Addressing Time Zone and other differences
I am in a situation where I have students in three time zones. Does anyone have suggestions for synchronous discussion or chat sessions that would best include all of the students?
Thank you,
Jennie
Hi Jennie
The more I learn about on line classes, I believe the answer lies in the quality of the discussion, instead of the format of meeting at a specific time. This may allow individual discussion to take place around the same team issue, along with elongated times for responses.
Georgette
Jennie:
The only solution I can think of is to schedule more than one Chat session to accommodate students in the different time zones. One disadvantage in taking this approach is that students may not be able to share the inputs of other students in the other groups. You may be able to compensate for this shortcoming if the Learning Management System you are using to deliver the course allows you to capture the content of all the chat sessions so that you can make them available to all of your students.
I do not encourage the use of Chat sessions to teach course content; especially when students will be tested on the content covered during these Chat sessions.
Scheduling across different time zones, the current problem you are facing is one of the reasons why I discourage the use of chats for teaching critical course content.
Other reasons are:
The fast typists will dominate the Chat session.
Chat sessions are difficult to manage as some students have a tendency to open up new topics for discussion before the existing Discussion Thread has been exhausted.
Evaluating students' contributions to Chat sessions can be a challenge unless your Learning Management System allows you to group together individual student's responses to the discussion forum.
Satrohan
You may consider having 2 different chat times for the students to attend, so that everyone has a chance to participate. Or just have an 6-7pm time for west coast, and 8:30 - 9pm for east coast. I was able to successfully work this out with my east coast students. For those that can not attend, you can have the chat available in the discussion forum it needed.
Jean:
Scheduling Chat sessions to accommodate different time zones is an appropriate strategy to manage Chat sessions.
The Discussion Forum is usually reserved for asynchronous discussions.
Questions for You
How would you transfer students' contributions to Chat sesions into the Discussion Forums?
How will you share the contributions to Chat sessions for one group of students in one time zone with students in another time zone?
How will you cater for students in one time zone to respond to contributions of students in another time zone?
Satrohan
I agree with you Jean, two different times or even three would work out for all time zones. The topic of discussion can also be placed on the forum for those who are unable to participate in the chat. Are these chats virtual and are you able to capture the actual chats?
Sylvia:
Time-shifting of Chat sessions is definitely an option if the Instructor's schedule can accommodate this solution. Supplementing the Chat session by placing the topic in the Discussion forum is also a good recommendation. If at all possible, the contents of all chats should be made available to all students.
Satrohan
Jean,
in having to deal with different time zones for chats can become inconvenient. If the chats are just to energize the topic, getting to know the students or inspire some more discussion about another aspect of the learning experience, then setting up a chat would be helpful. If it is a weekly topic related to the subject matter a discussion forum proves to be the best method because these type of discussions are generally participated in by all the students.
Paula:
I agree with the manner in whcih you have positioned the utility of Chats versus Asynchronous discussion forums. Teaching content using Chats has a few setbacks unless you are addressing a specific topic with one student or a very small group. I believe you can effectively explore content with a single student at a time. When the group is large, fast typists tend to dominate the Chat session. Moreover, it is more difficult to manage students who deviate from the discussion topic. And finally, evaluating individual student contributions can be a time consuming activity.
Satrohan
Hello Jennie,
I have the same problem. I have let them know well enough in advance of the day and time of the chat session and for now it has worked because they are able to set a side that time for the chat sessions. I keep it on that night for the remainder of their classes unless something else comes up. It seems to work really well. Every time the students are there they really enjoy all the other students participation.
Alanna:
Please share with us examples of topics addressed in your Chat sessions. Do the discussion of these topics support the intended learning outcomes?
What percentage of students in your class log on to the chat sessions?
What percentage of the students who log on actively participate in the Chat sessions?
What percentage fo students who actively participate make relevant contributions?
Have you ever had to drop any student form an ongoing Chat?
Satrohan
I agree with some of the others. Try having 2 different chat sessions. If you have access to forums, this might also be another way to post the question and keep the discussion going while saving the responses for other participants to see. Although it is not live, it might be a solution for more detailed questions.
Agree on all counts, Troy. Asynchronous discussions is a better way to explore and share important knowledge than Synchronous Chat sesions. Chat has its benefits if the group is very small. Students can also use the Chat feature for general communication on topics not related to the course content. Chat is an excellent cost-saving way to communicate if long-distance charges are in effect.
Satrohan
A classroom chat session is scheduled once a week (Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. CST) and students are encouraged to attend. I think it is impossible to have a live chat session with all of your students in different time zones that would be convenient to all. This type of scheduled meeting with students works for the class I teach. Students always have the archive to read later to see what subjects were discussed. It's not perfect, but it serves my students' needs.
Robert:
The arrangement you have is the best I know of.
Satrohan
Hi Jennie,
I also have students in many time zones. I organize the classes based on which time the teacher has picked for their Office hours or class time.
I assign students in other countries and timezones to times that the teaches have picked that work for them.
For example, A teacher who picks a late morning PST time (lets' say 11:00 am PST) for their class time gets assinged alot of European students because that puts the class at 8-9 pm their time.
This is very effective.
Cathleen:
Thank you for sharing this experience with us.
Satrohan
Jennie-
I think if seminars are mandated by the institution as part of the course requirements then students should be told upfront when their seminar meets. This way a student can choose which class to take. The same way a residential student chooses his/her class schedule.
If it is not required, then perhaps first find out who is interested and when they are available.
Kathryn
Time zones are always a tricky factor when setting up live chat sessions, it's very important that everyone is aware of when assignments need to be turned in and when chat's sessions are being held. To make sure there's no confusion it's important that instructors have open communication with students in regards to class time zones.
You are absolutely correct Lisa! Making sure everyone is clear on when an assignment is due, including time zone, is very important. That is one of the things you don't need to worry about when teaching residentially but certainly do teaching online.
