Critical Reflection: Taking the 'Distance' Out of Pedagogy

Anita Chadha, University of Houston–Downtown

Abstract

Research finds that peer interactions engage students in academic reflective deliberations where they listen, reflect, consider, and ask each other questions, challenging each other’s per-spectives. And in online spaces, three components are essential in promoting deliberations: the design of the online space, a structure that allows for the consistent practice of the delibera-tive process, and that the process is guided by academically guided outcomes. Guided by this research, this study evaluates student peer interactions in an online collaboration across two geographically distanced universities over the course of a semester. Significant evidence revealed that students identified with peers across geographically distanced universities. It further reveals that they challenged each other over every type of question asked of them, deliberating with academic reflectivity over the entire semester. This research concludes that online collaborations are a means by which students can deliberate, explore, and challenge each other over their varied perspectives, despite being in an online class.

Keyword:pedagogy