1 / 15

Strategies to Engage Students in Collaborative Online Learning

Strategies to Engage Students in Collaborative Online Learning. It is all about the Community. Why Collaborate Online.

libba
Download Presentation

Strategies to Engage Students in Collaborative Online Learning

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Strategies to Engage Students in Collaborative Online Learning It is all about the Community

  2. Why Collaborate Online “Collaborative activities can alleviate feelings of isolation by purposefully connecting learners with one another through various learning activities and promoting interdependence” (Palloff & Pratt, 2007, p.159 Collaboration promotes the following skills: • Development of critical thinking skills • Co-creation of knowledge and meaning • Reflection • Transformative learning (Palloff and Pratt, 2005. p.4)

  3. Evidence of Community Instructors will have evidence of an online community when the following indicators are seen (Palloff and Pratt, 2007): 1.) Active interaction involving both course content and personal 2.) Collaborative learning evidenced by comments directed primarily student to student rather than student to instructor 3.) Socially constructed meaning evidenced by agreement or questioning, with the intent to achieve agreement on issues of meaning 4.) Sharing of resources among students 5.) Expressions of support and encouragement exchanged between students, as well as willingness to critically evaluate the work of others (p. 31)

  4. Accomplishing Community Collaboration “The most meaningful learning for students [occurred] when they shared personal experiences related to course content” (Dabbagh and Bannan-Ritland, 2005, p. 86). Collaboration has a direct correlation to an online community, which is essential and dependant on student’s social presence, learner satisfaction, and active interaction in their online courses.

  5. Elements of Community • People: The students, faculty, and staff • Shared Purpose: Coming together sharing information, interests, and resources • Guidelines: Create structure by providing ground rules for interaction and participation • Technology: The vehicle for delivery and a place where everyone can meet • Collaborative Learning: Student-to-student interaction that supports socially constructed meaning and creation of knowledge • Reflective Practice: Promoting transformative learning

  6. Learning is Authentic and Meaningful “One of the most important tenets of e-learning is that it bridges work and learning. While the best classroom experiences bring work into the learning environment, the best e-learning experiences bring learning into the work environment” (Rosenberg, 2011, p. 179).

  7. Challenges in Online Collaboration • Mistrust of information and individuals • Limited Resources to time and information • Class dynamics change with students dropping class or entering late • Lack of group communication, representation and participation • Technical difficulties with hardware, software and LMS • Course design issues or improper activities • Leadership or faculty concerns • Cultural differences and conflict resolution • Expectations set to high

  8. Instructional Strategies and Activities Instructional Strategies and Activities Suggested in Simich-Dudgeon (1999): • Create awareness to promote shared meaning and a supportive learning community • Encourage use of interpersonal involvement strategies such as personal stories, metaphors, and irony • Encourage use of personalized greetings to promote a sense of community

  9. Instructional Strategies and Activities Instructional strategies and activities suggested by Haythornthwaite, Kazmer, Robins and Shoemaker (2000): • Promote initial and sustained bonding through multiple means of communication related to social and work activities • Establish a regular schedule for communication to occur • Provide public and private synchronous interaction • Monitor and support continued interaction • Provide feedback

  10. Instructional Strategies and Activities Instructional strategies and activities suggested byRovai (2001) • Create a community by designing and supporting student interaction and involvement • Build community by encouraging socio-emotional communication as well as educational interactions • Be sensitive to differences and adapt your teaching to facilitate interaction • Consider incorporating a rubric

  11. Instructional Strategies and Activities Instructional strategies and activities suggested byBarab, Thomas and Merrill (2001): • Involve interpersonal issues • Promote sharing of personal experiences through content that is personally meaningful • Design a course that intentionally establishes an online community • Emphasize course climate as well as course content • Consider asynchronous communication methods for promoting reflective thought

  12. Simple Activities You Can Add to Your Online Courses • Synchronous chat via online office hours • Allow students to provide feedback on each other’s work through Track Changes features • Establish personal sharing via Ice Breaker activities • Use Web 2.0 Tools such as Voice Thread, Wikis, and Blogs • Small-group assignments • Simulations • Homework forums • Asynchronous discussion of readings and assignment progress • Shared course and discussion facilitation

  13. One Last Thought Palloff and Pratt (2005) state The more we engage our students in a process of ongoing evaluation of their own performance, the more meaningful the online course will be to them. The more we engage them in working with one another in both collaborative activity and collaborative assessment, the more likely they are to engage in a learning community that will sustain them beyond the end of the course. The more meaningful the course, the more likely it is that they will become empowered and lifelong learners. (p. 53)

  14. References Barab, S.A., Thomas, M.K., & Merrill, H. (2001). Online learning: From information dissemination to fostering collaboration. Journal of Interactive Learning Research, 12(1), 105-143. Dabbagh, N. & Bannan-Ritland, B. (2005). Online learning: Concepts, strategies, and application. Columbus, OH: Pearson. Draves, W. A. (Ed). (2007). Advanced teaching online. River Falls, WI: LERN Books. Maeroff, G. I. (2003). A classroom of one: How online learning is changing our schools and colleges. New York, NY: Palgrave MacMillian. Moallem, M. (2007). Accommodating individual differences in the design of online learning environments: A comparative study.Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 40(2), 217-245. Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2001). Lessons from the cyberspace classroom: The realities of online teaching. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Palloff, R.M., & Pratt, K. (2005). Collaborating online: Learning together in community. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Palloff, R.M., & Pratt, K. (2007). Building online learning communities: Effective strategies for the virtual classroom. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Rosenberg, Marc J. (2001). E-Learning Strategies for Delivering Knowledge in the Digital Age. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Sandars, J. (2006). Twelve tips for effective online discussions in continuing medical education. Medical Teacher, 28(7), 591-593. doi:10.1080/01421590600879455 Watkins, R. (2005). 75 e-learning activities: Making online learning interactive [Kindle Edition]. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.

More Related