Challenges of Asychronous Learning
I find that many online students (my own students or personal friends in online classes) choose the online learning environment because of the flexibility offered to appease their life situation and/or learning style. However, I have found that a few students seem to find that online learning is the "path of least resistance" in gaining their education. For example, my students normally start the term with very vague or insufficient responses in the discussion form (i.e. "I agree" or "Great Post"). Each week I emphasize that proper discussion constitutes an answer of agreement or disagreement in conjunction with some type of analysis to defend their own position. I provide responses each week that serve as examples of what is expected, and have at times referred students to review certain past posts that resemble what is acceptable. Some students improve, and others remain the same. How do other online instructors handle this type of challenge?
Natasha,
I agree with you. Discussion can be the key to engagement with both students and instructor. The instructor as to set the expectations and model the expectation.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I've taught for several years online and has seen the evolution of discussion requirements and expectations. It has also been one of the main challenges in online learning. It is important to establish discussion requirements and communicate the expectations to students, in the very beginning of the class. In addition to common communication methods (announcements, emails, etc), it can also be accomplished through feedback when students submit their discussion posts. I think the idea of online learning will continue to present the challenge of acceptable discussion posts.
Broderick,
Don't you think the examples work for students? You have to set expectations and hold them to it.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Interesting post Aundrea,
On the first day of classes I send an e-mail about posting in the Discussion. In that e-mail I put examples of what is acceptable and what is no acceptable. I normally state that responses must be at least on paragraph and I emphasize that a paragraph contains more than three sentences.
I would say that 95% of students will have more than 3 sentences in their discussions each unit. However, there are students that will not change their discussion pattern.
Aundrea,
It is interesting that you post this as I had a situation develop this semester in my online course that I hadn't really thought about. I create videos of lecture and powerpoint then students go to the discussion board for "class discussion" I had them find an object scan it and then discuss certain characteristics of the documents as that was the lecture topic. Students thought it was too much work because there were other assignments that were project assignments. I reminded them I would have had them do something similar in a f2f course. they didn't see it that way at all.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
