INTRODUCING ONLINE COMPONENTS TO A CLASS: HOW TO INCREASE THE LIKELIHOOD OF SUCCESS Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, Volume 31, 2004 INTRODUCING ONLINE COMPONENTS TO A CLASS: HOW TO INCREASE THE LIKELIHOOD OF SUCCESS Robert E. Ledman Morehouse College rledman@morehouse.edu Teshia Young Roby Georgia Institute of Technology ABSTRACT This workshop will be a forum for discussion and idea exchange. The focus will be finding solutions to the challenges presented when online components of a course are introduced for the first time to students. The presenters will discuss an effort currently underway to implement online course enhancements and tips for increasing the likelihood that students will be receptive to online instructional components. There will also be an exchange with attendees. INTRODUCTION Online discussion and chat capabilities are growing in popularity in modern college and university courses. The use of such technology can provide many benefits to students and faculty. For students, technology can be a useful aid in group assignments by allowing group members to exchange ideas and even have a group “discussion” via chat capabilities. However, students who are accustomed to traditional course approaches may not enthusiastically embrace these technology enhancements initially. This workshop will provide a forum for an exchange of ideas and insights about how to introduce online course materials to students to increase the students’ acceptance and potential use. WORKSHOP FORMAT The workshop will consist of a short presentation by the authors, as discussed below, followed by a facilitated discussion of the topics introduced in the presentation. One of the presenters recently began implementing online discussion, chat, and lecture review components in his classes. The technology is similar to those commonly seen for course management. The courses require group projects and one course uses a team simulation that has student teams competing to manage a firm in the same industry. The students have to make weekly decisions in the simulation. The common complaint heard from many students assigned to group projects is that their schedules make it very difficult to meet as a team. The use of online discussion and chat capabilities is potentially one way to alleviate some of that concern. However, when it became apparent that students were not exploiting the opportunity provided by the technology, the faculty member realized that some “up front” preparation was probably necessary. The second part of the presentation will focus on the research of one of the authors into the question of how to effectively implement collaboration within online course environments. The workshop will present 18 tips developed from that research as the starting point for the discussion. Those tips are given below. The discussion will focus on at least the four questions below. • What additional strategies have faculty used to successfully implement online courses, or course components? • What are some of the obstacles faced in the implementation of online courses—administrative and instructional? • What are the sources of student resistance to online course materials and components in? • To what degree does student experience with online course influence their acceptance or resistance to online tools? 18 TIPS FOR SUCCESSFULLY INCLUDING PEER COLLABORATION IN AN ONLINE COURSE The following is a set of heuristics that can assist you in successfully incorporating peer collaboration into your online college course. Get Rid of Preconceptions - Prior to beginning the design of the online collaboration activities, abandon any preconceptions regarding which types of exercises cannot occur online. Adapt and Adopt Existing Collaborative Exercises - Rather than creating new and original online peer collaboration exercises from the beginning, exercises can be developed initially by referencing previous classroom collaborative activities that proved successful and adapting those exercises for use online. Begin with a Manageable Amount of Collaboration - To provide optimal learning experiences for the students, incorporate a few well-planned exercises when first including such activities. Receive Student Feedback on Collaboration Exercises - In addition to a general course evaluation, ask students for feedback on each peer collaboration exercise, particularly those that are newly implemented. Use the comments received from 58 mailto:RLEDMAN@MOREHOUSE.EDU Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, Volume 31, 2004 the students to adjust, abandon, or confirm the use of the exercises. Encourage Student Collaboration - Encourage student efficacy with peer collaboration by first making collaboration a stated outcome of the course. Collaboration, participation, and communication expectations must be written into the syllabus. Teach Students How to Collaborate - Provide students with information and tips on how to interact with classmates, problem solve, constructively criticize, divide and assume responsibilities, organize their work, manage their time, and provide an end product that is seamlessly representative of the collaborative efforts of the group. Consider a Course Orientation - Though including a face-to- face orientation for an online course is not an option in some cases, an initial session to introduce the course can be beneficial to the online student. If a face-to-face course orientation is not an option, an initial course content module can be designed to present that information. Organize the Student Groups - Organization of the online student groups should not be made the responsibility of the students because of issues of procrastination to complete the task and gravitation towards those who are familiar or similar. Create Groups of 3 - 5 Students - When groups contain more than five students, they become unmanageable. In large groups, “lurkers” are able to not participate, “slackers” are able to unduly benefit, and “controllers” are able to dominate the discourse. Groups of two may not fully allow the students learn the skills of group consensus gathering and problem solving. Stabilize the Groups Throughout the Course - Student groups should be formed as early in the semester as possible to allow the students to become familiar with their groupmates and consequently promote ease of communication within the groups. Instruct Groups to Report Large Problems - During the peer collaboration exercises, students should be allowed – and expected – to solve internal problems. However, students should be informed that irreconcilable problems should be reported to allow an intervention to occur that would enable project work to progress. Constantly Facilitate and Monitor Online Collaboration - At no time during the course can the students be on autopilot. Since physical and verbal cues cannot be obtained from the students, facilitation and monitoring are the only ways to know that they understand the concepts that are being provided. Provide Feedback Often - Prior to tests and finals, students should receive feedback on how well they understand the course information. Carefully Choose Discussion Topics - When preparing discussion topics for the groups, chose interesting and controversial topics to elicit discourse. Prepare in Advance for Chatroom Discussions - First, be organized for chatroom discussions. Make the chatroom topic and any associated questions available to the students at least three days prior to the exercise. Instruct the students to prepare questions and comments regarding the topic to help facilitate the flow of conversation during the exercise. Next, to promote student involvement and activity, give grades for substantive participation in the chat discussion and inform the students of the grading structure prior to the chats. During the chatroom session, facilitate the discussion. Finally, if the chat session was considered productive, make the archive of the discussion log available to the students for future reference. Organize the Discussion Board for Productive Discourse - Because of the volume of traffic that the discussion area can generate, it is important to provide a great deal of structure in this area. First, create an exhaustive list of topics that might be discussed during the course and create headings for each of those topics in the discussion area. Instruct the students to post messages under the appropriate topic heading on the discussion board. Next, make the students aware of the rules and etiquette for posting a message to the discussion area. Third, instruct the students to place questions on the discussion board and encourage other students to respond to the message if they have an answer. Finally, the discussion board should be monitored frequently throughout the course. Monitor the Discussion Board During Peer Collaboration Exercises - When conducting group exercises that require the use of the discussion board, organizing and monitoring are important processes. Remind the students that posted discussions are designed to replace the classroom discussions and that contribution will be graded. Make certain that students are aware that they will receive a grade for both posting substantive messages and responding to the postings of others. The requirements for initial postings and responses promote two-way communication. During the peer collaboration exercise, visit the discussion areas to make certain that the students remain on track with the concepts and on task with the assignment. Promote Peer Collaborations Through Grading - In addition to the overall group grade for an exercise, be certain to require the students to individually submit their work to ensure that everyone will have something to contribute once the groups meet. Conclude the exercise by having the students complete a group evaluation. 