Subject: Re: [IFETS-DISCUSS] Assessing student participation
From: Mary Hall (mary@CWA.CO.NZ)
Date: Mon 09 Jun 2003 - 10:56:11 MEST
Date: Mon, 9 Jun 2003 20:56:11 +1200 From: Mary Hall <mary@CWA.CO.NZ> Subject: Re: [IFETS-DISCUSS] Assessing student participation
Kia ora koutou
The question of online participation in discussions is obviously one that
many of us feel strongly about. Bill asks,
"It might be more true to say “may indeed be participants in a discussion”
but, whether or which, it does bring up a number of questions:
- can someone who does not contribute to a discussion still be called a
participant?
- how can the tutor/moderator [identify] the learner who is
conscientiously reading but not contributing...?"
I believe that these dilemmas have as much to do with the clumsiness of the
technology as with the dynamics of online discussion. Productive f-2-f
discussion or dialogue is often dependant on 'active listening' skills,
those skills which in online discussion may be seen as the preserve of the
moderator - reflecting, agreeing, acknowledging, summarising, etc.
Many online discussion fora do not allow for this kind of interaction
easily. In fact, the protocols of online discussion often actively forbid it
("no me-too messages, please!") The natural 'hooks' and lubricators of a
natural discussion are therefore missing. Participants who agree profoundly
with what's being said, but have nothing substantive to add, are told not to
contribute on that basis, and then are at risk of being berated for not
contributing.
There are a couple of ways around this as facilitators of a discussion.
*One, if it's within our power, is to choose a forum that allows the use of
emoticons or polling options to allow people to express an opinion without
having to go to great lengths to feel their contribution is justified.
*Similarly, we may adopt a protocol for posting agreement or disagreement -
I have experimented with putting [NFM] in the subject line to signify "No
Further Message", for example, thus if I post "Bravo, Jo [NFM]" other
participants needn't waste time opening the body of the message, but I can
express my opinion even if I'm not the first to do so.
So, to Bill's conclusion that "I guess part of the answer to all of these is
that it really depends on the specific context, pedagogical approach and
methodology of the course we are referring to." I think we need to add,
..."and the limitations of the platform on which we are delivering it."
Mary
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