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March 20, 2020
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Hello,
I am a new online adjunct. My training begins 3/24. I am currently working on the Faculty Participation workshop and I'm having trouble finding a resource. At the top of the workshop training page it states," In the Online Faculty Policies available under the Quicklinks on the FRC Homepage, there is a focus on GCU’s expectations regarding participation in the Discussion Question Forum. " I am having difficulty locating the focus on GCU's expectations regarding participation in the Discussion Question Forum. Would anyone be able to help me find this resource?
Also, is there another resource I can study in order to better be able to determine whether a post is substantive or not substantive? I've been working on the Norming Activity "making substantial posts" but I think I need more guidance myself beyond the provided Instructor ABCs of Substantive Participation pdf.
I appreciate any help that anyone might be able to provide me. Thank you so much!
Kerri
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15 Replies
Hi Kerri,
I'm not 100% confident that this is still the most current document, but the information it contains still appears to be accurate to me. I'm sure someone else will be along to help if there is a newer version. Best of luck with your new job!
Vince
This is what I use to tell the students if their posts are substantive. You sort of play king here as how you judge the comments will be very subjective on your part.
Initial Posts and Participation credit is based on the following:
Frank Rotondo Thank you for sharing. I will be teaching my first course in January, so processing everyone's insight in regards to DQs is so helpful.
Thank you Mr. Evans and Mr. Rotondo. I will take a close look at the materials you both shared and see if they will help me. I appreciate you both taking the time to answer my question!
Thank you for this thread as it is very helpful. How do you handle, as instructor, your commitment to participating in the discussion question forums? Do you provide a single post which drives student thinking deeper? Or, do you respond to every student DQ post? Or?
Any thoughts and insights would be appreciated!
Howard
Howard you bring up some good questions. The class I am teaching begins Monday, 4/27. Since I am also teaching 5th grade full time (remotely as everyone else is doing right now), I've been contemplating how to balance my two sets (GCU and 5th grade) of students. My GCU class is very small (11 students) so it is my hope that I will be able to respond to every student. In the course of that response, I want to make sure that my comments/feedback are purposeful, thoughtful and guide my students' towards deeper thinking. I also believe that CATs can also be used to drive student use of higher level thinking skills. Since I am teaching an online course, the DQs and CATs will be my best opportunity to engage with my students.
I am personally taking an online math assessment course right now through another institution (not GCU) and it has been very frustrating because there is no discussion forum or DQs to guide thinking and sharing of ideas. I am basically just reading, answering questions and turning in my assignments. I have no digital interaction with my instructor or other classmates. As an elementary school teacher, I know how important discourse is in a classroom. Students learn from each other as much as they do from the teacher. When I went through my GCU training, I was excited to see that the DQ forums are a big part of instruction.
I think you will find that your participation in discussions forums with students will evolve organically as you work through your first course.
I hope this helps you a little bit. Good luck with your class!
Howard Carlson
Howard,
I like to consider what the conversations would be like face-to-face. You are trying to get the students to think further. Therefore, you want to provide ample ways for them to engage. I suggest posting several substantial posts on the 4/7 days and strive for responding to at least 10% of the total posts each DQs. Having prepared CATs and content messages can cut down on the creation time and allows more opportunity to simply engage.
Save the good posts for future classes! :)
~Jessica
Jessica,
I like the idea of using the lense of a f2f conversation when making a post, also concept of providing several substantial posts and then responding to 10% total.
Your thought related saving the good posts is something I will definitely use moving forward.
Thanks!
Thanks, Kerri. I have taught a few courses through GCU and this has always been a question which I have been thoughtful in considering. What I find is that in larger classes responding to every student post can become repetitive. As this is the case I am trying to figure out which approach is most meaningful for my students.
I think I am going to try and provide fewer DQ posts, but make those that I do provide deeper and with additional information for students to consider. I believe this approach may be more helpful than when I respond to every student's post.
I completely agree that active engagement with our students creates a better overall experience thus at a minimum we should engage with all posts in some way, even if it is a like, or some other form of engagement.
I will continue to reflect on this piece, but really want to make sure that what I post is seen as driving students' thinking and reflection to a deeper level in the course.
Thanks for responding!
Howard
Howard Carlson
Hi Howard,
You may consider changing your DQ title. For example, when you reply, it will automatically title it "re: Topic 1 DQ 1". A good practice is to change the title to something catchy that will drive your students to read your post or response.
Great ideas and questions!
Thanks, Tiffany! Excellent way to make the post of greater interest to the students and ultimately more engaging.
I appreciate your help!
Hi everyone ! Great insights on the above. I am very new at this as well.
I have strong confidence in my knowledge and experience with the classroom material, but when it comes to the DQ - I am trying to get a better understanding on the following :
1. Do you comment on each of the students DQ's posts (not the replies but the main posts) ?
2. How munch detail do you offer in your DQ posts ?
3. Do you offer a summary DQ post - that is summarizing the main topics in which students answered/posted about ?
4. Any strategies or examples ?
Thanks so much for your help - Jerry
Jerry Roek
Hi Jerry! I will do my best to answer some of your questions.
1. Do you comment on each of the students DQ's posts (not the replies but the main posts) ?
Replying to each post in the forum is not necessary. However, you should be replying/commenting in your feedback when you grade. Some posts may illicit teachable moments. You might clarify, expand, or question the whole class from one post a student made. You are encouraged to reply with a substantive response if it is warranted, but a response to every post is not necessary.
You may also consider changing the subject line to a catchy title for your students. For example, if you are responding to a post with a question to your class (CAT= Classroom Assessment Technique), you may title it "Question to Class".
You are also encouraged to post additional questions or your thoughts as a reply to the Discussion Question. Again, change your subject line to encourage students to read it. Here you have the opportunity to share your expertise and attach additional content. Teaching can happen in the forum :)
2. How munch detail do you offer in your DQ posts ?
Your posts should model what you expect from your students. It is important to also post substantive responses and cite research, however, this will depend on the type of post. If you are asking a follow up question, or adding a video link, etc. you may not have a lot of detail. You should, however, be detailed in your expectations and directives when you post CATs. If you are building on a student's response and encouraging discussion, then you should have a substantive response.
3. Do you offer a summary DQ post - that is summarizing the main topics in which students answered/posted about ?
You may absolutely do this! Some type of reflection and checking for understanding is a great way to identify conceptual understanding. Again- just reply to the DQ2 and change your subject line.
4. Any strategies or examples ?
Please join us June 4th and 5th for the Spring Into Summer Online Conference. We will be sharing a lot of strategies then! Look for registration in your email soon.
There is a lot of great content throughout GCU to assist professors.
I came across a slide (or PDF) that breaks down an excellent substantive post example. Unfortunately I cannot locate this information.
If anyone can offer guidance that would be appreciated.
Thanks - Jerry
Hi - update - I found this document :
https://cirt.gcu.edu/documents/frc/on_demand_workshops/participation/instructorabc39sofsubstantiveparticipationpdf
Is there any additional guidelines and/or resources ?
Thank you very much - Jerry