Managing Online Discussions with a Participation Portfolio

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Managing Online Discussions with a Participation
Portfolio

• John Fritz
• UMBC
• July 23, 2008

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Overview

• Background
• Problem
• Solution
• Require a Participation Portfolio
• Create a Quality Discussion Rubric
• Create a Portfolio Template (MS Word)
• Influences Handouts
• Q A

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ADP Best Practice
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Evolving CMS Use by Faculty

• User Document Management (Pull)
• Password-protected class group space
• Attach or Copy/Paste Documents (expiration)
• Communications (Push)
• Announcements
• Email, Messages
• Discussion Chat
• Assessments (Push Pull)
• Electronic assignment delivery collection
• Quizzing, Surveys, Course Usage

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(No Transcript)
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Online Discussion Assessment Problems

• Quantity-Based
• How do you avoid rewarding me too or I agree
  posts?
• Quality-Based
• Tedious to find, subjective, a pain to justify to
  students.

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Solution Self-Graded Portfolio

• Instructor defines grading rubric for good post
  reply (this is THE hardest task for instructors).
• Students propose grade they feel they deserve,
  based on 3-5 examples of each.
• Evidence must be taken from separate weeks to
  avoid end of semester dog pile.
• Students copy and paste examples into a
  portfolio and submit electronically.
• Instructor can accept, raise or lower grade based
  on quality of evidence based on rubric (1).

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Assignment Upload
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Assignment Requirements
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Discussion Grading Rubric
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Discussion Portfolio Example
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Discussion Interaction Types

• Student-Content (SC)
• Student-Student (SS)
• Student-Group (SG)

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Student-Content (SC) Type

• Aspects
• Post a few salient sentences on the topic
• Link posts to course theories, lectures or texts
  (synthesis analysis)
• Cite new or existing sources whenever possible.

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Student-Student (SS) Type

• Aspects
• Draw out a colleagues assumptions through
  probing follow up queries
• Dispute positions with which you do not agree
• Defend your own position with evidence.

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Student-Group (SG) Type

• Aspects
• Provoke thought (not emotions) about a new idea
  or issue
• Contribute to the civil discourse or edification
  of the class
• Encourage participation of others.

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Fixed Duration for Discussions

• Set discussions with fixed start end
• Benefits
• Students will be more proactive (especially if
  you require a discussion portfolio)
• Laggards cant chime in at the end of semester.
• Easier to manage one discussion at a time, than
  several concurrently.

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Testimonial

• Chris Swan, Geography
• Improving Student Learning in a Hybrid Course
• 10/10/05 Brown Bag Workshop
• Blackboard Best Practices
• 09/21/07 iTunesU QA

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ADP Best Practice

• Use MS Word Form Portfolio

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Problem

• Students struggle with form content of atypical
  assignments.
• I want to know how students analyze their own
  discourse and participation.
• I want to make most efficient use of my time.

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Solution MS Word Form

• Create a form that students complete and submit
  online.
• Benefits
• Guides the student in what youre looking for
• Standardizes student input which makes grading
  more efficient

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Portfolio Template
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Portfolio Discussion Grade
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How to Create MS Word Forms
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MS Word Form Toolbar

• Options
• Text box
• Check box
• Drop down menu
• Form field options
• Table
• Frames
• Shading
• Lock (Tip enable before save/upload so users can
  download/fill in).

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Portfolio Influences

• It Takes A Village

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Performance-based Portfolio (2003)

• Karin Readel, UMBC Geography Professor
• Developed an extra credit discussion portfolio
  for analysis of related articles.

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Discussion Forum w/Expiration Dates Grading
Rubric (2005)

• Michael Scheuermann, Drexel University
• Builds student responsibility for discussions by
  establishing forum or chat duration windows and
  grading rubrics
• 1/13/05 Educause MARC Presentation

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Discussion Template (2005)

• Chris Swan, UMBC Geography Professor
• Developed an MS Word Template to Capture
  (standardize?) students best 3-5 posts for
  portfolio.

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Discourse Analysis-based Rubric (2006)

• Patricia Verdines, Adjunct Professor, UM CLIS
• Classified types of threaded discussion
  interactions.
• 3/31/06 UM TWT Conference

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Links

• UMBCs Hybrid Training Program http//www.umbc.edu
  /oit/hybrid/training
• UMBCs Most Active Bb Courses Reports
  http//www.umbc.edu/blackboard/reports
• Rubristar for Teachers (rubric maker)
  http//rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php

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Q A

• Thanks!
• John Fritz
• fritz_at_umbc.edu or 410.455.6596