THE USE OF DISCUSSION TOOLS IN WEBCT TO SUPPORT COLLABORATIVE LEARNING

1. THE USE OF DISCUSSION TOOLS IN WEBCT TO SUPPORT COLLABORATIVE LEARNING Dr. Emma Clayes Perth College, UHI

2. OUTLINE • Introduction • Virtual learning environments (VLE’s) • Webct: main features of discussion tools • Set-up and use of discussion tools: tutor as facilitator • Observations • Results: Number of discussion activities by group and overall module results • Summary

3. Introduction • PhD Research- Multi-mediating Groups (MMG), the effects of multi-mediating technologies on group communication • UHI teaching: module leader for two on-line modules part of BA Social Science and BA Child and Youth Studies Degrees • Experience of on-line and face to face teaching. • What are the effects of on-line learning and how do we support students at a distance to encourage collaborative learning? • Challenge of replacing traditional forms of teaching with tools to support collaborative learning on-line

4. Introduction • Relatively easy to provide teaching materials on-line but challenge is to provide tools for collaborative learning • How does one replace tutorials, group activities and encourage participation in the discussion of coursework in an on-line learning environment? • The above activities are important as they may encourage students to strive for higher order goals of ‘analysis, synthesis and understanding’’ (Gibbs, 1992) • Related to psychological theories of cognitive development such as Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development-peer supported collaborative learning

5. Virtual learning environments • Main benefit of on-line learning is asynchronous nature- students able to study at their own time/place etc which benefits students in remote locations and with additional commitments • Yet how to replace synchronous nature of group work, tutorials, and collaborative activities? • VLE’s utilise both synchronous and asynchronous forms of computer-mediated communication

6. VLE: WebCT • Teaching materials/ lecture notes presented on-line • Many additional features: • Email • Chat rooms • Discussion boards • Tracking facilities • Assessment drop box • Compile tool

7. Discussion Tools and Good Teaching Practices • Promotes & encourages active learning - the student is challenged to participate and respond in a meaningful way in online discussion means the student is actively learning. • Promotes & encourages reflective learning – in asynchronous discussion students have time to reflect on their response to the question posed. This could benefit those students who hesitate to respond in f2f discussions, in the face of more confident or vociferous personality types, to take a fuller part in the class, and therefore have a more fulfilling learning experience • Promotes independent, self-directed learning- students do not have to attend a class on a specific day/time, therefore they are individually responsible for the progress of their learning on the module • http://www.wit.ie/library/webct/guides/Discussions_Tool.htm

8. WebCT • Synchronous: Chat rooms • Tutor can set specific day/time for on-line tutorials • Can also be used as ‘informal’ drop-in chat rooms • Discussions recorded so that transcripts can be posted for students/tutor to review

9. WebCT Asynchronous: email • Most common form of computer-mediated communication • Can be used for tutor-student, student-tutor and student-student communication. • Useful for communicating private and confidential information, important course information and specific issues with individuals • Yet time-consuming and inefficient form of communication for tutors.

10. WebCT Asynchronous: Discussion boards: • Asynchronous like email- yet provide • Messages and replies available to all students thereby more efficient than email • Revisable-students able to use postings as part of their revision • Threaded/unthreaded- can be organised under specific topics therefore more manageable than separate emails • Can reply privately to sender if necessary

11. Set-up • Email- used for introductions, important information and general one to one correspondence • Chat rooms- used for specific tutorials and student chats • Discussion boards- set up groups and specific topics for discussion

12. Set-up

13. Observations • Email: In total 385 messages received and 1175 messages sent over one semester. • Very useful for introductions in first week and chasing up individual students with specific issues for late assessments. Limited use in terms of discussing course content. • Chat rooms: Approx 6 tutorials conducted in semester one at the request of student groups. Based on assessments. Other student discussions also took place without module tutor. • Extremely useful for discussing course content, especially assessments and real benefits for tutor in terms of efficiency. • Discussion boards: In total 1070 messages posted on the discussion boards, some groups far more communicative than others. • Very useful in terms of facilitating peer- supported collaborative learning- within a few weeks the discussions were almost entirely student led.

14. Results • Discussion activities: Hits, Read and Posted • Does on-line participation relate to the type of degree and location of students: eg. Do Perth BASS students participate more in on-line discussions than Inverness CYS students? • Does on-line participation relate to overall module results?

15. Results

16. Results

17. Summary • Number of postings appears to be related to overall module performance • Not participation per se but contributions to on-line discussions that appear to enhance on-line learning • Yet difficult to assess real benefits of discussion tools-chat room observations indicate these are extremely useful for both tutor and students.

18. Summary • Benefits: benefits may not be directly related to module results- perhaps sense of belonging and on-line community provides other benefits- e.g. reduces drop out rates/contributes to overall enjoyment of module? • Discussion tools may provide added benefits for collaborative learning in comparison to f2f discussions: e.g. encourages active learning, reflective learning, and discussions are recorded and can be used as learning materials

19. Summary • Problems: need to conduct detailed analysis and perhaps conduct surveys to assess utility of discussion tools and how they may be used to enhance collaborative learning . • Tutor as facilitator: far easier to facilitate chat room discussions yet discussion boards should be monitored in order to check learning progress and that correct information is provided by students to others. • Despite the convenience of on-line learning for students, on-line teaching can be very time-consuming and a heavy workload for tutors

20. Summary Future • Set specific tutorials in chat rooms for all groups. • Encourage all students to contribute to discussion boards- not just hit and read! • Incorporate e-learning guidelines into training for tutors: WebCT Discussions Tool : Guide for Designers • http://www.wit.ie/library/webct/guides/Discussions_Tool.htm • Need to define relationship between collaborative learning and pedagogy- perhaps easier in an on-line learning environment and could have interesting theoretical and practical implications