstructive and supprtive manner (Aggregated frm pen frum hsted by SUNY, 11/05). Resurces: Cllisn, G., Elbaum, B. Haavind, S. & Tinker, R. (2000). Facilitating Online Learning: Effective Strategies fr Mderatrs. Madisn, WI: Atwd Publishing. Hanna, D. E., Glwacki-Dudka, M. & Cnceica-Runlee, S. (2000). 147 Practical Tips fr Teaching Online Grups: Essentials f Web-Based Educatin. Madisn, WI: Atwd Publishing. Hiltz, S. R. & Gldman, R. (2005). Learning Tgether Online. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Assciates, Publishers. K, S. & Rssen, S. (2001). Teaching Online: A Practical Guide. Bstn: Hughtn Mifflin Cmpany. Labratry At Brwn University. Electrnic Cllabratin: A Practical Guide fr Educatrs, Accessed 11/30/05. Chat - synchrnus (real-time) cmmunicatin tls Discussin Bard - an asynchrnus (nt real-time) cmmunicatin tl

2 Sme Instructinal Applicatins f Online Chats Guest speakers--invite an expert r authr t participate in the curse chat. This allws fr the traditinal gegraphical and philsphical bundaries t be extended. Cllect questins in advance frm students. Have a student mderate the sessin, crdinating intrductins and inviting students t ask questins in an rderly way. Office hurs--invite students t ask yu questins using a prearranged chat time. Yu agree t be available in the chat rm during specific times. Students can enter and ask questins during that perid. Other applicatins (K & Rssen, 2001) f chat are t: create a cmmunity f learners, prvide reinfrcement and immediate feedback use in cnjunctin with discussins fr grup prject meetings Tips fr Mderating Chats Chat Preparatin Scheduling Cnsideratins-- Synchrnus tls like chat rms and whitebards are particularly apprpriate fr yur class if yu have students living in the same time zne r lgging n frm campus lcatins. If yur students live in separate time znes, careful schedule accmmdatin is required t make this a wrthwhile and attainable learning experience (K & Rssen, 2001, pp ). Include a practice chat sessin at the beginning f the curse t be sure all students understand hw t participate and can gain access. Cnsider the number f students that can be meaningfully invlved in chat--althugh this number will vary depending n the gal f the chat (t get t knw each ther r t have an in-depth discussin regarding a cmplex issue) and the skills f the participants, generally a chat with 10 r fewer participants can be effective. Establish a system fr granting turns t speak-- If yur chat sftware includes a crwd-cntrl functin (the equivalent f raising hands t be recgnized), then yu shuld definitely make use f it. If yur sftware desn t have such a built-in system, yu can design ne; fr instance, a questin mark, asterisk, r sme ther sign that, when typed, will appear next t the student s name, allwing yu t recgnize him r her t speak (K & Rssen, 2001, p. 229). Prepare students fr the chat by psting the tpics r agenda, assigning readings r activities, r giving them questins t cnsider befre the chat (K & Rssen, 2001) Have a backup plan in place, in the event that yu r sme f the students lse Internet cnnectin (K & Rssen, 2001)

3 Chat Sessin Establish a prtcl s that learners will knw when anther has cmpleted their message (i.e. ask learners t add an asterisk * at the end f their sentence). Whenever pssible, preface yur respnse with the name f the student t whm yu are replying, r include bits f the questin r cmment t which yu are respnding (K & Rssen, 2001) Break up lng respnses int tw r three parts (K & Rssen, 2001) Mnitr the dialgue t keep it n tpic, weave majr themes tgether and engage learners wh are nt participating. Allw sme time at either the beginning r end f the chat fr students t ask ff-tpic questins and t scialize (K & Rssen, 2001). Summarize the majr pints at the end f the chat sessin Pst-Chat Activities Be aware f thse wh tend nt t participate--is it due t a technlgical r skill prblem? Sme learners can type very quickly while thers type quite slwly. This may affect the frequency f all learners participatin. If nnparticipatin seems t be attributed t neither technlgical prblems r typing skills, is there a way t draw them int the chat? If yur sftware allws yu t save whitebard and chat sessins, and make them available t view later, this can be a majr asset. This feature enables students t refer t and reflect n chat and whitebard activities, thus cnsiderably increasing their value t yur class (K & Rssen, 2001, p. 91). Sme Instructinal Applicatins f Online Discussins T allw students the pprtunity fr reflectin n a selected tpic T facilitate the learning f new curse materials T reinfrce knwledge acquisitin f instructinal cncepts T prvide pprtunities fr learner cllabratin n assignments, prjects, exam review sessins, etc. T build a scial envirnment and learning cmmunity T prvide feedback fr Frequently Asked Questins T share knwledge and expertise amng varius members f the class

