Tips for lecturers using communication tools: discussion boards & chat rooms Marga Navarrete August 2007

Introduction Two of the main types of discussion that are used in online learning are: –Discussion boards –Chatrooms The distinction between the two is the time between the interaction. –Discussion boards allow participants to participate in asynchronous online conversations. Participants can respond and post messages at any time. –Chatroom participants post and are responded to in real time. This is a synchronous communication.

Discussion Boards

Discussion board: example A thread is a message with all its responses There is a topic folder per week and participants send their compulsory tasks into this folder This is an example using WebCT from the Online Training Tutor Course (OTTC) Threads can be compiled into a single document for easier reading or printing

Optimal group size Typically online learning groups for discussion boards have between participants, however this depends on how “active” the discussion board is. The number of posts per participant and for the group as a whole is a good measure of activity. The more activity within the group, the smaller the size should be. If there’s too much activity on a discussion board the thread of conversations get lost and they become diluted. If groups are too active during a course they could be sub-divided. If the group isn’t active enough there is no sense of community or engagement and here you might want to increase its size.

Attendance In a weekly topic based discussion board a tutor may set a minimum of 3 postings per participant (this could be the minimum attendance criteria) –An individual task for each participant –A response to another participants posting –A reflective diary Therefore, if a group has 15 participants, you should expect a minimum of 45 posts per week.

Setting up the discussion board Try to find out as much as possible from your students before you create their discussion board. When starting an online course, the first task should be providing personal or professional information and linking this to the students course expectations. Sending photos and personal details are an ideal way for the participants to get to know each other and it adds a more personal insight to the course.

Task design principles Aim for analysis, reflection or problem solving. Design tasks based on personal opinion and/or experience. Avoid asking yes/no questions or questions based on factual answers. Create tasks that encourage students to engage with other students. Tasks should require connections to be drawn between past, present and even future course material.

Task checklist Make sure that you design tasks that combine different ways of responding to a topic question: –Summaries of articles (not everyone needs to read the same article!) –Discussion on an specific topic, article etc –Reviews –Finding specific information –Researching

Individual versus group tasks Individual tasks are set by the lecturer and should be different for each participant. –They are a good way of covering the content on a particular unit. Group tasks are set by the lecturer for a group to complete collaboratively, for example designing a unit for a course. –These work well when the participants have more confidence and they are used to interacting with each other.

Designing individual tasks Give each student the task that suits them best according to the information you have previously obtained from them. Design different tasks for each student or at least a different angle to each topic question. At least one of the tasks should be a summary of the discussions of an specific topic folder. This will help the tutor to provide general feedback for that weekly/fortnight/monthly topic discussion.

Designing group tasks Discussion board tasks often build up the number of participants in a group as the course progresses. Start by setting tasks for individuals, then small groups and end up with larger group size tasks. This builds the confidence of participants and gives positive dynamics to the whole group. When working in groups, participants should be grouped taking into account their course expectations, skills, backgrounds etc. Encourage group members to organise independent communication either online or f2f to discuss their tasks.

Discussion board best practice When sending a message go to the point and ask participants to do the same. Give clear instructions for the completion of the tasks. Encourage your students to use the “compile function” when reading many messages at once (available in most discussion boards). It also allows you to print messages easily. Teach participants how to respond with “quote” by saving the relevant text from the message they’re responding to.

Chatrooms

Overview A chatroom is an area where people communicate with each other by sending text messages in real-time.

Group dynamics Problem: –Arranging chatroom meetings: people’s calendars & time zones. Solution: –Small group size (6 people is a good upper limit) for this meeting. –Organise groups by time zones.

Setting up Chatroom sessions shouldn’t take more than 45 minutes, so they need to be well structured and planned in advance. They should be about discussing topics that students have prepared in advance, not about presenting content (e.g. students could discuss problems they have encountered in the previous unit or when working on a group task) Give participants tasks to prepare before the meeting.

Chat Principles Act as a moderator (or appoint someone to do this job) giving turns to people. Avoid ambiguity. Be very precise about what you are trying to convey. Go to the point and ask your students to do the same thing. Keep your messages short: the chat will be more dynamic. Avoid situations in which participants dominate discussions.

Chatroom checklist Send your students a plan for the session in advance. Arrive at your meeting ten minutes before it starts, so students don’t leave the session thinking that there was nobody there. Use a platform that is stable and that everyone is familiar with. Encourage your students to arrange meetings between themselves in the chatroom to discuss their group tasks.

Appendix: online slang and acronyms Be familial with basic slang and acronyms for online communication. Some examples: AFK: Away From the Keyboard BAK: Back At Keyboard (I'm back) BBL: Be Back Later BBS: Be Back Soon BFN: Bye For Now BRB: Be Right Back BTW: By The Way CUOL:See You On Line FYI: For Your Information GFN: Gone For Now H&K: Hugs and Kisses IDK: I Don't Know IMO: In My Opinion NP: No Problem YW: You're Welcome For more information: