[MUSIC] >> This episode explores ideas for actively engaging students in online learning. We discussed the importance of creating a collaborative learning environment. The role of the teacher in effectively facilitating student interaction. Strategies for motivating students when they're not participating very well with their peers. And how to encourage a sustained level of participation in collaborative online activities. >> Education can be very lonely. A student is, is just a receive a whole load of course materials and start wading their way through it. It's not very engaging. >> The role of academics is now designing, learning environments that engage students. If I'm saying that engagement is the holy grail, I better be engaging in ways that they enjoy, not that I'm used to. >> I think the notion of teacher presence in an online environment is absolutely critical. I can't underscore that enough. >> If you want to be successful at it, you, you need as a teacher to have students sensing your presence there. >> It was important for me to indicate to students in a variety of different ways that I was engaged and interested in what they were doing. >> You have to be there, you have to be paying attention to what they're saying. And what I find is if you do that effectively in the first two weeks, the rest takes care of itself. You've established the benchmark that you're expecting. >> Teacher presence is a very important part of the socialization of students into online learning, and it's not that you were there for dominating and telling the students what to learn. It's that you're playing that role of the guide on the side. The person who's there to help the students along, but not to become the one they rely upon. >> The best way of learning is to actually form a community. It's to share information. >> Some students are shy, like for example, international students or non-english speaking background students. They're shy to speak up in face to face interactions. >> What I found that was students that had quieter voices in the classroom, flowered online. >> I'm not going to talk to everyone face to face, but online we're kind of a bit less scared to have our own opinions. >> Online learning environments are really democratic. So, I try and embrace that social element as much as possible. >> If there are 500 million users in Facebook, and there are so many billions of, you know, YouTube videos. And I saw opportunity to be able to use these same set of tools in teaching to make more engaging if you like for the students. >> By drawing them out using these social networks then I think that, that builds not just an online learning environment, but an online learning community. >> I think it has actually helped them to learn from each other, plus to open up a little bit in this online environment. >> They feel that, they know the people that they're working with. They know, they are no longer isolated learners in the world. >> So if you share you learn more, you get different views. So it is basically global learning. >> You needed to give them enough rope, to be able to engage when they wanted but also ensure as a teacher you are responsible for their learning. >> If I felt for instance that, you know, some students weren't participating actively what I would do is privately or offline contact them and ask them, where there was anything I could do to facilitate greater involvement. Or I'd post general comments to a message board and make positive comments about how things were going. >> In terms of the way that the students perceive that the comments that they make and the the interaction that they're involved with interests other people. And I think if you see the value in that continuing conversation, then students will keep on engaging. >> When someone responds to what you've just said, it makes you feel included and that is what spurs me on. >> I think there are ways of keeping students engaged with online learning. They need to perceive there to be a value of them being online, engaging other students, and you can create that value in different ways, you can tie it to assessment. That's a very simple way of making sure that students perceive a value, because they're going to get a mark at the end of it. It's quite a cynical way potentially, but it is a useful way. >> You probably have to have some participation marks involved, because otherwise students may not contribute as much as you would like them to. >> One of the really important things about engineering the kind of momentum is about establishing ground rules. I think, often with online dialogue. People aren't sure what the conventions are. >> I set very specific criteria about what I expect, that I expect them to log on and post something for each topic at the bare minimum. Then, I have levels of criteria to show what a pass level of engagement would look like, a credit distinction and high distinction. For example to, get a high distinction, you have to post multiple times, reflect on other student's contributions. Offer up your own suggestions as well as, synthesize the whole topic. >> What students have said, was that they were able to see themselves and others differently. >> You never meet these people. And yet, you feel that you've developed almost a friendship with them by the end, which is great. >> Normally, you only meet once a week. Here, you can be there everyday, if you want to, and I do want to. [BLANK_AUDIO]