4 Tips fr Facilitating Discussins Discussin Preparatin Narrw dwn tpics--a gd discussin tpic needs pruning and shaping; an verly brad tpic will result in a fragmented discussin whereas a tpic that is t specific might nt g anywhere. Allw students t digress, but if yu think that the new directin in the cnversatin calls fr an entirely new thread, yu might create ne r suggest that a student begin a new tpic message t explre the subject further (K & Rssen, 2001, p. 225). Structure the discussin. Tpics shuld nt be t pen-ended r students may lse fcus. One way t structure discussin is thrugh debates. Assigning r asking students t chse a psitin in advance can be helpful. Other structuring devices include - prblem slving, case studies, interviews, panels, brainstrming, summaries, etc (Aggregated frm pen frum hsted by SUNY, 11/05). Make the discussin interesting. Asking students t respnd t "knwn answer" questins is unlikely t generate sustained invlvement. Discussin questins shuld be pen-ended, fcused n learning bjectives and likely t spur sme cntrversy r interactin (Aggregated frm pen frum hsted by SUNY, 11/05). Organize frums and threads t reflect the class chrnlgy-- The rganizatin f discussin frums shuld cmplement the class structure but als prvide sme reminders f the curse chrnlgy and sequence. Fr example, if frums are the uter level f yur discussin structure, creating ne fr each week r unit f the curse helps students knw at a glance where they shuld be lking fr that week s activity (K & Rssen, 2001, pp ). Key the thread tpics t apprpriate activities-- Keying thread tpics t the assignments, readings, prjects, and exercises fr a particular week will help keep students n tpic in their discussins and als prvide an bvius place t discuss anything that ccurs in the curse during that week (K & Rssen, 2001, p. 226). Require a prduct which is based n r the result f discussin. A "hand-in" assignment that is based n class discussin can help students t synthesize, integrate and apply what has been discussed (Aggregated frm pen frum hsted by SUNY, 11/05). Have students lead the discussin. Assign students t pst fcused, tpic relevant discussin questins and lead the discussin. It may be necessary t mdel a few discussins in advance and/r assist the student t chse apprpriate discussin questins in the early stages (Aggregated frm pen frum hsted by SUNY, 11/05). Include ideas, and infrmatin generated in discussin n exams. This serves tw purpses. It reinfrces the imprtance f student cllabratin and makes "cheating" much mre difficult. If students need t participate in class discussins t answer exam questins they will be unable t simply "cpy" frm utside surces (Aggregated frm pen frum hsted by SUNY, 11/05). Frm Small Grups r Learning Teams. Assigning students t these (rather that allwing self selectin) can help avid lgistical prblems that inhibit prductivity. If yu d allw self selectin, establish a deadline fr this prcess (a week t ten days) and then default t

