An Interview with Tisha Bender: Discussion Based On Line Teaching

7.13.10 - Michael F. Shaughnessy - The teacher should encourage an online classroom camaraderie by establishing a highly interactive group dynamic. This can be encouraged first by the teacher, at the very start of the semester, creating an online 'lounge', in which students and the teacher can have an informal discussion, and start to get to know each other.

Michael F. Shaughnessy

Eastern New Mexico University

Portales, New Mexico

1) Tisha, first of all could you tell us a little bit about your background and what you do?

I am currently Assistant Director in the Rutgers Writing Program, where I am Coordinator of Hybrid courses and also Research Writing courses. I introduced Hybrids into the Writing Program at Rutgers in 2007, training small groups of teachers each semester to effectively teach a Hybrid, which is a course which meets once (as opposed to twice) a week on campus, and the rest of the time discussion and other learning activities are online. I also teach in the Rutgers Writing Program, and have mentored new teachers on the department's pedagogy. Prior to that I trained online faculty at NYU, Cornell, the SUNY Learning Network, and New School University, and have taught classes at NYU, Cornell and the New School. The courses I teach are mostly about applying ethics to different contexts, such as the workplace, the family, and other social settings.

2) Secondly, I understand that you are speaking at the Distance Teaching and Learning Conference in Madison next month. What will be the topic of your presentation?

Yes, I will be speaking at the Madison conference about my book, Discussion-Based Online Teaching to Enhance Student Learning: Theory, Practice and Assessment, which was published by Stylus in 2003. This book is based upon my own experience of having trained teachers to effectively teach online, so its main thrust is to speak about the important adaptations of pedagogy which need to be made when teaching students who one does not see and with whom one holds discussions asynchronously. I start the book, therefore, discussing learning theories in traditional conventional teaching, and then speak about how these learning theories would be modified for online teaching. I then go on to speak about many practical tips to make the online class an exciting place and one which is optimal for sound learning to occur. I finish the book with some suggestions as to how to assess the efficacy of online teaching.

3) Some on line classes are nothing more than directed studies on line while others are nothing more than a book and perhaps some power points. What should a good on line class encompass?

I think for an online class to be successful, it has to be filled with life and energy, on an ongoing basis. What one wants to avoid is for a student to feel that the online class is an isolating experience, or a one-to-one correspondence course with the teacher. The teacher should encourage an online classroom camaraderie by establishing a highly interactive group dynamic. This can be encouraged first by the teacher, at the very start of the semester, creating an online 'lounge', in which students and the teacher can have an informal discussion, and start to get to know each other. There can be some sort of icebreaker activity to establish introductions between all class participants in a fun way. Also, throughout the semester, it is crucial that the teacher responds frequently to the students, and mentions the students by name, so that everyone feels recognized and acknowledged. Also the teacher should weave student responses together, again to promote interactivity, and also to lead the discussion to a deeper level.

4) Let's face it. Some students do not have good time management skills. How do you cope with late papers, late assignments, and late discussion postings?

Again, the teacher should clearly articulate expectations at the start of the semester, and in this context in terms of timely responses and submissions of papers. And there could be penalties for lateness. For example, late papers could suffer a decrease in grade, as they might in a campus class. As for late responses, the teacher could try to prevent these by counting them as absences from the class, and after a defined number of absences, the student might not be able to pass the class. But along with penalties, I always think it is good to give explanations, so that the students see the logic of being prepared on time. You could tell them that if everyone has already responded to a particular topic and that the students have now started to discuss a new topic, that a late student coming in to discuss the old topic is equivalent to a guest who arrives late at a party, and keeps asking questions about things that have already been talked about. It is frustrating for everyone else and pulls things backwards, and besides which, what new things might be left to say? Hopefully this kind of logic would serve as a deterrent for lateness.

5) Sadly, all learning platforms have glitches and difficulties. How do you prepare your students for those unexpected difficulties?

