Module6_EngagingStudents

Engaging Students

In this module you will:

• Identify QM Standards 4, 5, and 6 to an online course
• Identify how to engage students in online discussions
• Identify grading methods used for online discussions
• Recognize the value of collaboration for student learning
• Identify instructional strategies to help foster collaboration and build community in the online environment
• List various community building technological tools available

Quality Matters Standards

General Standard 4--Instructional Materials

Instructional materials are sufficiently comprehensive to achieve stated course objectives and learning outcomes.

General Standard 5--Learner Interaction and Engagement

Engaging students to become active learners contributes to the learning process and to student persistence.

General Standard 6--Course Technology

The technology enabling the various course components facilitates the student's learning experience and is easy to use, rather than impeding the student's progress.

Interactive Online Learning

This module focuses on the importance of developing interactive online learning. Online learning should connect learners with each other and with experts and not just content.

Tips From the Pros: 4 Ways to Engage Students

Wendy Bass, distance education coordinator at East Los Angeles College, offers the following suggestions for keeping students engaged in an online course.

To read entire article, click the link below:

Online Student Engagement Tools and Strategies

The Role of Discussion

There are several different types of online discussion in educational contexts, including:

• Question and answer: Where students can get help with any issues or problems they may encounter from the teacher and each other
  

   

• Problem solving, analysis or idea sharing: Students and their teacher discuss collaborative projects, lectures, hold a brainstorming session, or participate in similar activities
  

   

• Social: Students need a place where they can get to know each other on a more personal level. This can help students build trust, and improve collaboration and group work.

The X's and O's of Online Discussions

Successful Online Discussions takes planning. Consider the following bulleted items as you implement and engage students in online discussions.

• Make discussions relevant and worthwhile. Related the discussion to current lectures, assignments, etc. By participating, the students gain knowledge that they can directly apply to their learning.


• Assessment. Make sure you clearly communicate the assessment criteria to students.


• Ensure students are technically competent. In order to participate, students need to understand how to use the technology


• Define an acceptable tone of language. Make sure the students understand the level of formality required for the different discussions.


• Consider the use of large or small group discussions.


• Allow space for social interaction.


• Set up a question and answer area.

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Useful strategies for moderating effective online discussions

Grading Discussions

 This is a tricky one! You want students to voluntarily participate in online discussions, but this is not always the case!

Students need and like structure, so you must provide it. One way to do this (unfortunately) is to require and grade discussion participation.

Typically, this is done by stating requirements for discussion guidelines in the form of a checklist or rubric (matrix).

Note: making discussion guidelines too complicated can hamper the learning process. Students can become so caught up in trying to understand and satisfy the requirement that they post simply to get the requirement behind them to get the points. There needs to be enough flexibility in the requirements to allow for natural, genuine participation.

Grading Discussions Guidelines

This gives the students flexibility in how they will participate. Your role as the instructor/facilitator is to get the ball rolling, and then stand back. You step in only when the discussion falters or needs direction. You might pose a question to infuse new energy or correct misinformation in the discussion.

TIP: Give dates to student on when to post initial post. For Example... Post from Saturday to Tuesday, have students post their inital discussion topic. From Wednesday to Friday, have students reply to 3 students. This gives students guidelines on when to post their initial post and when to reply to other students.

Quality Matters Examples of Tools and Media that Support Engagement

1. Interactive, real-time software, such as real-time collaborative tools, webinars, and virtual worlds.
   


2. Software that facilitates interactions and collaborations, such as shared documents or wikis
   


3. Annimations, simulations, and games that require student input
   


4. Discussion tools with automatic notifcation or a "read/unread" tracking feature
   


5. Automated self-check exercises requiring student responses

What is a Webinar, and How Can I Use It?

Using Webinars 

Some Webinar Programs

Wikis

A wiki is a web application which allows students to add, modify or delete content in a collaboration with others. A wiki invites users to edit any page or ceate new pages iwthin the wiki website.

A Wiki can be thought of as a combination of a web site and a Word document. At its simplest, it can be read just like any other web site, with no access privileges necessary, but its real power lies in the fact that groups can collaboratively work on the content of the site using nothing but a standard web browser. The Wiki is gaining  traction in education as an ideal tool for collaborative work.

Review Educational Technology and Mobile Lerning article on "Teachers Guide on the Use of Wikis in Education"

Using Wikis for Student Collaboration

video time: 7:36 min.

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Click here to watch a tutorial on how to create a wiki in your Moodle course

Online Teamwork and Collaboration

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Click here for more information on Teamwork and Collaboration (pdf)

Animations, Simulations, and Games that Required Student Input

Create.

Create, customize and personalize content by mashing up your own materials with rich media, interactive exercises, quizzes and text. The combination of personalized content, embedded assessment, interactivity, and immediate student feedback increases student engagement and improves learning outcomes.

Look for many of these activities thoughout MORC. The items with an asterisk will be shown as examples in the slides that follow.

McMurry Online Education Department has the SoftChalk Lesson Software and would be happy to work with you to create lessons using this software.

For Softchalk website: www.softchalk.com

Softchalk Tabbed Info- Example

Softchalk presentation activitiy example

SoftChalk Drag and Drop - Sample

Softchalk scoring activity example

Soft Chalk Hot Spot- Sample

Softchalk scoring activity example

Using Self-Check Exercises to Assess Online Learning

What are self-check exercises, exactly? They are problems (with answers) given to learners that allow them to assess how they are doing on an ongoing basis. Doing them online with self-grading provides immediate feedback. Links to additional materials can be provided to help anyone who is having difficulties. Online learners can do these exercises and submit questions they have, which the instructor can aggregate and respond to for the benefit of all learners.

Studies show that these types of activities help learners keep tabs on their progress and adjust their efforts, know when to seek help, and stay on track. These outcomes are especially important in online courses.

Some of the most important benefits of self-check exercises for online learning include:

• Helping learners determine what they do and do not understand so they can target where extra study is needed.
  


• Providing immediate feedback to learners and an option to link to additional materials (which may reduce the number of unfocused questions sent to the instructor).
  


• Providing feedback to the instructor about where learners are having difficulties so immediate interventions can be implemented.
  


• Increasing learner satisfaction with the instructor and the course.

Conclusion

You have successfully completed the Module 6 Engaging Students lesson module.

Apply the knowledge learned in the lesson module by completing the activities, assignments, discussions, reflections, and/or feedback evaluations located in the Moodle course.