EMBEDDING INTERACTION IN THE ONLINE CLASSROOMDr. Dana K. Whippo

National Economics Teaching Association

November 2015

Objectives • Identify the interactivity and engagement challenges that

characterize online classes

• Introduce 3 strategies designed to address these challenges

• Analyze strategies for successful implementation

• Personalize these strategies with respect to individual classes and teaching styles

Outline • Discussion:

• Our experiences with the online classroom• Identify the challenges we face

• Strategies:• Conferencing• Team projects • Wikis

• Implementation:• Questions?• Successful implementation in the classroom• Impact

• Personalization:• How can you use these to strengthen your classroom?

DISCUSSIONOur experiences with online teaching

The challenges of the online classroom

Some challenges of the online class• Asking questions is of ever-greater importance• Connecting students with resources• Personalizing the class / making it relevant• Generating and maintaining student engagement

STRATEGIESConferences

Team projects

Class-sourced wikis

Conferences (guidelines / question list)

• Syllabus: Individual conferences with Dr. Whippo• 3 times during the semester, during weeks 3, 8, and 14, students will

have either an in-person or a phone meeting with Dr. Whippo to discuss their progress in the class and any questions they have.

• The conference during Week 14 will also review a rough draft of your final essay. You are expected to have a working draft at this point, and to send it to Dr. Whippo prior to your conference so that we can engage in a constructive conversation about the essay.

• Questions:• What questions does the student have that they would like to discuss?• Does the student have questions regarding syllabus / topic / books /

Moodle / assignments / schedule / resources?• Performance to date• Is there anything that the student would find helpful that is not currently

happening?

Team Projects (guidelines)• Elasticity Photo Scavenger Hunt: Several factors affect

elasticity. Your team objective is to find and photograph examples of factors that affect price elasticity of demand, cross-price elasticity of demand, and income elasticity of demand. Then, you will connect each example to the relevant type of demand elasticity.

• Cross Price Elasticity of Demand • Find examples of goods that are substitutes and goods that are

complements.• Take a photograph of the item(s). • Embed the photographs into this document. • Describe how each photo illustrates the concept as it relates to cross

price elasticity of demand.

Cross Price Elasticity of Demand

In example (b) the goods would be compliments because frosting and cakes go with one another.In the case of the cake and frosting, if the price of cake shoots way up, the demand for the frosting will decrease.

Wikis (guidelines)• Moodle Wiki

• For each chapter, we will collectively develop a class Wiki – a class-sourced question and answer discussion board.

• Students will submit at least one question per week to one of the available Wikis; each week there will be at least one discussion available.

• The question must be content-based (rather than administrative, such as checking due dates).

• Submit at least one question you have from ch. 13 here.• If you can answer a colleague's question, please do so.

Dr. Whippo will also be answering questions on the wiki.• Wiki comments close on Saturday, April 25 at 10:00 pm

MT.

Wikis (example from Moodle)• N, thanks for your post.  It made sense and I didn't even get to ask the

question yet, so I appreciate you answering someone else's question as it did make sense when you explained it like that.  Thank you! (W)

• What are some of the things that would cause frictional unemployment? (M)

• M - My understanding is frictional unemployment occurs anytime a job seeker is in between jobs. For example, if a job seeker is fired, laid off, or quit a job without having another job lined up immediately, they would be in the frictional unemployment category. The reason for this is that it takes time to find a new job position. they would have to search for jobs, they would have to apply for jobs, they would have to go through the interview process, they would receive a job offer, they would accept the position, there would be down time between accepting the position and actually starting to this. All of these factors would be included in the frictional unemployment. (R)

IMPLEMENTATIONQuestions?

Successful implementation

Impact

Strategies for Successful Implementation

• Conferences• Clearly specify dates & times

• Availability & closing date

• Have a list of potential questions

• Team Projects• Match schedules & communication preferences• Smaller teams will ease logistics• Break projects into distinct & separable pieces to ease division of

labor

• Wikis• Clear instructions with video example if possible• Clear guidelines • Faculty responsiveness• Maintain feasibility for you

Impact 

Questions Resources Adapting Engagement

Conferences

Private place to ask their questionsQuestions tend to develop naturally through conversation, even when students say they don’t have any

Confirm that students know of available resources & how to utilizeExplain their purpose & how they fit together

Learn about students: interests & experiencesConnect the class to those interests & experiences 

Generates connection with faculty (really want to talk with me comment)Someone real is on the other end of the connectionFoundation for future interactions

Team projects

Connects students to others in the class

Learning from othersCollective knowledge

Share individual experiencesRaises awareness of diversity

Drives paired / team discussionCollaborative problem-solvingDeeper content discussion

Wikis Creates 24-hour space to ask questions

Encourages students to help each other

Identifies common questions or misperceptions

Challenges students to answer as well as askBuilds connection between students Reduces isolation

PERSONALIZATIONHow can you use these ideas to strengthen your online classroom?

In your classes?• Conferencing

• Timing – at what point in the semester?• Topic – what do you want to discuss?• Scope – stand-alone assignment or as part of another?

• Team projects• Audience – professor or partner (other student(s))?

• Class-sourced wikis• Topic – reading, homework assignment, group project, or class

discussion• Student response – ask questions, answer them, list key points,

brainstorm questions for a student-developed exam study guide…