For an online class to work well, there should really be a technical help-desk to answer these kinds of problems. It should not be up to the online teacher to do so, unless it is something very quick and simple. In addition, all online classes are greatly helped by the students first taking an online orientation, so as to become familiarized with the technology. This will then free them up to focus on the course content rather than having to worry where to click. Also, as said before, an icebreaker activity in a virtual lounge helps too, as it gives students practice in the online class in a non-threatening way, before the course content begins.

6) Let's talk more about your book which really remains a classic. Why did you choose the topic of discussion based on line teaching?

I chose to focus on discussion as I feel this is the core of teaching, since all teaching is about communication. Obviously some disciplines are better suited to the online environment than others, but classes which can employ the Socratic method, as in many writing classes and classes in the Humanities and Social Sciences, can really thrive online, since everyone can have his or her say.

7) Are there any topics that are off limits in terms of discussion? ( I mean why discuss the oil spill and BP in an on line class?)

I think topics to avoid online could be sensitive ones involving religion or politics, unless, of course, this is what the course is about, just because it might sometimes be hard to know how to interpret what one reads. Some people even advocate against humor online in case it is taken the wrong way, but I like humor in my classes, and if carefully used, it can be beneficial and upbeat.

One wants to avoid 'flaming' in an online class, but if it does occur and students get upset, I would recommend e-mailing those students involved and trying to reach a resolution, and if this does not work, then to phone or even meet the students, if possible. But I would recommend also using the discussion as a teachable moment, when everyone has cooled down, and to see what can be learned from the exchange. This is much, much better than erasing the discussion and pretending it never happened, as this would be dishonest.

8) Could you please explain more what is meant by synchronous or asynchronous discussions, and could you please provide YOUR definition of these terms?

By  'asynchronous' discussions, I mean that we are not necessarily speaking with each other at the same time, but we read what others have written since we last logged into the class, and then respond to them. This is in contrast with 'synchronous' discussion (also called 'real time chat') in which we are all logged on at the same time and hold a test-based discussion. Although the synchronous chat feature exists in most online classes, the bulk of the discussion is asynchronous, which is convenient for students and the teacher as it gives us a lot of flexibility, and is also a huge advantage as it gives everyone the potential to be contemplative and reflective about the issues under consideration, and also means that if someone has a brilliant idea, we only simply need to log on to the class and say it while it is still hot and exciting, rather than having to wait for the next scheduled class if this were a traditional, campus class. Synchronous discussions, on the other hand, can be useful for online office hours, or if there is an online guest, or for letting students discuss work with their peers, but it works best if the groups are small, as otherwise discussions can seem hectic and disjointed.

9) What are some of the other cutting edge topics that need to be discussed in terms of Distance Teaching and Learning?

Online classes are still primarily text-based, but there are exciting new possibilities which some online teachers are exploring, such as inserting some video clips or You Tube videos, where appropriate. These, along with visits to other websites, can provide wonderful information about which an online discussion can evolve and become richer. As more and more people use electronic forms of communication these days, students are comfortable and familiar with this and so I think it only natural that teaching and learning methodologies should follow suit and embrace these communication technologies.

10) How do you get shy, introverted reticent people to discuss?

Yes, your question about the shy, reticent student is a good one. I think it is imperative to encourage active engagement from all students in the class, because, unless a student contributes to the discussion, how do we know if he or she is learning anything, or indeed is even there at all? So my first piece of advice is for online teachers to define expectations at the start of the semester, and tell students how often they are required to respond. They should also be told that they should respond to each other as well as to the teacher, so that discussion is organic and it flows and deepens. I have frequently found that students who might well be shy in the campus class, find their voice online, and I think this could be for a few reasons. One is that they are greatly assisted by the asynchronous environment; no longer are they longing to say something, as they might on campus, only to be interrupted by louder students who take up the time. Also writing on the screen rather than speaking in front of people can also lessen inhibitions in many cases.

11) What have I neglected to ask?

I think your questions have been comprehensive and fascinating. Thanks so much for the opportunity to discuss the exciting field of online education with you.