Using Collaborative Tools in the ANGEL LMS

Dr. Sheryl HartmanDr. Risa Blair

Dr. Sheryl M. Hartman - Bio

Dr. Sheryl M. Hartman Ph.D. University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida M.A. State University of New York at Plattsburgh, New York B.A., Stony Brook University, Long Island, New York

Dr. Hartman is known for total commitment to her students. This

recognition has earned her the College's highest distinction: the bestowal of an Endowed Teaching Chair, three times. She is currently recognized with the Dr. Eduardo J. Padrón Teaching Chair. She has been a recipient of the Dr. Peter J Masiko Teaching Chair and the Ruth B. and Jack Kassewitz Teaching Chair. Dr. Hartman has twice received the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development Teaching and Leadership Excellence Award presented by the University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. Hartman combines state of the art technology and time-tested teaching traditions to insure student success. She brings creativity and a love of teaching to both her virtual and face-to-face students. Dr. Hartman teaches Student Success courses for the First Time in College Student. She also teaches Psychology and facilitates an online faculty development and training program, Successful Teaching and Learning Online. She is co-author of four chapters in the text, Keys to Excellence.

Dr. Risa Blair - Bio

Dr. Risa BlairEd.D., Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FloridaB.A. and M.S., University of Hartford, West Hartford, Connecticut

Dr. Blair has over 15 years of teaching and experience in higher education, preparatory education, and online education. Working full time for the Virtual College at Miami Dade College where she coordinates and trains faculty in the course development process, she additionally teaches for Kaplan University’s School of Information Systems and Technology. She has a strong background in technology and communications, business and management, instructional design, and online and traditional teaching.

Dr. Blair is past president of Florida Distance Learning Association, the Florida affiliate of the United States Distance Learning Association, where she lead the organization in conducting technology training, state-of-the-art workshops, seminars, and webinars. She brings a wealth of knowledge in quality distance learning resources, as well as in Web Development, Presentation Graphics, Web Storyboarding, and Dreamweaver.

Dr. Blair spent a semester in Israel as an assistant professor using state-of-the art telecommunication resources for her students to interact around the globe and learn in engaging online environments.

Agenda

Discussion Forums

Blogs

Wikis

Wimba Voice Tools

Pedagogy supported by research

Overview of ANGEL tools

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Why Promote Collaboration in Online Classes?

Gallini (2001); and Liaw & Huang (2000) began to focus on the relationship between technology and collaboration in online courses; use the technology to support the pedagogy

Desanctis, Fayard, Roach, and Jiang (2003) suggest collaborative learning fosters technology as the platform for collaboration, and aims for deep discussion over time

The use of discussion in online courses effectively embraces The Distance Education Learning Environments Survey (Walker & Fraser, 2005)

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Collaboration Break One

1. Form groups2. Questions

a. How do you promote collaboration online?b. What are some of the workforce skills

students gain from collaborating?c. How would you have multi-generational

students collaborate online?d. How would you collaborate online with

people at multiple sites?

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Building Online Learning Communities

Students learn how to use the different component of the system, with emphasis on the communication tools

Students gain comfort and begin to participate in the online environment; that’s why the “Meet Your Classmates” first discussion is critical

As students become more comfortable with the tools, they begin to focus on the content and ask questions

Students begin to know peers and may naturally collaborate with others; students start to delve into the course content

Access & Motivation

Online Socialization

Information Exchange

Knowledge Construction

Development

Students move toward using critical thinking skills, challenging others’ ideas

There are 5 stages students experience in moving to a more collaborative online environment (Salmon, 2001)

Discussion Forums are an excellent tool to embrace each of these developmental levels

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Importance of Discussions

In order to have a social presence in a virtual environment, as well as to be viewed as a real participant, students engage on a social and emotional level (Wellman, 1999). Discussions facilitate this contribution to the virtual classroom.

The predominant learning style addressed in online courses is visual. To this end, professors and students, alike, need to be highly cognizant of every written communiqué in the virtual classroom!

This reality may change as higher level technologies are integrated, such as video and voice. For now, asynchronous discussions (in their various forms) dominant the communication venue.S

Instructor Role in Facilitating Discussions

It is the role of the professor to facilitate, moderate, and promote a “safe” virtual classroom environment, where students may share their thoughts and ideas appropriately.

Discussions serve as the classroom space for students to exchange ideas, share learning, and even share personal challenges.

It is with careful and selective monitoring that Discussions can become the great equalizer for limited English proficiency students, reducing the communication fear factor in the face-to-face classroom environment.

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Distance Education Learning Environments Survey – Descriptions and Discussion Support

DELES Scale Description - The extent to which

How Discussion Supports

Instructor Support

... the instructor helps, gives prompt responses to and is accessible to students.

… allows instructor modeling, facilitation, coaching, and redirecting

Student Interaction and Collaboration

... students have opportunities to interact with each other, exchange information and engage in collaboration.

… facilitates opportunities for students to share ideas and comment on others’ ideas

Personal Relevance

... there is a link between students' out of school experiences.

… may permits connection between theory and life situations (subject dependent)

Authentic Learning

... students have the chance to solve (authentic) real life problems.

