Chaired panel

Elisabeth Skinner

Engaging Students in Online Discussion - or Not?

University of Gloucestershire

The Problem

• Poor levels of participation in online discussion

– despite assessment– despite discussion of benefits– despite skills workshops

The Student Experience• 25 students Level 1, Semester 1,

studying heritage, environmental, landscape and community management

• Assessed online discussion with ten tasks in five sessions based on Salmon’s 5-stage model over eight weeks with five deadlines

• Skills audit, skills workshops, monitoring performance, reflective activity, interviews

Being Late

• 16% never late, 16% always late

• 72% late for activities 2, 3 and 4

• 40% very late for activity 2

• 24% very late for activity 3

• 60% very late for activity 4

The Literature

• Community development

– the creative development of people

– social inclusion

– empowering people

• Teaching and learning

– personal development

– knowledge construction in learning communities

– engaging with the curriculum

Benefits of Participation

• Capacity building

– skills and confidence to tackle individual and collective challenges

– changing power structures

• Through participation not before

– ‘benefits are somewhat intangible and it is likely that people will be unaware of these benefits until they take part’ (Dalziel 2007:26)

Outsiders

• ‘The squandering of a considerable resource’ of social and human capital (Moseley 2003:90)

• People may appear apathetic but community development work can find ‘the vigour, initiative and skills which in fact exist in them’ (Henderson and Thomas 2002:106)

Barriers to Participation

• Community spaces are dominated by strong insiders.

• Those in power prefer the strong insiders.

• Outsiders find insiders daunting.

• Outsiders are beset by a plethora of fears.

• Outsiders find that community spaces can be inhospitable places.

Choosing to Participate

• Variety of personal interests and needs (not a homogeneous mass)– issues that are important to

them

– feeling strongly about outcomes

– wanting to influence outcomes

Encouragingparticipation• ‘Simply encouraging more

people to participate seems a somewhat forlorn hope’ (Skidmore et al 2006:xi)

• Reach out into a space where the outsiders feel safe and comfortable

• Make personal contact using the right language

Motivation

• ‘Minimal motivation’ and ‘motivation nil’

• ‘I really had no clue about management and its principles.’

• ‘When I found out that many of the tasks involved applying management principles to heritage my motivation improved.’

Understanding of Learning• Learning as personal

development provides motivation or determination to participate.

• Learning as the acquisition of knowledge does not provide motivation or determination and therefore hinders participation.

Re-designing the activity• Connect with the students’ emotional

interest in their subject from the start

• Retain skills audit and workshops as opportunities for personal connection

• Give time and space for reflection on motivation at the start as well as at the end

• Retain personal support and feedback from both students and teacher

Final Thoughts

• As teachers can we ignore the students who fail to participate?

• Do we have the resources and know-how to reach out to students, make personal contact and respond to their diversity?

References• BARNETT, R. and COATE, K., 2004. Engaging the Curriculum in Higher

Education. Maidenhead: Open University Press.

• DALZIEL, D., HEWITT, E. and EVANS, L., 2007. Motivations and Barriers to Citizen Governance. London: Department of Communities and Local Government.

• ENTWISTLE, N., 2003. Occasional report 3: Concepts and conceptual frameworks underpinning the ETL Project. Edinburgh: ETL Project

• HENDERSON, P., and THOMAS, D.N., 2002 3rd ed. Skills in Neighbourhood Work. London: Routledge.

• JISC, undated. Understanding my Learning: Background and rationale. www.jisc.ac.uk/uploaded_documents/understanding_mylearning.doc [accessed 27.11.06]

• MOON, J., 2004. A Handbook of Reflective and Experiential Learning. London: Routledge Falmer.

• MOSELEY, M., 2003. Rural Development: Principles and Practice. London: Sage

• SALMON, G., 2000. E-moderating: the key to teaching and learning online. London: Kogan Page.

• SKIDMORE, P., BOUND, K. and LOWNSBOROUGH, H., 2006. Community participation: Who benefits? York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation.