Week 3.5- Student Interaction Within an Online Course

This week we had the chance to dive into some resources that discussed some of the nuances in creating a sense of community within your online courses, and discover how closely this sense of community is tied to an instructor’s ability to create meaningful student interactions within the course.

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This week Katia introduced us to one of the more intriguing resources that I’ve come across this year. Michael Welsh is a professor of cultural anthropology and world religions and has created some really high-quality YouTube content about creating and teaching online. As Michael would tell you, I don’t describe his content as the highest of quality in terms of video, audio, or lighting, but more in terms of his structure, and strategies to promote engagement.

He also discusses the importance of good storytelling techniques during your lesson, a underrated tip that I believe is the key contributor to creating engaging content, both in online or traditional classrooms (The explosion of Ted Talks over the last decade can largely be attributed to their presenter’s story telling skills.) how He has a ton of really helpful tips and really made me rethink where to focus my efforts when creating online content.

When it comes to my course prototype, I’ve designed it with the blended model in mind, but it could be easily adapted to be taught online. Even though I find student interaction to take place more naturally in a face-to-face classroom, I’ve attempted to include numerous opportunities for students to collaborate with one another. If my course was to be adapted to be taught online, these may need to increase in frequency, or availability, to make up for some of the interaction that takes place naturally in my classroom. I’d also like to note that many of the strategies or methods listed below are a direct result from the readings, videos, class discussions and blogs that I’ve learned from during this class!

Forms of Interaction

• Small Group Discussion: Students will be placed in small groups in various points of the unit, giving opportunities to brainstorm ideas together, and also present their ideas and receive feedback on their progress. This can be completed in person or in video conferencing breakout rooms.
• Student Question and Answer Forum: Inspired by our Discord community, I’ve created a question and answer page within Canvas to allow students to discuss common questions amongst themselves. I will moderate and contribute on the page, but this may allow students to get quicker feedback to their questions
• Introduction Flip Videos: Students will be asked to create a 30-60 second video introducing themselves to each other. I will also create a video, while also stressing that students don’t need to be concerned with high quality lighting, video, hardware, etc. These videos can also be taken to show off and describe their completed 3D printed projects, directly showing what parts went well and what they had the most trouble with.
• Accessibility Forum: Over the last few years, I’ve done a confidential ‘Learning Needs’ survey with my students, allowing them to disclose any information that may help me teach them better. After reading Megan’s blog, she inspired me to also send this home to parents. It will certainly be interesting to note any differences between the parent and student forms
• Discussion Boards: a place for students to respond to key learning questions after each assignment. Students will be expected to post their thoughts, and comment on others, without a direct required number of responses.
• Announcement Board: A place for the instructor to touch base at the beginning of the course, and also before major assignments. Students will have the ability to reply with questions.

These forms of interaction are nearly all utilized in order to create a sense of community in my course. As mentioned in one of our readings this week “community can be critical to student success and satisfaction in online courses.” (Source) It’s my goal for students to feel just as connected in an online or blended environment as they would in a traditional classroom. This includes the peer engagement, support, and feedback, that I attempt to foster in my face-to-face classes.

Community is more than participation; it requires moving from participation to engagement, involvement, and action.

https://kpcrossacademy.org/k-patricia-cross/

In my experience, the more students feel comfortable participating in class, the more then contribute to the sense of community in the classroom, and the more success and enjoyment the class experiences as a whole. I have no reason not to expect that these ideals would transfer to the online environment, even if the execution looks differently.  

Finally, we were also asked to look into our assignment guidelines or assessment practices, and how they could support meaningful, relevant, supportive and engaging interactions. Currently, my thoughts include using rubrics for descriptive expectations. I would also model positive interactions, being present on the interaction tools myself. Furthermore, as I remind myself of the age (grade 9) and the expected little amount of experience with this type of assessment, I’d like to design these interactions with a gradual release of responsibility. This would result in me modeling interactions more frequently at the beginning of the semester, while having lower-level expectations. As the semester progresses, I would model less, while increasing my expectations. It’s my thought that as students become more comfortable, the quality and frequency of responses would also increase.

What are your thoughts on interactions in an online space (specifically regarding assessment?) As mentioned, I believe building community is crucial, but we must be cognizant that we are creating a meaningful, authentic community, that will truly improve the learning experiences in our classrooms.