Week Four: Discussion and Collaboration
Student to student interaction is at the heart of any online writing course based on sound principles of composition and writing theory. Creating clear expectations for student discussion and opportunities to collaborate in a supportive environment are key to developing classroom community. |
As online students, you might have had experiences in classes where faculty asked you to discuss or collaborate with your classmates. You might have rolled your eyes and dreaded those experiences. Perhaps you are doing this now! :)
Just as students need to learn from each other in the face-to-face classroom, so, too, do our online students need to construct knowledge in social environments. In addition, 21st century students who are moving into professional careers will need to know how to use digital communication tools for content creation and sharing. This week, we will practice using both synchronous and asynchronous tools for discussion and collaboration through Google Hangout and Google Docs. Week Five Learning Outcomes
Accessibility 1, 3, 4 Course Design 2 & 5 Presence and Interaction 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5 |
4.1 Google Hangout: Practicing Asynchronous Communication
|
While the bulk of an online writing class is asynchronous, you might at times need to communicate with students asynchronously. In Week Three, you read about the differences between these two communication methods in the Mick and Middlebrook chapter of Foundational Practices in Online Writing Instruction (which you read in Week Three and should review for Week Four).
Asynchronous communication can be effective for quick meetings with students, holding office hours, or facilitating small group meetings in the classroom. This week, we will meet in small groups in Google Hangouts to "check in" and discuss how the class is going so far. To prepare for the small group meeting:
|
4.2 Activity: Discussion Board Assignment and Assessment
|
To practice collaborating asynchronously (and possibly synchronously, depending on your schedules), we will create in our small groups a set of discussion board requirements and a rubric for evaluating discussion boards. This activity will not only allow us to practice writing collaboratively using Google Docs; we will also hopefully each walk away with a template for setting up, administering, and evaluating discussion boards based on the OWI Principles Statement and best practices. For this assignment, you will collaboratively develop a set of standards for online discussions and a corresponding rubric to assess discussion boards using those standards. To do so, your group will need to come to consensus about what students should do in effective discussion board posts and compose clear, effective language for how those discussion boards will be assessed (see Beth Hewett Chapter 12 & Chapter 14 for clear language in writing assignments). To complete this assignment:
You might need to communicate via email or other means in order to coordinate this project. You can also use the Chat feature on the Google Doc (a chat button will appear when two or more of you have accessed the document synchronously) to discuss how you will work on the document. I am also happy to meet with you synchronously in the document if you would like to have a synchronous chat about the activity. |