ID Meeting - July 10, 2015

Topics of discussion:

1. Calibrating Peer Review

• Peer Review in Higher Education: http://alh.sagepub.com/content/15/2/157.full.pdf+html
• Podcast: Calibrated Peer Review: http://www.educause.edu/blogs/gbayne/eli-podcast-calibrated-peer-review
• ELI: Calibrated Peer Review: http://www.educause.edu/library/resources/7-things-you-should-know-about-calibrated-peer-review

2. Notes for online teaching with case studies

Syllabus

• Emphasize the importance of preparing cases for meaningful discussions.
• In schedule/syllabus, list cases and guiding questions.
• Explain the case study methodology and etiquette that you expect from students.
• Tie the cases together in weekly announcements; Share the purpose of each case and make the planning strategy transparent.
• Online courses allow for reflection, research and planning – therefore, can benefit from deeper, more sophisticated cases than face-to-face courses.
• Grade participation: Ask yourself: “When students participate, are their classmates glad that they did?”
• Encourage back channel communication or case discussion outside of LMS
• Require students to post 4-5 times per week (different days) to build discussions throughout the week.

Developing Questions

• Give student guiding prep questions, but don’t ask these questions in the class discussion; develop more complex questions.
• To begin the discussions at higher levels, require students to complete a self-check comprehension quiz prior to posting to the discussion board.
• The opening discussion questions usually fall into one of three categories: (1) Retrospective questions that look back; (2) Action questions that focus on action/outcome decision; or (3) Predictive that look forward.  Best practice is using a variety of question types to begin discussions and keep students interested/engaged.
• Develop open-ended questions, but a poll type question can be effective at the beginning or end of discussion.
• One strategy for kick-off is brainstorming; for example, the first word that comes to mind to describe some aspect on the situation, industry, or person/people.
• Avoid leading questions such as “What is Malcolm Graham’s problem?”
• Consider broad opening questions; Examples: “What is happening in this situation?” or “What decisions does Dr. Nigam need to make?”
• Consider having the students approach the discussion from different perspectives.  For example, in a business retail scenario students might be given the roles of corporate office managers, sales associates, or consumers.
• If someone “cracks the case”, focus on the process of analysis or their rationale for decisions.
• Avoid presenting a correct answer because it squelches discussion.

Lectures

• Use short lectures before or after (not during) the case discussion.
• Focus on difficult or confusing concepts; Avoid lecturing on information that students can read.

Debrief

• Debrief each case with concluding remarks.
• Consider using Wacom tablet (or Explain Everything app) with audio and whiteboard for wrap-up comments.
• Weave student names and comments into debrief
• Consider shelf-life or reusability of debrief.

Synchronous Facilitation

• Learn to be comfortable with less control in case discussions because students think aloud to the solve problems.
• Learn student names and personalities; Know who to push and probe.
• Strive to involve students immediately (even before reviewing the syllabus on day #1); Get as many voices as possible into the early discussions.
• Require students to raise their hands to manage the pace and focus of the discussion; Reinforce and revisit key points as necessary.
• Create a lesson plan; Prepare carefully and thoroughly
• Plan questions and “blocks” on how to facilitate key parts/topics of the discussion; Consider blocks of foundation, analysis, options/recommendation, and action/decision plan.
• Consider “warm-calling” (instead of “cold-calling”) – warn the students in advance (via email) that you will ask them to discussion some points that they posted in the discussion board.
• Use the whiteboard to summarize and guide discussion.
• Strive to be respectful and avoid embarrassing anyone.

NEXT TIME: FRIDAY AUGUST 7, 2015 @ 10 AM

Topics: Troublesome course and Blackboard stats