Presented byDr. Chan Chang Tik

Online Forum Discussion

Student Centred Learning Seminar Series

2

Why Online Discussion?

Do I need to go online when I see my students everyday in the class?

What say you?

February 2010

Student Centred Learning Seminar Series

3

Possible Reasons According to Lazenby (2003) most

lecturers put emphasizes on lecturing and testing, instead of facilitating students to construct knowledge collaboratively.

Online platform gives them a chance to reflect on their thought, gather and organize their ideas before presenting them in the forum.

February 2010

Student Centred Learning Seminar Series

4

Possible Reasons cont. Using e-learning is not only to create

an anywhere, anytime learning environment, but also to create an interactive and collaborative learning environment (Woodill, 2004 and Cummings, Book & Jacobs, 2002).

February 2010

Student Centred Learning Seminar Series

5

Topic of Discussion What to post for my students to

discuss?

February 2010

Any suggestions?

Student Centred Learning Seminar Series

6

Suggested Topics FOBA

If you have to pay 30¢ more for a plate of fried noodle because petrol price went up 30¢ per liter, would you complaint?

The share markets in South East Asia including China have gone up substantially, is it a good news?

February 2010

Student Centred Learning Seminar Series

7

Suggested Topics cont…

FOLASuggest ways and means to make students speak proper English.

What are the causes of Johore floods?

David Beckham decision to go to the United States is to make Americans love football and not for financial gain, do you agree?

February 2010

Student Centred Learning Seminar Series

8

Suggested Topics cont…

FAS Imagine your car running on cooking oil. What are the consequences?

China managed to shoot down a weather satellite, mathematically speaking how is it possible?

You are trying your luck at Genting casino playing roulette, what are the odds against you?

February 2010

Student Centred Learning Seminar Series

9

Suggested Topics cont…

FOCITVirus either biological or mechanical, is destructive. How would you fight it?

FOEATPetronas Twin Tower is the pride of the nation. If there is an earth tremor how save are you on the Sky Bridge? February 2010

Student Centred Learning Seminar Series

10

Sources of Topics You can ask your students to

read articles from the Internet and discuss in the forum.

Your students can even discuss their assignment answers in the forum.

You can also include your tutorial questions for discussion.

February 2010

Student Centred Learning Seminar Series

11

Sources of Topics cont…

For a start, we should pick interesting topics that relate to the students. Choose current and hot topics.

Avoid sensitive topics like religion and politic.

Award them marks for the online discussion (optional).

February 2010

Student Centred Learning Seminar Series

12

Few or No Responses Avoid the temptation to jump in

with public praise for the first few postings.

Adopt a stance of “sitting on ones’ hands”. Waiting avoids curtailing peer conversation and invites additional participation (Rowe, 1969).

February 2010

Student Centred Learning Seminar Series

13

Few or No Responses cont… Send private email to early contributors

can encourage active participation. Email should be sent to late starters too.

E-instructor should demonstrate that he is reading students postings by providing regular and private feedback.

Respond immediately to technical questions or queries about what to do.

February 2010

Student Centred Learning Seminar Series

14

Few or No Responses cont… If there is no response at all for a day or two, post an encouraging note to the forum at the same time refrain from nagging or invoking feelings of guilt over presumed poor performance.

February 2010

Student Centred Learning Seminar Series

15

Few or No Responses cont… Recap

• Do not jump in too soon• Send private emails • Respond to technical problems• Post encouraging notes in the forum

February 2010

Technical Training and Seminar Series 16January 2007

Sustain Momentum When the participants are either

avoiding learning objectives or straying off-course, you should not jump in and say something like “You’re headed in the wrong direction …” it can be a jarring interruption.

You can use a generative guide which serve as an indirect intervention to regain the initial target of the dialogue.

Technical Training and Seminar Series 17January 2007

Sustain Momentum cont… A generative guide begins by engaging

readers with a few key phrases excerpted from initial comments:• Mary is concerned the readings don’t address …

• Mark would prefer the authors had said more about …

• Recognizing there are obstacles to be contended with, you comments call for …

A generative guide identifying direction points students where to head for more fruitful engagement with the content.

Technical Training and Seminar Series 18January 2007

Sustain Momentum cont… Another quandary is “What should

I do with dialogues that are overwhelmed with postings though lacking in focus?”

You can use a reflective guide that mirrors the best insights and organizes the rich brainstorms into a few salient categories.

Technical Training and Seminar Series 19January 2007

Sustain Momentum cont… An example of a reflective guide:

I agree with Megan that this has been a great discussion so far. Lee mentioned listening … reverberate throughout your postings here. It got me thinking a bit … what strategies can be used …?

Technical Training and Seminar Series 20January 2007

Sustain Momentum cont… Is it pedagogically sound for you to make

summary near the end of a dialogue activity?

• Learning opportunities are missed when summaries make the thinking sound completed.

• You should set up a platform that highlights intriguing tensions and honours conflicting perspective to encourage further discovery and insight.

Technical Training and Seminar Series 21January 2007

Sustain Momentum cont… Techniques of questioning is one

of the strategies that can serve to deepen a developing dialogue:• “So what?”• Clarification of meaning• Exploration of assumptions• Identification of causes and effects• Questions that consider appropriate action

Give examples

Technical Training and Seminar Series 22January 2007

Sustain Momentum cont… Tone of your voice in the forum can

have an impact on further dialogue when crafting intervention.

Tones that are guiding rather than leading sound neutral or genuinely seeking clarity.

Examples of guiding tones are:• “I was intrigued …”• “Mary’s comment got me thinking …”• “John’s idea that … made me wonder …”

Technical Training and Seminar Series 23January 2007

Sustain Momentum cont… Leading tones can have a teacher-

on-centre-stage ring in it. For examples:• “We should follow Anne’s idea …”• “Great comment, John! Thanks for pointing

out …” Public evaluations of individuals’

contributions serve to suggest the answer the instructor seeks has been expressed. Further dialogue may be deterred with such messages.

Technical Training and Seminar Series 24January 2007

Sustain Momentum cont… Regular, constructive private

feedback can extend collaborative dialogue (Haavind, 2004).

Both acknowledgement of thoughtful contributions and explicit suggestions of ways to incite collaborative exchange are useful.

Technical Training and Seminar Series 25January 2007

Sustain Momentum cont… Examples of private feedback are:• “cite peers more often or more carefully”

• “identify themes in peers’ postings”• “ask questions along with contributing ideas”

Technical Training and Seminar Series 26January 2007

Sustain Momentum cont… Recap

• Off course use generative guide to identify direction

• Lacking in focus use reflective guide • Summary• Techniques of questioning• Tone of your voice – guiding or leading• Public evaluation• Regular constructive private feedback

Student Centred Learning Seminar Series

27February 2010

Thank you