DE Oracle @ UMUC

Engaging with Students to Enhance Learning

George Harding

Adjunct Faculty

Graduate School of Management and Technology

Published: September-October 2011

Category: » Online-pedagogy » Teaching-strategies

In a previous semester, one of my students provided feedback which clearly illustrates the importance of frequent interactive dialogue in online classroom discussions:

I remember several times throughout the semester thinking, "holy smokes, how many posts is the professor going to write?!?!" In the other class I'm taking this semester, the professor . . . would respond to a few of the classroom discussions and would answer questions if asked directly; but largely, she stayed out of the conference section. I found it helpful that in this course the professor was "always there" to give guidance throughout the semester.

To which I responded:

I'll take your comment: "holy smokes, how many posts is the professor going to write?" as a compliment. Recognizing that I am only responding to student postings, the real compliment goes to the students who make classes interesting by posting their comments, questions and experiences. Once the dialogue is started everyone is invited to join in the fun, thereby creating a symbiotic and holistic relationship among all members of the class.

To which the student responded:

You were correct in assuming that comment as a compliment. As I stated, I had another professor this semester who rarely posted in the Discussions. While I learned a good deal from her class, my learning was mostly from completing the assignments. The learning in your class stemmed from both completing assignments and the discussions; it's good to learn from the experiences of one's peers!

As this student's comments indicate, instructor interaction adds an important learning dimension to the class, and classes become more valuable with the full participation of all the stakeholders. The engaged students will drive the class, but the instructor has to fan the fires through his/her activate participation in the discussions. In my experience, when students sense that the instructor is not fully involved, they quickly lose interest in participating in the discussions.

For the engaged students, the discussions are a vibrant learning experience. Student involvement in classroom conferences, along with their ability to research the topic being discussed, is one of the strong points in online learning. There is no hiding in the back of the classroom in online classes, as class participation can easily be monitored and measured through online statistics. Classroom participation is a great way for students to learn from each other. Since most students are subject matter experts in their chosen profession, the expertise they bring to the classroom can contribute enormously to the learning experience.

Introverted students are often hesitant to participate in the discussions, so it is important that instructors reach out to help such students overcome their reluctance and fully participate by finding topics that are of particular interest to them. Every trick of the trade needs to be employed to engage every student in the weekly discussions. Although online instructors are encouraged to be the guide on the side, the genuinely effective guide is the one who turns passive students into active participants of a learning community.

To get students involved in the discussions, instructors need to be completely involved in the classroom discussions (walk their talk). They need to post responses to as many students as possible as frequently as possible, which in turn will encourage comments/interaction by the students. The more involved the student becomes, the greater the learning experience. Students love to read war stories from their instructor's and classmates' experiences that relate real-life know-how to the materials being learned. They pick up on the ambiance when the instructor is fully participating in the discussions. Once the discussion flywheel is set in motion by the instructor, even the introverted students get into the discussion flow.

At the beginning of class, I specifically instruct my students that all postings should be value adding (add substance to the conversation). Rather than just writing "I agree," they should write "I agree because...." It is the explanation of the "because" that adds value to the discussion. I don't expect students to always agree with me, their classmates, or any of the authors cited in the materials presented—but I do expect them to explain the reason for their agreement or disagreement. In every post, they can do one or more of the following:

• Agree with the author.
• Disagree with the author.
• Provide a different perspective.
• Provide a new reference.
• Provide a new example.
• Apply the concept to a new area or topic.
• Tell a story about how the topic relates to their lives.
• Explain how they will apply this knowledge in the future.

In my experience, giving students this guidance leads to a greater number of responses and increases the variety of topics discussed in the class.

It is essential for online instructors to be omnipresent in the classroom, which requires a tremendous commitment of time and effort. Instructors must prioritize their time to enable them to visit the classroom as often as possible (essentially every day). They need to comment on student postings, leaving an audit trail that demonstrates their dedication to online learning. As noted by my former student, the instructor's contributions to the classroom dialogue enhance overall learning. By guiding students effectively and engaging with them frequently, instructors can help create a learning experience that students will truly appreciate.