Jeff,
I agree that few students will spend much time on a discussion
board if their efforts are not counted in the course grade. I make the
discussion at least 20% of their course grade. And I explain that a
sample of their posts will be evaluated for grading purposes (usually I
rate all posts made during 1 week from each 3-week segment of the
semester). Because of the tendency for some students to become
disrespectful in their posts, I have a set of rules that appear to curb
their baser urges (rules that are included in an orientation quiz that
all must pass with 100% score). I'll post some of this information
below--use what you can.
--Dave
PARTICIPATION ON YOUR DISCUSSION BOARD
The grade for participation is usually curved: 20%A, 30%B, 20%C,
20%D, 10%F. (Sometimes the distribution of points suggests a different
breakdown--e.g., a negatively-skewed distribution provides reason for a
larger proportion of high grades.)
When it comes time to assess your grade for "participation," I'll
obtain a representative sampling of comments and score each of them on
frequency (number of postings) and quality (extensiveness, bringing in
outside research, responding to and building upon previous postings).
It's really about number and quality of contributions to our virtual
discussion, not about whether you made a point of saying something about
every single topic.
You won't know which weeks are used for these samples so it is to
your advantage to be consistent from week to week in your participation.
Individual posts will be rated on a 1-5 scale where:
1 = minimal comment of 1-3 sentences
2 = short post but more than minimal length
3 = average posting of moderate length and effort
4 = pretty extensive post showing extra thought and effort
5 = extensive, shows outside research and appears mainly self-written
(not just pasted from other sources)
(You might recognize this as a compensatory model where several
extensive posts can weigh the same as many brief postings.)
Remember, the 3-4 hours normally spent each week getting to and
attending regular lectures in a 3-credit course must be devoted to class
discussion on your board. In that time, you should be capable of
contributing to the discussion with 7 or 8 thoughtful posts easily (or 3
long 5-pointers). Well-reasoned and supported contributions will get
more points; rambling on with lots of words to "get points" will not
earn high ratings regardless of length. Quality participation is what
we're after--and if you can generate some enthusiasm for these topics,
the quality will come.
Here are some samples to help get you calibrated: /(At this point, I
append a sample 1-pt, 3-pt, and 5-pt post for comparison purposes.)
/
Students must maintain a tone of civility and respect for other participants
when posting replies to the comments of others. Since we are operating in the
absence of
nonverbal cues that accompany face-to-face discussion, it is imperative that
you be especially gentle when expressing disagreement. The focus must always be
on the
ideas presented, not on the person presenting the ideas. It is inappropriate to
make comments that have the appearance of a personal attack. Such comments tend
to
stifle free discussion and create a hostile environment that detracts from free
and open debate.
* Feelings. You are entitled to your own feelings but it is often
best to keep them private. Negative feelings don't belong on the
discussion board. It is inappropriate to use phrases like "your
comment offends me." Such a statement has the effect of silencing
others--making them feel less comfortable in expressing opposing
viewpoints. Better to set your feelings aside and respond in a
reasoned way to the logic of the other person's argument.
* Inflammatory words. Words like "racist" and "sexist" are loaded
with negative meaning. Find less inflammatory words for your
message. Also note that overstatements ("your position is
unbelievably...") will get amplified on the message board. Avoid
hyperbole.
* Intellectual arrogance. Some students firmly believe that they
have a claim on the answers to what is wrong with our culture, who
is to blame, and how we should all live. They then adopt the role
of "thought police"--correcting other students' world view,
telling them what courses they should take to "fix" their mistaken
attitudes, etc. Don't be one of these students. Make your argument
without the assumption that only you could be correct. Maintain
some humility.
* Focus on the argument; respect the person making it. You must
maintain your focus on the ideas expressed, not on the person
voicing the idea. At all times, you must respect your intellectual
opponents. You can take issue with the arguments presented by
others and raise counterarguments, but always remain civil as you
do so. Don't even assume that others truly believe in the
positions they are describing--students (and professors) often
present arguments simply because they are interesting or provide a
different perspective regarding the issue on the table.
* Complaints about the course. Most students are committed to
learning all they can from this course and will maintain a
constructive attitude. But there are always a few (usually the
weaker students) who prefer to complain about the course
assignments, the tests, or other features of the online format.
Posting complaints on the discussion board has the effect of
souring the atmosphere for all of us and detracts from our
educational experience. You can expect such posts to be deleted.
Students who fail to abide by these rules will find their posts deleted
and could lose access to the discussion board.
We will assign discussion leaders to initiate topics and guide
discussion/debate during each week (schedule below). If you are a
discussion leader, you should post 2 or 3 "threads" to the discussion
board. These could be issues adapted from some of the more interesting
of the study questions (some seem good for sharing responses) or they
might be questions and issues that the discussion leader simply wanted
to put "out there" for possible reactions. But don't simply post a brief
question. You need to present your topic in some detail, identify some
of the facts and ethical concerns, maybe present your own position for
people to react to. A good topic has different sides, relates to our
values or to things we care about, and hopefully will produce some
diversity of opinion. At the end of the week (Sunday at the latest),
post a summary of the points made with your comments to your threads.
(To avoid clutter, I'll move older topics to the Archive periodically.)
Do you really have to comment on every topic posted?
After all, this can eat up a lot of time. My answer is "no; you don't."
Think of it this way: you need to log on several times during the week
to contribute to the discussion. But your own time and interests will
determined whether you wish to add your "two bits" to every topic
posted, or whether you wish to contribute in more depth and more
frequently only to the topics that really capture your interest. I want
you to engage in this discussion actively but I don't want to burden you
with a mindless requirement that takes the fun out of the activity. But
keep in mind that this is a serious part of your work in the course. The
4 hours a week saved from going to/waiting for/listening to lectures
should be devoted to reading and replying to threads on your discussion
board.
After posting topics, discussion leaders are expected to participate
fully in discussion just like everyone else. Also, other students can
add topics (and probably should if by Monday night there are only a
couple of topics up for discussion). We need enough material on the
board to keep things lively and interesting as we practice our critical
thinking skills.
Jeff Bartel wrote:
> ...My first question to you, then, is what methods have you used to
> get things started?
>
> One approach discussed at the NITOP PIE was to require one post per
> week with four responses per semester. Other professors have posted
> questions to which students had to respond. I'm more inclined toward
> the former because, frankly, I don't want to grade the content of the
> posts (any more than I would grade the answer of a student of whom I
> had asked a question in class). Have you used something like either
> of these methods? If so, would you mind sharing some of the particulars?
>
> Looking forward to your replies,
>
> Jeff
>
--
--
___________________________________________________________________
David E. Campbell, Ph.D. [EMAIL PROTECTED]
<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Department of Psychology Phone: 707-826-3721
Humboldt State University FAX: 707-826-4993
Arcata, CA 95521-8299 www.humboldt.edu/~campbell/psyc.htm
<http://www.humboldt.edu/%7Ecampbell/psyc.htm>
---
To make changes to your subscription contact:
Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
