Yes, it can be frustrating when students don't follow all the directions and therefore have to get a lower score. I think it is a great idea to explain assignments in more detail in the Live Chat session and I would also think it is a way to encourage students to participate in the Live Chat sessions.
Thanks for your comments Donna.
I give a lot of information in the Live Chat session related to the assignments, while I don't think they should be mandatory, they should be highly encouraged. It is somewhat frightened to note the lack of reading skills or rather comprehension skills in students. Either that or the assignments are written too high. They just don't seem to follow directions no matter what I do.
Thanks for paying devil's advocate Frank! Of course, the big question is what to do about schedules, time zones, etc.
Sixty minutes would provide a great deal of additional information to the student--either synchronous or asynchronous :-) As has been said in other posts, when you require students to attend live chats every week, you are diminishing the perks of taking a class online.
In order to play devil’s advocate – I do believe that at least one synchronous discussion should be mandated. Not all brick and mortar skills need be de-valued. At some point after their education is completed, the student will be required to think quickly on his/her feet, dealing with several challenges at once. Asynchronous discussions do not allow students to perfect this technique. As to what to do about schedules, time zones etc, that is another issue.
My institution requires that instructors hold two live 60 minute chats per week, but student attendance is not mandatory. Therefore, many times I'm the only one there even though I always poll the students to see what time frame would fit them best, and vary the times during the week to give everyone a chance to attend. The chats are recorded, so it does afford me an opportunity to share additional information with the students should they choose to attend or listen to the recording. (So, is it really a synchronous or asyncronous discussion? LOL!)
I don't think that there should be a mandate to attend the Live Chats, but I do believe that students should be required to listen to the recordings if they choose not to attend. I field the same questions through individual emails that have been addressed in the Chats, so students will get a lot more background and more thorough answer by going back to the recording (especially since I have 60 minutes allotted to the topic in the recording!).
Those are some terrific suggestions Jane! Offering the chats on the same day every week is a great technique to get students to remember when the chat is and offering it at different times on the same days is a great way to reach to all of your students. And having a feedback loop imbedded into the PowerPoint slides is a great way to engage your students in the presentation. Thanks for sharing your tips with us Jane!
I have two chat sessions a week; I schedule one in the morning and one in the evening on the same day each week (this block it happens to be Tuesdays.) I do that in order to have a better chance at "capturing" students that work in the morning and those that may work in the evening, and by having them all on the same day I am hoping students will "remember" when the chat is. I don't know if this is the best possible idea but it seems to work for me. One suggestion I do have is...I always include some kind of feedback technique on my slides, such as an offer to email recipes, worksheets, or an article I have written. I never mention it in my chat but have it on the slides. I know who is really paying attention - and who is listening to the recordings - by who sends me and email request for the info. I consider it a way to interact with the students as well as monitor who is "really paying attention."
Due to varying time zone, work schedules, etc. I do not feel that Synchronous Discussions should be mandatory for attendance unless students can pick the time they want the class. However, I feel these sessions should be recorded and students are responsible to review the transcripts before the week ends.
Time zones can be a problem with making chats mandatory, but I also think, as it has been suggested by others in this discussion, that it takes one of the advantages of online learning away--flexibility to complete the work when the student can. Thanks for your comments!
How I wish we could make our chats mandatory. We prepare for them and when only 3-6 people show up (out of 35), it's discouraging for us. But then the chats aren't for us, they're for the students. Considering all the time zones, it would be difficult to find a time that's suitable for everyone, so making them mandatory is not an option.
No. I have no idea where the number came from. It totals ten chats per course. It is very discouraging because so few people attend.
I am sure that is discouraging when students don't participate in your chats after you have prepared for them. However, I do think having 5 or 6 students show up when it is not mandatory is a good sign that students appreciate the chats.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the subject Karen.
Hi All,
I do not think that syncronous discussions should be mandatory. It would be nearly impossible to find times that would accomodate everyon's schedule and it eliminates the ability of a student to work at their own pace. I typically only have five or six students participate in each live chat session, but many more students will send an email asking about topics that we specifically discussed in the chats.Since the chats are not mandatory, many students will not make any efforts to review them. I use their email questions as an opportunity to encourage those students to then review the recorded chats. I am often amazed by the number of students who will review then chats and come back to me and say that it helped clarify the answer for them or that they did not even think to review the chats. I have to admit however, that it can be discouraging at times when a lot of effort on my part was expended for very few students to participate.
Hi Sandra. Do you know the rationale for requiring two chat sessions per week where attendance is not required?
You do present a tough situation, but I think it is a challenge that teachers face in the residential world as well. As a speech teacher, I have faced this challenge often. However, your point is certainly valid. Thanks Christopher.
That is a good idea to poll the students to determine what time/day works best for them--if it is critical to have a live discussion. Thanks Sabina.
As others have observed, requiring participation in synchronous discussions is defeating an important purpose of online education: being able to complete the work on one's own schedule. The logistics of synchronous discussions would be a nightmare, with many students undoubtedly being left out. This would have a seriously negative impact on the learning experience for those students.
At one university where I teach we have to conduct two chat sessions per week. Attendance is not required, so the number of people attending is typically very small. Archives are available, but I doubt that many students take advantage of them. It's really rather discouraging to take the time to prepare for the chats when so few people take advantage of them. When push comes to shove, the chats are all about the people who do show up.
Since the school for whom I teach does not make live chats mandatory, I can hardly grade students on participation.
However, in the old FTF world, I experimented with this method, and it was always problematic. What if you have a brilliant but horribly shy student? Should this student who is producing work that is far above the work of all others be penalized for being an introvert? I don't think so. And yet, as teachers, we want lively discussions in which many people participate.
Tough call.
No, I don't think these should be mandatory. If that were the case, what would the difference between online and showing up in a traditional class (other than being in the comfort of your own home)? the reason many students go to online learning is to accomodate their busy and changing schedules. To make it mandatory defeats that purpose.
