CREATING ONLINE COMMUNITY The best online courses have

CREATING ONLINE COMMUNITY

The best online courses have a personality, create genuine relationships, and ask hard intellectual questions. * *Jesse Stommel, An Urgency of Teachers: the Work of Critical Digital Pedagogy, 63.

THIS MODULE EXPLORES HOW TO: 1. Humanize the online experience 2. Create an introductory video 3. Manage effective discussions 4. Foster student collaboration

1. HUMANIZE THE ONLINE EXPERIENCE

• Humanizing an online course means making connections so that students feel a relationship to the course, fellow students, and the instructor. • The following slides detail four suggestions for how to humanize your course.

A. CREATE AN INVITING SPACE • Your home page is the first thing your students see. What impression does it make? Does it prominently feature a list of tasks? Or is it an inviting space that encourages and intrigues students?

B. INCLUDE YOURSELF IN ICEBREAKER ACTIVITIES • Many times, instructors leave themselves out of the icebreaker activity, as if they are not part of the class. If you were, for example asking each student to address 3 questions, answer them too, like “Here’s how I would answer it …” Your students will not only understand the prompt fully, but they also get to know something about you.

C. PERSONALIZE THE DISCUSSION FORUM • For every new discussion forum topic, set it up the way you would in a face-toface class. You would never (I hope) just walk into a room and demand students reply to a prompt. You would set up a scenario, perhaps give some background, and then hit them with the prompt. An online course should be the same.

D. PROVIDE WAYS FOR STUDENTS TO MAKE THE COURSE THEIR OWN Let students take ownership of the course by 1. Giving them a choice between discussion topics in which to participate. 2. Asking them to create content used in the course. a) Perhaps students find relevant websites to share with the entire class. b) Or, have students contribute to a Power. Point on a complex issue. Each student contributes 5 slides to the presentation. Instead of the traditional research paper, students can include a variety of media in addition to their writing.

2. CREATE AN INTRODUCTORY VIDEO

FIRST IMPRESSIONS How do you usually introduce yourself on the first day of class? • Do you just launch into the syllabus or do you chat with your students, demonstrating that dialogue is a key part of the class? • Do you lead a short “icebreaker” activity so that you all can get to know each other? What does this look like in a virtual classroom?

CREATE A WELCOME VIDEO • Consider creating a video that takes your students on a tour of your course. Watch how Michelle Pacansky-Brock** gives her students a tour of her course, explaining where to find the syllabus, grades, and overall what to expect: • https: //www. bing. com/videos/search? q=michelle+pacanskybrock&&view=detail&mid=BB 13 C 73993 A 47 B 89 C 64 B&&FORM=VDR VRV **No, I did not choose this video because she is an art historian… • The next 3 slides detail key points to include in your video.

THINGS TO INCLUDE IN YOUR WELCOME VIDEO A. Directions on Navigating Your Online Course • Guide your students through the key elements of your course, including important tools such as the gradebook, instructor contact information, the course syllabus, supplementary materials, assignment uploading tools, and where to go for technical assistance.

THINGS TO INCLUDE IN YOUR WELCOME VIDEO B. Weekly Communication Expectations • Describe the weekly patterns that students should follow to be successful in your course—for example, “Each Monday, you will receive the recorded lecture and quiz. Each Wednesday, you should participate in the online discussion. Every other Friday, you should submit your reflection paper. ” Let students know where in the course they can find the weekly schedule.

THINGS TO INCLUDE IN YOUR WELCOME VIDEO C. Preparing for Online Learning • Since some students may have little experience with online courses, provide a list of proven suggestions, such as creating a plan that includes a weekly schedule of where to work, when to work, and the tools and technology students will need.

THINGS TO INCLUDE IN YOUR WELCOME VIDEO D. Direct students to a Q&A Forum • Create a question-and-answer forum in which students can post general questions about the course and assignments. If you think it would be helpful, you can also create a social forum for students to connect with one another; however, you may want to monitor the Q&A forum to ensure that correct information is being shared and to address any unanswered questions. Here are some great guidelines: • https: //acue. org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Section-1_PG 2_QA-and-Social. Forums_CFIN. pdf

3. MANAGE EFFECTIVE DISCUSSIONS

Community and dialogue shouldn’t be an accident or by-product of a course. They should be the course. You can’t just stick people into a room and expect them to talk. The same is true for online space. We must create platforms that both actively facilitate and passively encourage interaction. Then, we work to model constructive interaction. * *Jesse Stommel, An Urgency of Teachers: the Work of Critical Digital Pedagogy, 63.

