Posts Tagged ‘asynchronous discussions’
February 26 - Three Ways to Increase the Quality of Students’ Discussion Board Comments
By: Sedef Uzuner and Ruchi Mehta in Asynchronous Learning and Trends
As more and more courses go online, interaction and knowledge building among students rely primarily on asynchronous threaded discussions. For something that is so central to online learning, current research and literature have provided instructors with little support as to how they can facilitate and maintain high-quality conversations among students in these learning environments. This article responds to this need by offering three strategies instructors can use to ensure educationally valuable talk in their online classes.
December 11 - Should You Let Students Lead Discussion Boards?
By: Joan Thormann, PhD. in Asynchronous Learning and Trends
Several years ago, a colleague suggested that having students lead discussions in the online classroom would be a good idea. I agreed and searched the literature for research on this topic but found nothing. No one at that point had been looking at having students moderate, or they hadn’t written about it. I still thought it was a good idea and decided to pursue this line of research by having my students moderate and follow up with an end-of-course student questionnaire.
November 20 - Questioning Styles for More Effective Discussion Boards
By: Rob Kelly in Asynchronous Learning and Trends
Meaningful online discussions that promote learning and build community usually do not happen spontaneously. They require planning, good use of questioning techniques, and incentives for student participation.
November 6 - Tips for Managing Large Online Classes
By: Rob Kelly in Online Education
The following tips from Susan Ko, director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of Maryland University College, will help you maintain course quality and interaction in large online courses:
September 15 - Comparing Reflective Thinking in Synchronous and Asynchronous Learning
By: Rob Kelly in Asynchronous Learning and Trends
Conventional wisdom about synchronous vs. asynchronous communication says that while they both have their places in the online classroom, adult learners prefer asynchronous communication for its flexibility and that asynchronous communication allows more time for reflective thinking. However, a paper presented at the 2004 meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) contradicts these notions.
July 8 - Asynchronous Discussion: The Heart of the Online Course
By: Rob Kelly in Asynchronous Learning and Trends
Asynchronous online discussion plays a key role in humanizing online courses. Asking provocative questions is an important part of getting students to participate in discussions, but the right questions alone are not always enough to create a truly connected class.
