Dorothy P. Fuller, Ed.D. Black Hills State University

1. Dorothy P. Fuller, Ed.D. Black Hills State University From Chit-Chat to Discourse: Improving Online Discussion

2. Common Uses of Discussion • Check for regular attendance • Check for keeping up with content • Develop a learning community • Develop higher order thinking skills • Support group projects • Q & A sessions

3. My Goals • Expand and strengthen a fledgling learning community • Develop higher order thinking skills • Encourage regular self-evaluation of work • Encourage peer-to-peer idea exchange

4. Course & Participants • Graduate level course in educational technology integration • 21 participants, all K-12 teachers, 9 males, 12 females • From 4 states, 2 time zones • Discussion grading periods 2 – 3 weeks long, depending on unit structure

5. Tools • LMS asynchronous discussion tool with specific topics related to unit assignments • Peer Rating System within the LMS discussion tool • Reflective assignments

6. First Unit Assignment • Identify personal learning goals • Get comfortable with discussion environment and structure • Common subject – identify current issues in their schools and their own research interests • Post and respond to multiple messages

7. End of First Unit Assignment • Review all unit discussion postings • Identify those that were helpful or not helpful for personal learning • Identify common traits of messages in both categories • Share, compare & rate traits of effective and ineffective posting traits • Agree on a 5-star rating system

8. 5-Star Rating System ★★★★★ = Extended knowledge through supported analysis or evaluation, clear and organized narrative of application, or provision of additional quality resources

9. 5-Star Rating System ★★★★ = provided unsupported analysis beyond peer experience and opinion, examples of application more general in tone, less organized ★★★ = provided general applications that merely reinforced others’ contributions

10. 5-Star Rating System ★★ = “Me too” statements with unfounded or unsupported generalizations • = “I agree/disagree” statements only; applause statements only = rude, sarcastic, demeaning

11. Next Unit Assignment • Discussion rating system turned on • Participants posted according to discussion assignments • Participants encouraged to rate peer postings according to established star system

12. Next End of Unit Assignment • Participants rated their own postings according to star system • Compared their own ratings to average message ratings by peers • Addressed any discrepancies between self & peer ratings

13. Reflective Analysis • Writers encouraged to analyze postings that were consistently rated 5 stars by peers • Compare their own posting characteristics with those • Identify ways to improve postings • Set personal goal for improving postings in next unit

14. Results By end of course • Quality of postings improved for all participants • By end of course gap between personal ratings and peer ratings had decreased • Effective for both over-raters and under-raters

15. Next Step • Follow participants over the next year in 2 additional courses to see if improvements continue.

16. For More Information Contact: Dorothy Fuller Black Hills State University 1200 University St., Unit 9116 Spearfish, SD 57799-9116 (605) 642-6887 DorothyFuller@bhsu.edu