Synchronous learning online.
I don’t agree with everything presented in this mod. I have conducted synchronous chat sessions with more than 20 participants successfully. The chat day and time was determined for each section of the course and the student signed up for the section that was convenient for them. It was fast paced, fun, informative and promoted maximum participation for everyone.
As soon as this same university changed their policy on chat sessions, allowing faculty to set a day and time, student participation dropped off to damn near nothing and this leaning tool was reduced to a useless waste of time. I don’t teach for that school any longer.
Live chats are a waste of time without at least 10 to 15 participants. Otherwise, use discussion boards and email to communication information.
I too have differences of opinion with some of the information that was presented in the module. Different personality types and styles can obviously influence the successful outcome of any given course.
Alexander,
You make great points. My experiences in live chats mirror yours. When there is one or two students, I sometimes feel like I'm conducting a lecture only, with little participation or acknowledgment of the material being discussed. I will pause often to see if there are questions and I will usually only receive "no" responses or "not yet" replies. When I present a topic for discussion or ask students a particular topic-related question, a chat of one or two may produce answers of "I don't know" or sometimes no reply at all.
When my chats contain 5 or more students, the discussion is usually much more robust, with different students almost "competing" to answer the questions or pose new ones.
It reminds me of the opening scene in the movie "Lean on Me" with Morgan Freeman, where he's teaching in an ostensibly affluent school system (which is a topic for another discussion) where students are eagerly answering questions in a game-like fashion. It was energetic and fun!
I certainly respect the fact that some students may feel overwhelmed if placed in an arena where they feel the may not know the answers, but competition is not always a bad thing for others. It can enhance quality in products when different companies compete for the consumer's dollars; I would respectfully submit that it could also enhance the learning potential for "some" students in the online environment.
Desiree,
The audiovisual components of the real-time chat are quickly being adopted by many schools. I teach for one that still uses the text-based chat as their weekly meeting platform. So there are some that think of that as the synchronous session.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I teach at a university that requires students enroll in a course section and meet twice weekly for synchronous classes. In reading the thread it seems like there is an assumption that synchronous online learning is simply about real time chatting. We all have web cam, microphones... So, students can raise their hand and answer questions verbally, come on camera and demonstrate/present, and/or use the real time chat that is running throughout the class. It took a bit of time to learn how to manage the classroom, but with practice, it is working well. I think that we have the best of all worlds.
I do not think I would say that live chats are a waste of time when there are few students. Like many here, the school where I teach requires live sessions each week. A live session with 10 students was about the highest attendance I have ever had. Usually I get a group of three or four who come to each chat.
These can be fun and dynamic. The students come up with questions about the material that I had not considered, and even generate new items for discussion. I have prepared material to review as well as off the cuff discussion.
Since the chats are recorded many students unable to attend can still benefit.
In both synchronous and asynchronous learning. My experience has been that it works best in a face to face learning environment and pretty well in a discussion board. I have not experienced good results in a live chat session. I suspect many students are multitasking during chats and not really paying attention. Sometimes I wonder why they are there at all if they are not ready to engage when called on. Thanks for the input Don.
Donald,
This is a very effective tool when used by a master teacher. Good point.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Personally, I like synchronous learning environments. The advantage of the synchronous learning environment is that I can engage in Socratic dialogues with students. It is almost impossible to use this teaching technique in an asynchronous manner. Besides, most of the professors in law school and in elite schools use the Socratic method. The reason is because it enhances learning, and ensurers that the students develop critical thinking skills.
Alexander,
Thank you for sharing your experience.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
