teachIT• Interaction & Learning Unit offers 3-4 workshops on different types of Learning

Activities each semester. • Different themes proposed by the faculty groups. • All workshops will offer an occasion to work with or discuss lecturers' own

courses/supervision according to the theme. A typical workshop consists of:

• Presentation of a pedagogical method/principle/technology• Plenary discussions, exchange of experiences, trial, brainstorm

• The next teachIT workshop is about the use of synchronous online meetings in learning processes. (Skype/Connect/chat inlearnIT). March 4, 2011. At least always a Friday from 13-15.

• You are part of an explorative journey today – first time we try learnIT with participants

Participants list –teachIT –student online discussions

Name Affiliation GroupNina Boulus Assistant Professor Technologies in Practice

Bjarki Valtysson Assistant Professor Digital Cultura and Mobile Communication

Bo Svarre Head of programme

Anette Kreutzberg External lecturer Innovative communication

Claus Brabrand Associate professor Programming, Logic and Semantics

John Gøtze External lecturer E-bussiness

Jesper Larsson Assistant Professor Efficient computation

Louis-Marie Traonouez Post doc Programming, Logic and Semantics

Yvonne Dittrich Associate professor Software development

Yoo Falk Jensen E-learning consultant Interaction & Learning Unit

Annelise Agertoft Pedagogical consultant Interaction & Learning Unit

Module 2 - Introduction to asynchronous online discussions

• Annelise Agertoft• Experience from Master in ICT & Learning• Used in transnational development projects• Books and articles

Literature in English: ”E-tivities” by Gilly Salmon

Strengths of asynchronous online discussions

• Based on principles of social constructivism• Use others contributions to develop own critical thinking• Construct new knowledge together• Possible to reflect longer before answering than in face-to-face

discussions• Flexibility• Even with 100 students everybody speaks• Possibility to evaluate all students• Social reinforcement

• Question: Other strengths of async. online discussions?

Length of discussion period• Always set an exact start and stop time• 2-3 days

– Adequate if you want an intense but maybe not very elaborated discussion

• 1 week– Useful if you want the students to read some larger texts and

integrate those in the discussion. Is also more flexible for students with other activities to take care of.

Protocols• Choose an effective title for your message/post• If you reply to someone and change the subject, change the subject title too• 1 message/post = 1 topic• Never more than ½ page pr. post. Less is more. People don’t have the time to read

all you know about the matter• Place new posts

– in the appropriate module and – in the appropriate discussion and – as a reply (if it’s a reply), – and as a new discussion if it is new

• If your reply is referring to just some part of somebody’s post, then copy and paste their words into the start of your post. And give the post a specific title.

• Question: What else to remember about protocols?

Size of discussion group• The size depends on at least two factors. • Are students supposed to produce something together on the basis

of that discussion? – If yes, then form smaller groups (up to about 5), because they will need in

depth discussions and a lot of interaction.

• Are your students to a have just a broad discussion where many different points of views are requested in short messages? – Discussion groups can be much larger (maybe up to 15). But be aware of

information overload

Netspeak• Don’t use capital letters (that’s shouting)• Acknowledge the others! You are all resources for each other• Tell what your student fellow did well, before you disagree• If you are personally provoked by a post, wait ½ day before answering

• Question: other netspeak issues?

Role of e-moderator 1/2• Take the time to plan• Be very structured and precise about what you expect from your students = high

level of interaction• No discussions will happen just because you set up a forum• Start out by taking on the role as e-moderator. An e-moderator doesn’t act as a

topic expert but more as a process expert. Be very visible in the beginning!• Collaboration and polyphonic discussions between students doesn’t work if the

teacher always enters as the academic expert• When the teacher writes, do it in an informal manner. Make students spend time

on reflection rather than on perfect rhetoric contributions• Now distribute the role as e-moderator to students (maybe distributed in groups)

– and step back

Role of e-moderator 2/2• An e-moderator does not give the right answer to questions and does not critique

discussions that are going on• Sometimes sum up what has been said • Point at interesting directions that the discussions might take subsequently• Ask open questions that call upon reflection• Invite students who have been silent for a while to share their perspective • Tell who might have hidden competences that should be brought into the

discussions• Choose to e-mail (outside the learning environment) students who are taking over

the discussion and ask them to leave some space for those with a slower pace• Delete messages that are over the limit for acceptable conduct• In some e-tivities choose to take on the very active expert role in the discussion.

But then be clear about if from the start!• Choose for each e-tivity if you are the a) expert, b) moderator, c) only evaluator

How to get interaction and genuine collaboration

• Choose an e-tivity that works with one or more intended learning outcomes• Create e-tivities that can only be solved if the students collaborate• Create an activity where they share the same goal and need each other for

solving it• Apply quantitative and/or qualitative evaluation criteria:• Criteria must be announced to students beforehand (can be formulated as mandatory

activity in the course description in the course base)

• Quantitative criteria – Ask students to post so and so many messages, and reply to so and so many

• Qualitative criteria – Ask students to post messages that add new information to the discussion – Posts that sum up previous contributions and point at new directions for the

discussion– Criteria should be based on the intended learning outcome of the activity

Discuss in pairs• How do you perceive the role as moderator/teacher/expert in online

discussions?