Learning Exercise
Rubric for biweekly Discussion Board participation self-assessment
Teachers, trainers, and professors with years of experience in classrooms report that ?computer networking encourages the high-quality interaction and sharing that is at the heart of education. ...(The) characteristics of online classes... generally result in students' contributing material that is much better than something they would say off the top of their heads in a face-to-face class. Shy students who have trouble participating in a classroom discussion are said to feel more comfortable in an online setting. The ability to sit and think as one composes a question or comment also can raise the quality of the discussion. On the other hand, unless the teacher facilitates the networking activities skillfully, serious problems may develop. A conference may turn into a monologue of lecture-type material to which very few responses are made.? The Pedagogy of Online report at http://www.vpaa.uillinois.edu/reports_retreats/tid_report.asp#Online%20Pedagogy highlights the following questions to ask about the quality of Online learning:
Is learning competence equal or superior to that of a traditional classroom?
Are students engaged in the material? Does each student participate in the communication? Is there real depth to the students' responses?
Is there interaction between professors and their students, and between the students themselves? Has a "community of learners" been established from which students derive motivation?
We find that the attached Discussion Board Rubric works to turn ?no? answers into ?yes? answers. Items where it becomes difficult to answer either yes or no locate a developmental area that can be made a pedagogical focus.
Although, the instructor has an important role in moderating interactions, students can also self-assess by using the attached rubric questions in two ways: to help focus on essential learning of how to handle discussions and to help focus on the evidence that reflects development of scientific discussion skills.
Is learning competence equal or superior to that of a traditional classroom?
Are students engaged in the material? Does each student participate in the communication? Is there real depth to the students' responses?
Is there interaction between professors and their students, and between the students themselves? Has a "community of learners" been established from which students derive motivation?
We find that the attached Discussion Board Rubric works to turn ?no? answers into ?yes? answers. Items where it becomes difficult to answer either yes or no locate a developmental area that can be made a pedagogical focus.
Although, the instructor has an important role in moderating interactions, students can also self-assess by using the attached rubric questions in two ways: to help focus on essential learning of how to handle discussions and to help focus on the evidence that reflects development of scientific discussion skills.
Course: BIOL 409 Teaching Evolution: Online Course for Teachers
- Material:
- Teaching at an Internet Distance: the Pedagogy of Online
- Date last modified:
- July 25, 2005
- Created by:
- Nancy J. Pelaez
- License:
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This document is the product of the University of Illinois Teaching at an Internet Distance Seminar. The group met... see more
Exercise
Weekly review questions for the course are addressed through participation in an online collaborative Blackboard Discussion Board. The goal is for students to participate in educated discussions with other students. Weekly participation is required and is scored bi-weekly using the rubric that appears under the Assessment URL. It was developed and changed based on students and instructor comments posted in the CourseFAQs discussion board during the first few weeks of class. The review questions are to help students discuss what is learned from the assignments and to clarify thoughts about the content presented. Contributions are to be substantive and supported by reference to the textbooks,
online resources, or empirical evidence.
The purpose of the form is two-fold: (1) to check the reliability of the biweekly scores for participation in the discussion forum and (2) to identify problems with the discussion board rubric so that the scoring items can be revised to make the rubric score more accurate. Discussion board score changes are considered only for those students who self assess using this form. Students are expected to justify responses to these questions.
The questions are used in two ways: to help focus on essential learning of how to handle discussions about evolution and to help focus on the evidence that reflects your development of scientific discussion skills. Within a week of the bi-weekly deadline for the discussion board, students review the list to identify questions that can be answered ?yes.? They work to turn ?no? answers into ?yes? answers. Items where it becomes difficult to answer either yes or no locate the developmental area of focus. A score is calculated by counting ?yes? responses as 1 point, ?no? answers as 0 points, and difficult to answer ?yes? or ?no? as 1/2 point.
The purpose of the form is two-fold: (1) to check the reliability of the biweekly scores for participation in the discussion forum and (2) to identify problems with the discussion board rubric so that the scoring items can be revised to make the rubric score more accurate. Discussion board score changes are considered only for those students who self assess using this form. Students are expected to justify responses to these questions.
The questions are used in two ways: to help focus on essential learning of how to handle discussions about evolution and to help focus on the evidence that reflects your development of scientific discussion skills. Within a week of the bi-weekly deadline for the discussion board, students review the list to identify questions that can be answered ?yes.? They work to turn ?no? answers into ?yes? answers. Items where it becomes difficult to answer either yes or no locate the developmental area of focus. A score is calculated by counting ?yes? responses as 1 point, ?no? answers as 0 points, and difficult to answer ?yes? or ?no? as 1/2 point.
Additional Information: http://scied.fullerton.edu/biol409/discussrubric.htm
Audience
Technical Notes
Topics
Type of Task
Learning Objectives
Compare your ideas to textbooks and other printed resources using evidence and references to support your statements.
Consider alternatives and justify the ideas you support.
Recognize naive ideas and relinquish or refine them after considering evidence.