Requiring students to write at least one main post on a discussion board each week and to write at least two response posts to different classmates where they interact with their classmates' views. This, in my experience, has kept students involved.

Kirk:

Thank you for the prompt response. What was the quality of these responses? I ask because I have found some responses to be anecdotal, giving students' opinions or stories of their experiences that do not draw on any of the theory and concepts given in the course materials for the specific topic.

Many thanks,

Debra 

Hi Debra! To avoid the problem you mentioned, I grade main and response posts of discussion boards on a rubric that requires them to draw on the theory and concepts in course materials. If they simply give opinions or stories, they will only receive 2 or 3 points out of 10, if that.

Hi Debra,

I suggest this paper: TechTrendsVolume 59, Issue 3, 1 May 2015, Pages 41-47

Increasing Interactivity in the Online Learning Environment: Using Digital Tools to Support Students in Socially Constructed Meaning-Making

Moreillon, J.Email Author

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Texas Woman’s University, Denton, TX, United States

https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84928691500&origin=resultslist&sort=plf-f&src=s&st1=Teaching+and+learning+online+AND+increasing+interactivity+&st2=&sid=8a75b692c61c258ae3482eadd906cc7f&sot=b&sdt=b&sl=73&s=TITLE-ABS-KEY%28Teaching+and+learning+online+AND+increasing+interactivity+%29&relpos=1&citeCnt=1&searchTerm=

Best regards

Lídia

I create my opwn videos for the students to watch, and require them to post responses.  I have even used assignments to have students make their own videos and post them.

Hello Debra

Good question - interactivity is key, and I know plenty of colleagues who complain about students absorbing on-line materials passively, not contributing to Discussion Boards or communicating with tutors and peers, or indeed not spending a lot of time on the on-line platform at all. I and colleagues have increasingly found that running 'real-time' (but recorded) web conferences, can help to sustain tutor-peer and peer-peer interactivity.

The other obvious 'variable' to consider innovating with is the nature and form of your assessment options. I found that designing a blog posting unit, with one of the assessment items broken down into four smaller 500 word posts worked well. The students were also assessed upon both their feedback to others and their responsiveness to feedback that they had received (details attached).

I am sure that other contributors will have other bright ideas. I think that unit co-ordinators need to keep innovating to keep students engaged, interested and 'on their toes'.

Regards.  Peter

Article 'AN ENGAGING AND DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE': BLOG POSTING IN A HU...

I agree: interactivity is very important, but maybe it is just one side of the equation. The other condition being the stance we choose when designing the course. Will it be teacher-centered or learner-centered ?

If we create courses that are mostly based on active learning (problem solving, case studies, project-based learning) and if we set conditions such as teamwork and co-construction of knowledge, interactivity will be created naturally between students themselves and between teacher and students.

From my point of view, a part of the challenge is that we remain confident that « transmissive » techniques are efficient and we refrain ourselves from trying more engaging learning techniques.

I strongly recommend this book : Charles M. Reigeluth, Brian J. Beatty, Rodney D. Myers. (2017). Instructional-Design Theories and Models, Volume IV: The Learner-Centered Paradigm of Education. Routledge: New York. 464 p.

Regards.

Françoise

The level of student need to be put into consideration.specific strategy can not work for same level of students.Nevertheless creating a  group platform for student and asking student to read topic and then post questions.

Hello,

 The tools I use is Black Board Collaborate. Skype, and a Live Chat feature embedded in the course. I schedule different chat types for my different classes, often focusing on a major topic and more importantly, prior to introducing a major project where I give students mock examples. I also have students to read an article or watch a video on a certain topic prior to a chat so we can discuss it as well.

I have given only a small umber of lectures online. My experience is that it is useful to have questions that the students can answer at regular intervals (say 10 min). For the systems I have used there is an option for the students to type in their answers. Also I should add that the groups have been small (less than 10) so it then became possible for me to interact with the students who answered. Also it was possible to note if any students were silent so one could ask direct questions if needed. 

Debra, Thanks a lot for your question. I always find your input very stimulating. The responses this has drawn out have also been quite informative. Thank you. Rose.

Design and develop a coaching relationship with students.

Interactive virtual chat sessions have been a great retention tool for my online classes. Using Skype, Black Board Collaborate, or a chat feature in the LMS are great tools. I also use screencast to record some lecture/important information, which helps students to better understand more complex assignments. 

There are a number of strategies that can be used to education as a strategy Web quest and dual learning strategy and other

Hi Debra,

The students find most activities engaging in our course (they say) as they require them to interact with their wider environment. For example, we did an environmental mindfulness assessment, where students had to meditate outside and connect with the environment and then perform an acts of kindness for the environment. They really liked this one!

Nikki

As Kirk has said, asking the students to post but givng them a small end of course credit seems to work. However, the problem is that sometimes the posts can be poor if they are credited no matter what. The other side is to grade them but that is not advisable because of the burden of work on staff.

I used quizzes on a course in speical education.  The quizzes were open for 12 hours and worth 20% each. The first covered the content of the first half of the course and other other the second. There was a lot of material online and the students were told that many quiz (muiltiple choice) responses were from the content which was online.

1. Have found synchronous sessions in Collaborate to be useful, with students assigned to group chat rooms and having to debrief to the whole group at the end of their discussions.

2. I use media sources that are related to the course content as an ice breaker each week.  Students then also have to find their own media sources and introduce them to the class, explaining their relevance within the course topics.

3.  Opening up my format of assessment has been very useful too.  My intention was to allow more flexibility in terms of universal design for learning, and hence more accessibility.  However by designating assignments which can be posted in written format, podcast, videos, media montages, PPT, PPT with voice over, etc. there has been no end of creativity and interaction.  It really turns the sharing of assignments and the scaffolding that goes with it interactive and fun.   I have had animations handed in for example and posted to the forums, which have been absolutely fascinating to watch and have drawn students to view, comment and try themselves...         

I utterly agree with Dr. Kirk MacGregor answer.

I have found the gamification of modules to be very advantageous. Qualitative research suggests the students engaged with a great deal more reading for example.

Here are the top 10 strategies students prefer in online classes:

Page 43 - https://bit.ly/2yuPzMg

Best regards,

Debra