Faculty Exchange/Paul Vance On Discussion Boards

General Information Audience - All WSU instructors interested in using discussion boards in their courses. Interview Date - 11/2/2011 Tools Used - Desire2Learn Discussion Tool Meet the Faculty Member Dr. Paul Vance is Professor of Cello and Director of Orchestral Activities at Winona State University in southeastern Minnesota. He is an active soloist and chamber music player, and has performed in recital in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Texas, and Wisconsin. To learn more about Dr. Vance on his web site found here. Performing Arts Center 140 (507) 457-5254 pvance@winona.edu Viewing the Interview Segments The full interview is divided into six segments. Select play to begin viewing Segment 1. To advance to another segments at any time by using the Next button.

Segment Descriptions Introduction Paul introduces himself and talks about the way discussion boards allow his students to participate in the class in ways they would not otherwise be able. Could you talk specifically how you use discussion boards in D2L? Here Paul describes how he has students post final project in his Rock History course so the other students can comment on, respond to, and provide detailed feedback on at least one project. What type of guidelines have you give to students for participating in the Discussion boards?Paul asks students to keep feedback constructive, but likes to allow free reign with very positive results. Where did the idea for using D2L Discussion boards come from? Paul explains that his decision came from a session over in TLT Services to make courses more interactive. What are some of the learning outcomes are seeing? Paul describes the way discussion boards allow him to more fairly evaluate a student projects and retain an excellent record of peer or group feedback on the projects thought the discussion board dialogue. He added that the depth of analysis is improved because it is captured and allows students with similar artists to share different perspectives. Students are also reporting being more engaged with other students, the professor, and in the curriculum. What would you tell other faculty about your experience with this tool? Paul suggested that you should not be afraid of trying something new. He admitted that was a bit of a leap and that he relied on the TLT seminars to learn the different options he had and how to best use the tools. He added that the growth has been tremendous and lessons learned from the experience have been transferred back to traditional classes. Good Practices Contribution Tracking: The use of the discussion board allows him to track individual student contributions and evaluate these more effectively. Guiding Student Communication He asks students to keep comments positive, constructive, and let them go in any direction they need. Key Outcomes Even with initial student apprehension about communicating with this tool, interactions were positive and engaging. Paul reports that using this tool has lead to more interaction with his students and tremendous professional growth. Having all dialogue captured allows for a more in-depth assessment of student learning. Related Articles Learn How to Replicate Paul's Activity in Your Own Course Working Learn How Other WSU Faculty are using Discussion Boards Using Brightspace Discussions Forums to support student application of course content Learn More About the D2L Discussion Tool Desire2Learn Discussion Tool Learn More About Discussion Technology Tools for Synchronous and Asynchronous Classroom Discussion Learn More About Facilitating Class Discussion From posts to patterns: A metric to characterize discussion board activity in online classes. Bliss, C. A. and B. Lawrence Asking Questions to Improve Learning, from the Teaching Center at Washington University in St. Louis Increasing Student Participation, from the Teaching Center at Washington University in St. Louis Engaging Students with Online Discussion in a Blended Learning Context: Issues and Implications Studying and Facilitating Dialogue in Select Online Management Courses Teaching with Rubrics: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. This is a great summary of the original article (citation included withing post) by Maryellen Weimer in her blog on The Teaching Professor Discussion Board Grading Rubrics Examples: George Mason Online Discussion Protocols and Rubrics Discussion Rubric Landmark Project Discussion Assessment Boise State University Discussion Rubric Learn More About Collaborative Learning English Majors Practicing Criticism: A Digital Approach Posted April 30th, 2011 by Paul Schacht, Caroline Woidat, Rob Doggett, and Gillian Paku, State Is the whole greater than the sum of its parts? A comparison of small group and whole class discussion board activity in online courses. Bliss, C. A. and B. Lawrence[Category:Faculty]]