Tapping Student Engagement Engage your students to help them learn better Auburn University – College of Agriculture Picture

Agenda Today we’ll cover: Twitter feeds Discussion Boards Wikis Journals/Blogs Increased Learning

Twitter Feeds Uses: Not About Tweeting but about keeping current in the field

Discussion Boards Discussion Boards can help to: Demonstrate and share understanding of key concepts Foster critical thinking Allow for in-depth reflection Facilitate peer review Develop writing skills Build community Discussion boards can open the door to a more rigorous type of class participation that is often not possible on ground.

Discussion Board -Learning Objectives Ask the following questions when creating a discussion thread: What do I want my students to do or learn? What do they need to know to participate effectively? How will I know that they’ve learned? Effective discussion boards are designed with specific learning objectives in mind.

Discussion Board - Clarifying Expectations Be clear about what’s expected: Be specific about length, tone, “netiquette,” deadlines, responding to classmates Consider using a rubric when grading Remind students about resources required for an adequate response While most students are internet savvy, not all are familiar with how academic discussions work in an online context.

Wikis Wikis provide a shared virtual space for students to share and edit ideas. These are skills that students will need in the work world which increasingly involves these skills. Collaboration across time and space

Wikis Students are required to contribute their ideas Students are required to review, comment on and sometimes edit other students comments Provide a place to “store ideas” from a group or an entire class for future reference. Easy to see who contributed what All contributions are recorded and can’t be erased. Engage students because:

Journals, Blogs Reflective thinking and sharing between student and instructor or students and other students

Journals, Blogs Helpful Hints

Engaging Students Start with one that makes sense Get student’s reaction New software is constantly coming online. Not just for fun but for serious learning