BOOK: AOD Foundations
This book will provide an overview of some of the background and considerations in designing and facilitating an AOD. It's full of resources and examples to inspire your thinking.
10. Quality in AOD
We begin with chapter with an optional video [7 min] where diverse educators who use AOD discuss some of the strategies that they used that stimulated effective and engaging conversations.
Setting up an AOD for Best Results
Here we provide a list of strategies and methods that help improve the quality of online learning discussions.
Make the Discussion Post Directions Clear and Concise. For example, specify the minimum words or referencing required, and clearly state the due date. Create a high quality discussion question that requires learners use critical thinking to integrate course concepts in place of just listing out answers they can copy online.
Make the Value Clear. Explain at the start of the course the reason and value of the discussions, and outline the discussion methods you will use. If learners perceive the value they will make them a priority.
Make it Worth Something. If it is not graded, learners are not likely to give it enough attention. Discussion can be an important and integral part of learning and writing practice. Make both the initial posts and participation through replies an adequate percent of the total grade. Experts in the field recommend that discussion participation should equal anywhere from 10-30% of the entire grade if students are to take them seriously.
Clearly State Participation Requirements. Many instructors will specify the minimum number of replies each student should make, how many days a week posts and replies should be made on (to show attendance), and the level of quality the reply content should have (meaning replies of just ’I agree’ and nothing more are not counted as participation). It is very useful to give learners examples of what a high quality reply should look like. Giving students a grading rubric that outlines what is expected and how they will be graded allows them to meet the instructor’s expectations.
Promote Interactive Feedback: The instructor should outline that substantive feedback is required for participation points (e.g., replies such as ’I Agree’ and nothing more will not constitute a part of graded participation). Note that not all replies will be substantive, and sometimes all we need to say is “Great job, I agree.” Don’t discourage this kind of positive support, just inform students that they must also have a minimum number of substantive replies as well. Giving students examples of what substantive feedback looks like can help them interact at the discussions in an advanced way. Substantive feedback usually includes one or more of the following elements:
- Asking questions about the original post
- Pointing out (respectfully) possible errors in the original post, and offering up a source of information on the topic for further discussion
- Sharing of links, videos, and other online resources on the topic to expand further discussion
- Sharing of personal experiences relevant to the topic
- Respectfully disagreeing, and then sharing an alternative viewpoint
- Using reliable support, facts, and information to support arguments and points
Create a Permanent Discussion Schedule. An instructor
can schedule regular and consistent start and end dates of discussions
to keep learners on track (e.g., first post due every Tuesday at noon, and 2 responses to peers due by Thursday at noon). Setting early due dates on the posts allows learners enough time to reply before the end of the discussions. Making
the discussion schedule a permanent part of the syllabus allows students
to plan their time effectively.
Lead by Example. If you expect students to make posts and replies at least three days of the week, so should the professor as the model. The instructor’s posts should be high quality, referenced, and academic, thus becoming a guide of what is expected.
Example: Always make the initial discussion post due on Tuesdays by midnight and the replies due on three days of the week, the final ones in by Sunday night. These permanent due dates week after week help to keep the students organized and able to meet the deadlines.
Alleviate Isolation and Distance. In blended or
online learning, learners may feel less socially connected to the
instructor and course. Be sure to maintain instructor presence and facilitate interaction between learners in the discussion to mitigate this feeling.
Encourage Dialogues. Avoid dominating the conversation or telling students ’how it is’ and instead guide learning in appropriate directions (see the facilitation chapter). Manage dominate students so that timid ones feel they have the space to share.
Appropriate Group Size. Research shows that groups of less than eight people will probably stagnate from lack of interaction, but so too will groups over 15 people as participants feel overwhelmed by the number of posts in the forum. If the course numbers allow it, then create smaller discussion groups of 10-15 people. A good tactic is to then employ the ’Cross-pollination’ method discussed in the next chapter.
Mid and End of discussion Summaries. Halfway through
a discussion post a review of general conclusions being made by
students, as well as to clarify any misconceptions and to keep students
on track. Post an end-of-discussion summary to wrap up all of the main
points and to make important conclusions the students may not have yet
realized. Alternatively, if you have frequent discussion forums in your course, consider assigning the task of reading and summarizing the week's discussion to a student as an assignment. This will allow them to read the discussion in depth and practice extracting the main take aways.
Align Discussions with Learning Outcomes. Design the discussion questions such that they relate directly back to the course learning outcomes. This way the students are spending their limited time on focused and useful discussions relevant to course learning goals.
AOD with English Language Learners
In cases where a large majority or most of the students in the course
are English Language Learners, the instructor may need to spend a bit more time
supporting students in the discussions, or offering summaries of new
words and expressions learned via email after the discussions.
The instructor can do pre-discussion work with learners to prepare them for the discussion language needs in advance, such as with a vocabulary exercise, activity, or tutorial on the required vocabulary and expressions that will be required in the upcoming discussions. These tutorials, help sheets, and vocabulary lists can also be posted online in the discussions or learning management system (LMS) where the discussions will take place, allowing for a quick review by students when necessary. Finally, create a glossary of terms in the course, which will be essential so that students can refer often to it when unsure of the language used in the forums.
Reflection
Review the strategies in this section. Which would best support student learning? How? Which are best suited to your discipline or teaching style?