August 25th, 2010
From Judith McDaniel
I do like teaching hybrid classes. From my perspective, they combine the best of online and face-to-face experiences for my students.
I enjoy meeting and interacting with students in person. Some information is easier to convey in a lecture and powerpoint format when I am there to answer questions, sense what is clear to them and monitor what is not.
Online discussion groups once a week also work well for me and the students. They have three days to read the material associated with the prompt, respond to it, and then agree or disagree with a fellow student.
One day early in the semester, to give them the feel of a discussion, I used our in class time to divide my 20+ students into two groups. I set up a proposition based on the article they had read for that day, assigned one group to “pro” and one to “con,” gave them 10 minutes to confer with the group and then started the debate. Some seemed to enjoy the exercise, a few participated reluctantly, and several said not a word. 
I noticed those students, and when the online discussions began the following week, I monitored them closely, encouraging those who seemed reluctant to advance an opinion. Within a couple of weeks, everyone participated, everyone was advancing and questioning opinions based on evidence from the reading.
At the end of the semester, I did my usual evaluations, online and in person. As we sat in the classroom, the students talked about how much they had learned from the online discussions, how much they had enjoyed learning one another’s opinions. “I wish we could have known one another in class as well,” said one woman. “Yes,” chimed in another. “I never knew who was who in class. I’d like to have put a face to the names in my discussion group.”
Of course. I assumed they all knew one another, they were, after all, all majors in the same department. But this is a large university and for the most part they were strangers to one another in our face-to-face class. The next time I teach this class, that won’t happen. I will make sure we work in groups, match names to faces and opinions. One easy option is to encourage them all to post a photo with their profile on the classlist.
But it has made me wonder. What other dots have I failed to connect between the online and in class portions of this course?
Tags: college students, elearning, hybrid classes, online courses, online learning; benefits of online learning; overcoming fear of speaking
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August 19th, 2010
from Judith McDaniel
- From sage to guide…
I had two online courses that ended last week. In the one for undergraduates, part of their final research project was to post either the blog address (if they chose that option) or to post their research papers on a discussion forum for others to comment. In each case they had to respond to comments from others, since I have been trying to foster intellectual conversations as a form of learning in the courses I design.
I have used this method several times in my online courses, and once again student feedback was positive. “The research project was a great way to wrap up the course,” summarized one student. “I have never had a class where we read each other’s papers before, and it was a great way to learn about a number of topics.”
One student had posted a research paper on the biology of sexual orientation that was quite stimulating to some: “While reading CT’s research paper, I found the research information fascinating that there are at least 1500 animal species that practice homosexuality… I have never heard of the animal kingdom being associated with homosexuality before. Interesting and somewhat surprising at the same time to me.”
Another student made the distinction between same-sex acts and “homosexual animals”: “I would have never known there are an estimated 1500 animal species that practice homosexual acts had I not read your research paper. The animal kingdom does not appear to be susceptible to the stereotyping that humans deal with on a daily basis when homosexuality is concerned. Animals just do what comes to them naturally. What a concept. Maybe humans could learn something from the animal kingdom.”
A similar thread occurred following a paper on the effects of testosterone on body building for men and how much of the desire for a “ripped” body is a product of cultural expectations. Another issue that surprised several readers was a study that demonstrated that when adolescent girls were given estrogen, their “aggressiveness” marks went up in a way that was comparable to boys who were given testosterone.
My graduate seminar also closed last week, and in the evaluations, I was surprised (and chagrinned at my oversight) when one of the students in my M.A. course suggested gently to her professor (me) that it might be fun to read other students final essays. Yes, it would be fun, and an important part of the learning experience. Why did I create a different process for graduates and undergraduates? For some reason, I am still expecting to be the center of feedback and response to what these students learn about their research topics.
I won’t do it again. The ability to learn from others on the same journey is too important.
Tags: guide on the side, sage on the stage, shared learning
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