… promotes opportunity for students to tie theory to personal issues

Active Learning ... students have opportunities to initiate their own learning.

... Students may contribute outside research

Student Autonomy

… the course is student oriented and allows them to make their own learning decisions.

… students control when, where and if to participate

Walker, S. L., & Fraser, B. J. (2005)R

Collaboration Break Two

Form groupsTake two minutes and create a mind map

brainstorming about the values you see in having discussions in your online classes

Report

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Overview of ANGEL Tools

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LMS Support for Discussion Forums

Using our LMS (ANGEL), it’s easy to work through a wizard to create specialized discussions built in ANGEL

ANGEL handles access levels for users, and depending on the type of discussion, may move users from one group to the next once they post

The LMS supports these options behind the scenes and there is no special programming required

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Discussion Forums

What do Discussions look like in our LMS (ANGEL)?

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ANGEL Discussion Forum Types

Required Post DiscussionsFishbowl DiscussionsHot Seat Discussions

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Required Post Discussions Explained

Students must post first, before they can read other postings

When discussions are set up as “Required Posts,” this encourages original thought and feedback, as students have to post first and then can read others’ postings

Students may be directed to read textbook cases, or current events articles from the New York Times or other sources, provide thoughtful feedback (without being influenced by others), and then respond to their classmates

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Required Post Discussions in Practice

Use Required Post Discussion Forums when you want students to answer questions first without being influenced by others’ postings

Professors use this type of discussion posting in philosophy classes when they want students to thoroughly and thoughtfully respond to questions asked without being influenced by (or copying) others’ responses

This type of post reduces the “parroting effect” in discussions

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Fishbowl Discussion Forums Explained

This format allows the students who are designated as being “inside the fishbowl” to view, post, and reply to messages. 

Students who are designated as being “outside the fishbowl” can view the posted messages and replies but cannot post or respond.

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Fishbowl Discussions In Practice

Students may selectively be assigned “in the fishbowl,” while others may be required to write synopses or summaries of the discussions for the week

Students outside the fishbowl may only view the discussion, and not comment

Fishbowl Discussions would be especially interesting to use to discuss different psychological disorders

This helps to vary the participation and add interest to the class

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Hot Seat Discussions Explained

This format is designed to simulate a classroom situation where one or more students are asked to research and defend a particular topic. 

Designated students can post top-level questions to the Hot Seat member, however only designated Hot Seat members can respond.

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Hot Seat Discussions in Practice

With Hot Seat Discussions, some students are placed in the “hot seat,” and are required to answer questions; this works well for groups

Those students outside of the hot seat are the ones asking the questions

This works very well for case studies and/or to engage students in complex problem solving.

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Blogs

In lieu of participating in a Discussion for the week, students may participate in a blog

Again, this would add interest to the class and connect with the digital natives

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Wikis

Wikis are an excellent tool for promoting group activity in online courses

Students may use a wiki to brainstorm, create an outline, or even develop a group project

Wikis in ANGEL may be carefully tracked; instructors are able to see who is doing what, and when

Students may be assigned to do an interesting final group project on a chosen, approved topicR

Wimba Voice Tools Explained

The Wimba Voice Tools component in ANGEL boasts a very easy way to add podcasts to your course It’s simple to record a quick note to your

students and post it for them to listen to key points of a lecture or study tips

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Wimba Voice Tools in Practice

We are also using Wimba Voice Tools in Speech classes for students to record and post their own speeches

Using this tool, students may post their speeches, listen to other students’ speeches, provide peer evaluations and feedback—just as what you’d do in a f2f speech class!

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Collaboration Break Three

Form GroupsChoose a group leader to take notesEach group member offer at least one

teaching scenario applying one of these ANGEL tools

Group leader will report

Summary

Communication is critical to the success of online students and instructors

Discussion Forums, Blogs, Wikis, and Wimba Voice Tools provide the opportunity for facilitating communication and vibrant learning communities

Knowing when and how to use these tools promotes interest for the students in the class

Having an LMS such as ANGEL that supports natively supports these tools makes the tasks of the practitioner that much easier

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References

DeSanctis, G., Fayard, A.L., Roach, M., & Jiang, L. (2003). Learning in online forums. European Management Journal, 21(5), p. 565-577.

Gallini, J.K. (2001). A framework for the design of research in technology-mediated learning environments: A sociocultural perspective. Educational Technology, 41(2), 15-21.

Liaw, S., & Huang, H. (2000). Enhancing interactivity in Web-based instruction: A review of the literature. Educational Technology, 39(1), 41.51.

Salmon, G. (2001). E-Moderating: The Key to Teaching and Learning Online. London, UK: Kogan Page Publishing.

Walker, S. L., & Fraser, B. J. (2005). Development and validation of an instrument for assessing distance education learning environments in higher education: The Distance Education Learning Environments Survey (DELES). Learning Environments Research, 8(2), 289-308.

Wellman, B. (1999). Networks in the Global Village. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. 1-48.

Questions?

Feelings of worth can flourish only in an atmosphere where individual differences are appreciated, mistakes are tolerated, communication is open, and rules are flexible -- the kind of atmosphere that is found in a nurturing family… [or in a virtual classroom].

Virginia Satir (1916-1988) author and psychotherapist

Quote to ponder…