59 Table of Contents Volume 31, 2004 Controlling the Complexity and Orenting Target Groups by a Modular, Server-Based Business Game System Learning Network Demonstration: Delivering Business Education in a Distance Learning Environment Economic Evolution, Human Capital Investment, and Adult Distributed Electronic Learning: A Literature Review Designing a Globalization Simulation to Teach Corporate Social Responsibility Developing and Teaching an Online / In-Class Hybrid: A Demonstration A Model for Evaluating Online Instruction An Evaluation of a Distributed Learning Course: A Students'-Eye Perspective Blended Learning Strategy Improved Business Writing Skills How to Receive and Process Attachemnts while Greatly Reducing the Risk of Viruses and Trojans Introducing Online Components to a Class: How to Increase teh Likelihood of Success Teaching Strategic Communications Online: Using Learning Outcomes to Develop a Case-Based Course Implementing Distance Approaches to Education: A Panel Discussion for ABSEL: Las Vegas, 2004 MANDI: Learning Management Through Field Sales Experience An International Capital budgeting Experiential Exercise A Primer To Combating Terrorism: Playing It Safe While On Overseas Assignment (An Experiential Exercise) Integrating The Business Curriculum With A Comprehensive Case Study: A Prototype The Case Brief: A Model For Case Analysis, Writing And Discussion Technology Infused Pedagogy And Delivery – A Sure Bet? A Proposal For Panel Discussion Absel Conference 2004 Research Strategy And The Bkl: Getting The Most From The Absel Archives Simple But Effective: Rediscovering The Class Discussion Needle And Thread: An Activity For Examining Various Management Behaviors A Customized Excel Data Analysis System For Use In Undergraduate Marketing Research Team Leader Selection - Does It Matter? The Power Of Perspective: Reframing Your Framing Skills For Innovative Instruction In Leadership And Influence Exercise: How Should Merit Raises Be Allocated? An Online Situation For Problem-Based Learning In A Junior-Level Management Course The Eden Alternative As A Roadway For Change: A Service Learning Quality Improvement Project Avoiding Catastrophe: The Role Of Individual Accountability In Team Effectiveness Omega Systems: A Change Management Exercise The Risks And Rewards Of Providing Students A Structured Cheating Opportunity Experimentation With Assessment Techniques: A Proposal For Panel Discussion Using A 2 - Page Case To Introduce Concepts Of Business Strategy Interactive Session The Integration Of Appreciative Inquiry And Experiential Learning For Peak Performance Appreciative Inquiry Case Story: New York City Leadership Challenge Individual Achievement Versus Team Performance: An Empirical Study With Business Games Some Strategists Don't Learn Or Can't Learn Computer Simulation: A Design Architectonic On The Value Of Bugs In Simulation Environments Online Sales Forecasting With The Multiple Regression Analysis Data Matrices Package Simulation Exercises And Problem Based Learning: Is There A Fit? A Study Of Business Game Stock Price Algorithms Assessing Individual Performance In A Total Enterprise Simulation Information Use In A Business Game Determining The Value Of A Firm Unsorting Algorithms For An Ordered List And Its Application To Business Simulations Teaching Public Finance Management Through Simulation Antecedents Of Game Performance Student Expectations Of Classroom Teaching Practices In Developing And Presenting Course Information In Hong Kong Implementation And Impacts Of The Balanced Scorecard: An Experiment With Business Games Impact: Shocking The Legacy Mindset Implementation Of The Eepad Framework Of Business Processes In An Accounting Information Systems Course Are Business Games Really Delivering What Students Are Led To Believe?? Reporting Lessons Learned: What Gets Reported; Who Gains Value Teacher Expectations Of Classroom Teaching Practices In Developing And Presenting Course Information In Hong Kong Student Reactions To The Use Of A Computer-Based Simulation As An Integrating Mechanism For A Mba Curriculum A Cognitive Investigation Of The Internal Validity Of A Management Strategy Simulation Game The Casino Challenge: Making Simulation Delivery A Safe Bet! Accounting For Company Reputation: Variations On The Gold Standard Foreign Currency Hedging: A Simulation The Influence Of Variables Easily Controlled By The Instructor/Administrator On Simulation Outcomes: In Particular, The Variable, Reflection. Absel Awareness Among Business School Faculty Validating Business Simulations: Does High Market Share Lead To High Profitability? Simulation Debriefing Procedures Coaching And Business Simulations: A Formula For Success? A Seminal Inventory Of Basic Research Using Business Simulation Games The Influence Of Scorecard Evaluation On Decisions And Outcomes