5 teacher assignment t the grups after the deadline. Small grups can (Aggregated frm pen frum hsted by SUNY, 11/05): Develp grup presentatins Peer review each ther's wrk Prepare fr exams Analyze a case study Small grups are especially helpful fr large classes Make sure discussins are f a lng-enugh duratin t allw full and thughtful participatin. Ten days t tw weeks is ften required t fully flesh ut an nline asynchrnus discussin (Aggregated frm pen frum hsted by SUNY, 11/05) Add standard discussin tpics. When designing yur nline curse include discussin tpics fr technlgy questins and fr general discussins. This will help rganize bulletin pstings and give students a clear avenue fr cmmunicating cmments and cncerns. Instructrs may als include a sectin, "Electrnic Reflectins" fr students t pst cmments regarding their experience taking an nline curse. These cmments culd then be referenced r even psted in future curse fferings. Make Crrectins. Crrect spelling errrs in subject lines. Mve pstings t incrrect threads t the crrect threads. Discussin Sessin Begin the curse with an intrductry pst t the discussin list--tell the students a bit abut yurself and/r the curse. Encurage students t d the same. Yur use f the tl mdels the apprpriate use and prvides students with the initial prmpt t begin a discussin. This exercise will als reveal if students are having difficulty understanding hw t pst r reply t a message. Establish a pattern f frequent respnse-- Students tend t fllw instructr expectatins fr nline participatin, and these expectatins are cmmunicated nt nly by the declaratins f the syllabus but als by the instructr s behavir (K & Rssen, 2001, p. 226). If the class size allws, greet each student individually as they arrive and engage as many as pssible in discussin. Then try t respnd t different grups each week instead f the same grup f individuals. Think in terms f three t five shrt perids f lgging n each week, rather than ne r tw sessins yu may be used t in yur n-campus curses. If yu have nly fur hurs t devte t the classrm in ne week, spend an hur fr each f fur days in the classrm, rather than tw hurs twice a week. This will allw yu t keep up with the flw f student discussins and will als reinfrce the impressin that yu are respnsive and n the scene (K & Rssen, 2001, p. 227). Facilitate and build n participatin Dn t try t respnd t every psting in the classrm. Even in a class f 20, this will quickly verwhelm yu. Als, yu want t encurage students t interact with each ther, nt nly with yu. S make cmments that address a whle train f thught respnding, fr example, t five r six related messages in the thread rather than t each f the five individually. In this way yu will d yur part t encurage participatin as well as interactin amng students (K & Rssen, 2001, p. 226). Think abut jining the cnversatin at critical junctures and wrking as a facilitatr t help the flw f the discussin ging. Make yur pints when yu feel it s apprpriate similar t

6 hw yu wuld in a face-t-face envirnment. Cntribute cmments that summarize what students have psted, as well as fllw-up questins that stimulate further discussin (K & Rssen, 2001, p. 228). Participate wisely. The key t discussin success is that is it learner-centered, driven by student inquiry and knwledge explratin. The instructr shuld nt dminate the discussin, nr shuld she be absent. It is the instructr s respnsibility t guide and facilitate the discussin by prviding prmpts and explanatins and encuraging learner discvery. Be mindful that students may interpret the instructr s pst as the "fficial answer" and discussin may becme limited; therefre, stay fcused n playing the rle f a facilitatr. Prmte student interactin with instructr. Invite students t pst answers t a questin yu pse. Ask students t cmment n questins r respnses thers have psted. Be aware f cultural patterns as well as differences in persnal styles f discussin Deal with unacceptable behavir via private (Aggregated frm pen frum hsted by SUNY, 11/05). Mnitr the quality and regularity f the pstings. If learners appear t pst late (when yu have already gne n t anther psting), nt participate, r pst nn-substantive messages, cmmunicate with that student privately. Vary Participants' Amunt f Cntributin. Encurage less active students t pst mre ften. Fllw up individually with students that are participating less t determine if there are any prblems. Mnitr yur e-tne. Always respnd t student questins, cmplaints, and cncerns by saying, Thank yu fr asking abut... r Thanks fr letting me knw f yur cncerns, [name] r Gd questin, [name]. Since tne ver is hard t cnvey, ding this will create sme rm fr yu t say what yu need t say firmly and directly withut being heard as being incnsiderate r lacking in understanding. Electrnic cmmunicatins are a prime envirnment fr misunderstanding. Pst-Discussin Activities Prvide a summary f the discussin befre mving n t a new thread. Instead f clsing a discussin tpic, cnsider lcking it fr further psts t allw students t revisit prir discussins. Fr grading purpses, aggregate individual student pstings.