Participation should be one of the measurements for an online course. Personally, I prefer an online class because I have time to think about and formulate my ideas.
As facilitators we can encourage participation and ask questions of the students on their projects and responses to the discussion questions. I have found that if the requirements are clear, students want to meet them. Of course, there are the small few who don't want to commit the time, and ultimately, that is their choice.
Charlotte:
Key point you have made is the opportunity to "think and formulate your ideas".
On another note, regardless of the delivery, we have to expect some degree ofnon-participants or participants at a lower than expected level.
Satrohan
Satrohan,
Whether it be an online course or an on ground course, students make a decision about their level of engagement. Explaining the requirements of the course to students can help increase their level of participation. Ultimately, it's up to them to determine what they want to get out of each course and their degree program.
Agreed, Charlotte.
Satrohan
On-the-ground classes have their own concerns with encouraging students to participate and I can see the same issues with on line chats. We are dealing with different cultures and with some of those cultures (Asian, Phillipines, etc) there is a belief that the instructor is the one in authority and questioning what they say is not always acceptable. This can be difficult in getting discussions going at times. They have not necessarily learnt to think, just to accept. It takes time to work with a student in class on becoming an active participant. I am not sure how easy it would be online in a chat room. So participation marks would be affected if they were counted.
Suzanne:
Personally, I would not use Chat sessions to teach course content. I may use a Chat session to provide personalized help to a student; but for all of the reasons cited in this course, I will not use Chat sessions to "teach". So in my situation, no student, regardless of cultural folkways or mores will be affected as they will not be questioning anything I teach.
I come from a culture where teachers did not encourage or tolerate questioning their teachings. In my days, that could lead to a taste of the belt or the whip or the cane. Like many others, we learned to abide. Of course, no points were awardd for class participation up until the completion of secondary education.
Satrohan
I've read quite a number of postings that suggest that it would be a good idea to grade the students participation in on-line discussions. Agreed - but on what basis?
It seems to me that the student should be acknowledged for his/her participation - so long as their effort is more than, "I agree." If they have made any effort whatsoever to add to the dialog, I think the student should recieve the number of "points" allowed for participation. Trying to "weight" the quality of their participation can only lead to great difficulties.
Carl:
It may not be as difficult as it seems. When Instructors post Discussion questions, they should have a good idea of the nature of responses they would consider to be satisfactory; so there is a set of criteria on the basis of which to judge "satisfactory" participation. The same set of criteria can be used to create a Rubric on the basis of which participation in the Discussion forum can be graded.
Satrohan
Participation should absolutely be part of the online grade. Just as it is part of the ground course.
I agree! The trick then becomes how you assess the participation. Is it binary (all or nothing), or do you use some type of scoring guide or rubric? This is a good question to think about as you move forward.
Thanks - Jon
And the Tin Man wanted a heart, and a better heart than yours he would never find. Not only do you increase student participation, you promote self-esteem, illustrate by example what your expectations are, and provide a supportive environment for the sharing of ideas and knowledge.
Every star is given a chance to shine.
Great thoughts - thanks! - Jon
I really appreciated Nieva's encouragement with the added ability of students to use the asynchronous option, as well, that you suggest Anthony. I've had a few students, especially those learning English, who are quite capable of conversing verbally in a discussion, but their keyboarding skills are rudimentary. This slows them down and makes them unsure of themselves, reducing their participation. By allowing some asynchronous work, they have time to type and correct their work before submitting it.
If the students understand the course content and follow the reading assignment properly they will participate very well in the assignment. Get the students engaged in the course, they will do very well. Clear their confusions fby explaining the assignment for them.The assignment must be reasonable and to the poin if the class content
