Computer II ITEC 106

Distance Education:Facilitating student

communication

EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN UNIVERSITYFaculty of EducationDepartment of Computer Education and Instructional Technology Teacher Education

OverviewAim:

to demonstrate effective communication with and between distant students

Objectives: introduce some communication methods for

distance education students demonstrate use of an electronic bulletin

board for discussion and assessment

Learning outcome: understand stages of development in e-

moderated discussion use an electronic bulletin board for class

discussion

Communication tools

Asynchronous: Telephone - individual Email – individual or group Print – group Web page - group Electronic Bulletin Boards or Computer Moderated

Conferencing - group Synchronous:

Chat rooms - all participants log on at once

Overcoming isolation

Distance education students often feel very isolated

Overcoming this isolation is a big challenge Good access to a tutor is essential It is most helpful if students can communicate with

each other, building their own learning community

Chat rooms

can be difficult to organise across time zones discussion can lack depth (limited by

keyboard skills) it takes skill by the moderator to plan the

session and control the discussion large groups can be broken up into smaller

groups and sent to other rooms for short sub-discussions

ask them to return and report to the whole group at a particular time

The chat session can be captured & posted to a BB for those who can’t attend

Social chat

Students can also use chat rooms to meet others at pre-arranged times without their tutor for Friendly “café” chat sessions Informal study groups

Requires some leadership by individuals who want to start a study group

Electronic Bulletin Boards

E-moderator (tutor) and individuals contribute at their convenience

Allows more reflective contribution than chat rooms

Contributions are preservedBoards may be multipurpose: social and

study; ORSpecial boards can be set up for

particular tasks or discussion groupsThe e-moderator can set deadlines for

tasks

Model of teaching and learning online (Salmon, 2000. p.25)

Stage 1: access & motivation

Learning about the benefits of computer moderated discussion boards

Learning about the course requirements Setting up and configuring software Navigating to the BB Be prepared to provide help or to direct

participants to a help desk

Stage 2: social introductions

Overcoming shyness and making introductions

Some enjoy being ‘faceless’Others will ‘lurk’ for a while before they

have the courage to contributeIntroducing netiquetteMake sure participants understand the

need to protect their own privacy and respect others’ privacy

Rules for discussion groups

Be courteous: participate responsiblyParticipate actively Write clearlyBuild ideas on what others sayQuestion the opinions of othersActively read and question the text Be credible: back up your statements Stick to the subject

(Based on Shoop, 1999)

Stage 3: information exchange Learning to use the information resources supplied Learning to search & use the Internet Sharing information Helping others with solutions to problems Information overload may become a problem Silence is OK, but be alert for dropouts

Stages 4 & 5: knowledge construction & development

Students interact and respond much more participatively

Students take responsibility for their own learning Introduce new discussion threads Suggest alternative approaches Support each other

E-moderator becomes a participant, not a tutor

Evaluation

Provide opportunities for students to reflect on their own learning and

contribution feedback on the learning experience evaluation of your performance as e-moderator

Reflect and revise your e-moderating strategies

References

Salmon, Gilly. (2000). E-moderating: the key to teaching and learning online. London: Kogan Page. ISBN 0 7494 3110 5

http://oubs.open.ac.uk/e-moderating/

Palloff, Rena M. and Pratt, Keith. (2001).Lessons from the cyberspace classroom:

the realities of online teaching. San Francisco: Jossey Bass. ISBN 0 7879 5519 1

References and Resources

Berge, Z. and Collins, M. Resources for moderators and facilitators online http://www.emoderators.com/moderators.shtml

Handbook for Instructors on the use of electronic class discussions http://www.osu.edu/education/ftad/Publications/elecdisc/pages/home.htm

Shoop, Linda. (2000). Developing interactive competence with student centered discussion. [Draft Manual]

http://home.kiski.net/~dwright/scd/guid.html

Thank you for attention

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