"Discussion Board" gradings

I would like to suggest you incorporate that information into a journal article, so it can be made widely available. It sounds like an excellent piece of work!

 

I will say that as much as I love AMU, some of the classes have had great discussion posts and some I find are a bit useless. One of the better classes in regards to posts, the professor required us to post an initial response to a question by Thursday and out followups by Sunday. That at least gave people time to respond. In one of my current classes, we just have to post everything by Sunday. There have have been Sundays where I posted in the morning and was straining to find some other posts to make worthwhile comments on because the majority of students hadn't made their first post yet.

In addition, I lost a few points on two of my weekly posts because I analyzed and interjected my own thoughts on the question. What the professor really wanted, however, was for me to just answer the question which was already clearly answered in the assigned reading. I figured that because what he was asking was clearly answered in there, he must want more than just that. Nope. In the end, I sort of do like the discussion posts as it's easy to figure out the professor and what he wants and then give them exactly that for a really good grade, especially since the posts usually make up half my grade.

 

""legitimize" the delivery system" vs traditional classroom experience

Kaz, thanks so much for this post. My day job is distance learning administration at a tier 1 research university and I wish more people recognized this! It's so difficult to get the old-guard deans and chairs behind self-paced or continuing education because of the perceived distinction between this and the classroom experience. Then at the same time, we have a push to use more videoed lectures and more discussion boards -- even though those are basically the two worst parts of lecture courses!

I think that we'll see a model in the future of truly blended learning, where students who do meet synchronously (online or in b&m classroom) actually get to do something other than have the textbook regurgitated to them via powerpoint or have inane discussions with unprepared peers. Students could even use the LMS to take quizzes about the reading assignment BEFORE class - now there's a shocker.

 

This is just my experience, so take it for what it is worth.

But in the humanities, and in law, the very best brick-and-mortar classes I have ever had involved vigorous discussion via the Socratic method. Lectures bore the cr@p out of me.

I've not taken a great many DL classes, but the discussion boards that were conducted in a Socratic method style were lively and thought-provoking, causing at least some of us to re-visit our concepts about the material.

A well-done discussion board is, I think, key to a well-done DL class in anything but a course where memorization and test-regurgitation is expected.

Just my 2 Cents.

 

Most of the learning in my classes takes place on the discussion boards. I required a "mini-essay" for the posting addressing the prompt for each week. The posting needs to be educated opinion on a controversial issue from the concepts in the weekly readings. Every opinion must be supported by facts researched beyond just the textbook.

Students learn to communicate via text, conduct research, and think both critically and creatively. In a class of 25-30 students, I have only maybe 5% who just meet the minimum requirements. In large classes, I group students for these discussions. Often I put up several issues to discuss and they self-group by interest.

The requirements beyond the posting (which is due mid-week) are a minimum of two responses on each of three days every week.

Another rule is that I do not ask rhetorical questions in the discussions. I post extra resources, questions, etc. and students must address no fewer than two of my postings each week.

I also use a detailed rubric and there is no question whatsoever that every student who follows the rubric can earn full points for participation and content of their work.

I have a special place in every online course where I provide the requirements, grading rubric, and examples of exemplary, average, and poor postings, responses, and other contributions.

You know what? It works. Students interact a LOT in my classes and they debate, argue, and take the issues further than they ever would in a traditional classroom. And they apply these concepts to real life situations (work or personal) as they discuss and prove their points.

I enjoy reading the discussions and at some point in every week, I respond at least once to each individual student as well as "egg them on" with questions for which there are no right answers.

 

I treat discussion boards like getting extra credit in high school. It's a BS easy A for most students, unless they royally botch it.