FACILITATING EFFECTIVE DISCUSSIONS: DISCUSSION RUBRICS • Want your students to get the most out of discussions? Set clear expectations for their participation. You can do this with a “discussion forum rubric. ” Students should see your rubric in advance, so they understand what quality discussion entails. Here is an example: • https: //acue. org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Section-4_PG 1_Discussion. Rubrics_CFIN. pdf

FACILITATING EFFECTIVE DISCUSSIONS: SELF-REFLECTION RUBRICS • Additionally, ask students to reflect on their own participation with a “self-reflection rubric. ” This should be aligned to your “discussion forum rubric. ” Here is an example: • https: //acue. org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Section-4_PG 2_Discussion. Self. Grading_CFIN. pdf

FACILITATING EFFECTIVE DISCUSSIONS: STRATEGIC FEEDBACK • To ensure quality discussions are taking place, provide strategic feedback. Yes, there is such thing as too much, so here are some useful tips on being strategic with your feedback: • https: //acue. org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Section-4_PG 3_Strategic. Feedback_CFIN. pdf Warning! Beware of the “ping-pong effect”! What’s that? So glad you asked… [go to next slide].

NO PING PONG! • When trying to build online community, try to avoid the ping-pong ball effect, whereby the teacher responds to every (or nearly every) comment made by students with immediate correction or affirmation. This very quickly reinforces a hierarchy in which students are constantly looking to the teacher for approval. Model thoughtful engagement and responsiveness with several well-placed comments/questions and leave space for the learners to follow suit. • Again, I encourage you to see the “strategic feedback” tips in the previous slide.

4. FOSTER STUDENT COLLABORATION

Assigning “participation points” does not an online community make. Assignments should encourage team members to work together. Open communication is key. Additionally,

A. Consider the learning process itself as part of assessment. A portion of the grade for the finished project should include points for the quality of discussion, engagement, and adherence to group norms. Assessing the process itself provides motivation for students to learn to work with each other and it demonstrates that you value meaningful group interactions and adhering to norms. B. Consider varying your strategies. In other words, design different types of collaborative work to reach all types of learners. The next 2 slides describe my favorites…

JIGSAW STRATEGY The jigsaw strategy involves separating an assignment into subtasks, where individuals research their assigned area. Students with the same topic from different groups then meet up to discuss ideas between groups. This type of collaboration allows students to become “experts” in their assigned topic. Students then return to their primary group to educate others. This video can explain it better: • https: //www. cultofpedagogy. com/jigsaw-teaching-strategy/

CRITICAL THINKING WITH IMAGES • What it is: students work in groups to answer questions. Responses should be part text, part image. Google. Docs are already embedded in Canvas. When you are creating an Assignment, you will see amongst the “rich content” options. • Watch this video: https: //youtu. be/Utpd. Ob. VPe. SQ • Advantages: • Diverse responses • Even in large classes, ALL participate • Adding the image component is both fun and engages in critical thinking • Less lecturing

ADDITIONAL TIPS

FREQUENT COMMUNICATION IS CRUCIAL • How will you primarily communicate with your students? email? Blackboard / Canvas notifications? • How soon can students expect a reply? Students will have many questions, especially in the beginning, so try to figure out how you want to manage that. • Make sure students know when new material is posted: If you post new materials in Canvas, be sure to let students know what you posted and where. They can change their Canvas notification preferences to alert them when new materials are posted. Refer them to How do I set my Canvas notification preferences as a student?

SCHEDULE PRESENTATIONS OR “OFFICE HOUR” APPOINTMENTS • “How to Create a Sign-up Sheet in Canvas using Scheduler” [6: 56]: https: //youtu. be/dt 8 ULKzn. Tj 4

MUDDIEST POINT • What points need further clarification? • What would you like to learn more about from this section? • Email rweller@csub. edu