Collaborating Online: Effective Tactics to Motivate Students

1. Collaborating Online: Effective Tactics to Motivate Students Louisa Fordyce, PhD Westmoreland County Community College Presented in Conjunction with the Department of Public Services/Humanities/Social Sciences/English ELT 7008-4

2. This presentation will be posted in two locations: • https://lrfordyce.wikispaces.com/ • WCCC >Blackboard > Resources for Faculty • https://wccc.blackboard.com/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp

3. Why Collaborate? • Necessary life skills • Necessary job skills (Borges, Dias, & Cunha, 2009) • Improve college experience

4. Definitions • Collaborative learning • Learning is active • Constructing rather than acquiring knowledge (Piaget, 1969, cited by Palloff and Pratt, 2005) • Social/Constructivist Context • Constructing meaning from life experiences (Berge and Muilenberg, 2002, cited by Bender, 2003) • Critical thinking, higher level thinking, distributive thinking (Berge and Muilenberg, 2002, cited by Bender, 2003) • Reflective/Transformative Learning • theory • Learning experiences • Revisions • Previously held views and beliefs (Hokyung, 2011)

5. Teaching Online • Establish and create a community of collaboration and learning

6. Community Collaboration (Palloff & Pratt, 2005, pp. 8-9)

7. Student Collaboration • Step 1: Instructor • Involvement • Responsiveness • Collaboration • Step 2: Student • Involvement • Responsiveness • Collaboration

8. Warm Up the Class • Ice Breakers • Students get to know each other • Non-graded if possible • Allow them to have some fun • Watkins, R.  (2005). 75 e-Learning activities: Making online learning interactive.John Wiley & Sons.   ISBN: 0787975850   • Conrad, R., & Donaldson, J. (2004). Engaging the online learner: Activities and resources for creative instruction. Jossey- Bass.   ISBN: 0787966673

9. Additional Resources • Stuttard, E. (2011). Distance learning site. BellaOnline: The Voice of Women. Retrieved from http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art49 953.asp • Virginia Commonwealth University Center for Teaching Excellence. (2009). Online teaching and learning resource guide. Retrieved from http://www.vcu.edu/cte/resources/OTLRG /04_05_Icebreakers.html

10. Caution! • Choose ice breakers carefully • Some used too often • Students become resistant (Doherty & Ketchner, 2009)

11. Collaborative Tools in Blackboard Collaboration Create and manage Virtual Classroom and Chat sessions. Groups Create and manage formal groups of students to collaborate on work. Wikis Create and manage wikis for Courses and Course Groups Blogs Create and manage blogs for Courses and Course Groups. Wimba Pronto Connect with your classmates and teachers on the Pronto instant messaging system.

12. Design Effective Topics • Reflect class concepts • Cover necessary components • Cover the uncommon • Dig beneath the surface • Social constructiveness • Transformative learning • Student resistance • Slackers (Myers, Smith, Eidsness, Bogdan, Zackery, Thompson& Johnson, 2009).

13. Group Projects • Reflect course content • Students must collaborate • Provide additional resources • Group Project Tips for College Students: http://www.suite101.com/content/group- project-tips-for-college-students-a96944 • Gale Cengage Learning: http://www.gale.cengage.com/free_resources/ glossary/

14. Suggested Collaborative Assignments • Discussion questions • Students design • Must establish teams • Group Chats • Meet an Expert • Worth a Thousand Words • Interview an Author

15. Wrap Up • Why collaborate • Necessary life skills • Necessary job skills (Borges, Dias, & Cunha, 2009) • Improve college experience • Goals • Create community • Transformative learning • Methods • Tools in Blackboard • Well-designed activities

16. Thank you!! • Louisa Fordyce, PhD • E-mail: fordlr@wccc.edu • Office: 724-555-1212 • Cell: 724-666-1313

17. References Bender, T. (2003). Discussion-based online teaching to enhance student learning. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing, LLC. Borges, J., Dias, T., & Cunha, J. E. (2009). A new group-formation method for student projects. European Journal of Engineering Education, 34(6), 573-585. doi:10.1080/0304379090320296 Conrad, R., & Donaldson, J. (2004). Engaging the online learner: Activities and resources for creative instruction. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, LLC.

18. Doherty, J. J., & Ketchner, K. (2009). Making connections: Technology and interaction in an honors classroom. Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council, 10(2), 65- 68. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/ehost/detail?vid=5&hid=19&sid=05e89f68- a2d8-47fd-8988- 1b9059ea60d6%40sessionmgr13&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=eh h&AN=45566363

19. Hokyung Paul, K. (2011). Understanding and promoting transformative learning: A guide for educators of adults. Christian Education Journal, 8(1), 202-206. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/ehost/detail?vid=20&hid=8&sid=091da1b5-f31d-4911-aec9-a9905b603e54%40sessionmgr14&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=ehh&AN=60256422

20. Myers, S. A., Smith, N. A., Eidsness, M. A., Bogdan, L. M., Zackery, B. A., Thompson, M. R., & Johnson, A. N. (2009). Dealing with slackers in college classroom work groups. College Student Journal, 43(2), 592-598. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/ehost/detail?sid=f686760b-d6e2-487b-99df08e0a11dedd5%40sessionmgr111&vid=17&hid=110&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3Qt

21. Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2005). Collaborating online: Learning together in community. San Francisco, CA: Josey-Bass. Stuttard, E. (2011). Distance learning site. BellaOnline: The Voice of Women. Retrieved from http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art49 953.asp Virginia Commonwealth University Center for Teaching Excellence. (2009). Online teaching and learning resource guide. Retrieved from http://www.vcu.edu/cte/resources/OTLRG /04_05_Icebreakers.html

22. Watkins, R.  (2005). 75 e-Learning activities: Making online learning interactive. New York, NY:  John Wiley & Sons.