Pedagogical Strategies for Synchronous Learning

Global Learning Technology Conference

Wilmington, NC

October 11, 2013

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Anthony C. Holderied Instructional Technologist

North Carolina State University

Agenda:1. Why Pedagogy?

2. Building Student Engagement – Considerations, Instructional Challenges, Best Practices Creating a profile

Ice Breaker Activities

Pair and Share

3. Facilitating Group Interaction – Considerations, Instructional Challenges, Best Practices Breakout Rooms

Interactive Whiteboards

Pair and Share

4. Assessing Synchronous Learning – Considerations, Instructional Challenges, Best Practices Peer Assessment

Pair and Share

Polling

Quizzing

5. Questions/Discussion*

Building Student EngagementWhy Does Engagement Matter?

1. Cognitive Engagement

Interest

Motivation

Retention

2. Social Engagement

Community and connections

Active partners in learning

Teach and learn

Building Student Engagement

Instructional Challenges

1. Disparate locations

2. Physical isolation

3. Too convenient to...

Procrastinate

Forget

Become disengaged

Exercise: Edit Your Profile

1. Choose Edit Profile from the drop-down menu

2. Click the No Picture icon

3. Browse to an image on your computer

4. Choose the image

5. Click Open

6. Enter your name and other information

7. Click OK, when finished

Ice Breaker Exercise:

“I learn best in classes where the instructor_____...”

Pair and Share

Get with a neighbor and…

1. Exchange names, occupation, and organization

2. Brainstorm two additional ice breaker activities that could prove successful in establishing student engagement in a synchronous learning environment

3. Record and report back to the group

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Facilitating Group Interaction

Why Group Work?

1. Prepares students for 'the real world'

2. Students teach and learn from each other (multiple perspectives)

3. Promote a sense of belonging

4. May cut down on prep time for instructor

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Facilitating Group Interaction

Instructional Challenges

1. Achieving 'buy-in'

2. Student schedules

3. Social 'loafing'

4. Assessment

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Breakout Rooms

Key features:

1. Replicate collaborative environment for small groups

2. Participants in each room may only hear/see each other

3. May be created at any time and reused throughout the session

4. Moderator can move from room to room

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Group Concept Map Exercise

In this activity you will work as a group to create a concept map. Creating a concept map is an approach to learning that allows you to brainstorm and articulate different perspectives of looking at a topic or idea. Most commonly, concept maps are used to gain, share, or produce knowledge.

By creating this map collaboratively, your group will benefit from having multiple perspectives contributed by you and your group members.

Concept Map Directions

Assemble a concept map of pedagogical applications for a variety of learning technologies.

1. Work as a team in breakout rooms, discussing ideas collaboratively

2. Click and drag the labels on the left into the appropriate “bubbles” on the right

3. Use all of the labels by placing one per bubble. All bubbles will not be filled unless you use some labels more than once.

4. Once you have completed your map, have each member save it to their desktop (File Save Whiteboard Current Page)

Pair and Share

Get with a neighbor and…

Brainstorm one idea that could serve as an engaging group “breakout” activity. If helpful, think of past group activities you have facilitated that were successful in engaging students in the learning process, and how it would translate in the synchronous learning environment.

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Facilitating Group InteractionBest Practices

1. Set expectations, explain importance

2. Set up groups appropriately • Self select• Teacher select• Randomized

3. Duration• Frequent vs. Occasional • Semester-long vs. Rotating groups• Major project vs. In-class activity

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Assessing Synchronous LearningImplementing Peer Assessment

Why Employ Peer Evaluation?

1. Grounded in Active Learning (Piaget) and Social Constructivism (Vygotsky)

2. Promotes critical thinking (re-evaluation)

3. Increased engagement through higher responsibility

4. May reduce grading time

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Implementing Peer Assessment

Considerations

1. Process, product, or both?

2. Low-stakes vs. high stakes

3. Small or large groups?

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Concept Map Peer Evaluation Activity

Work as a team in breakout rooms to assess another group’s concept map

1. Each group should turn in one score sheet only

2. Use the rubric provided to score the assigned concept map

3. Scoring Assignments

A. Room One evaluates Room TwoB. Room Two evaluates Room ThreeC. Room Three evaluates Room Four

4. In your Break Out room, click Load Content, then Browse for and upload the appropriate group’s concept map to the whiteboard.

5. Using the Page Explorer, check Follow, and toggle back and forth between assigned concept map, Bartel’s rubric and your group’s scoring rubric.

6. Type the Room Number, points for each category, and score total using the whiteboard’s text box tool.

Peer Assessment Rubric4 3 2 1

Participation Group member participated fully and was always on task in class.

Group member participated most of the time and was on task most of the time.

Group member participated but wasted time regularly or was rarely on task.

Group member did not participate, wasted time, or worked on unrelated material.

Leadership Group member assumed leadership in an appropriate way when necessary by helping the group stay on track.

Group member sometimes assumed leadership in an appropriate way.

Group member usually allowed others to assume leadership or often dominated the group.

Group member did not assume leadership or assumed it in a nonproductive manner.

Listening Group member listened carefully to others’ ideas.

Group member usually listened to others ideas.

Group member sometimes did not listen to others’ ideas.

Group member did not listen to others and often interrupted them.

Feedback Group member offered detailed, constructive feedback when appropriate

Group member offered constructive feedback when appropriate

Group member occasionally offered constructive feedback, but not always useful.

Group member did not offer constructive or useful feedback.

Cooperation Group member treated others respectfully and shared the workload fairly.

Group member usually treated others respectfully and shared the workload fairly.

Group member sometimes treated others disrespectfully or did not share workload fairly.

Group member often treated others disrespectfully or did not share the workload fairly.

Time Management

Group member completed assigned tasks on time.

Group member usually completed assigned tasks on time and did not hold up progress because of incomplete work.

Group member often did not complete assigned tasks on time, and held up completion of project work.

Group member did not complete most assigned tasks on time and often inconvenienced the group.

Bartel’s Scoring Rubric for Concept Maps4 3 2 1

Concepts and Terminology

Shows an understanding of the topic’s concepts and principles and uses appropriate terminology and notations

Makes some mistakes in terminology or shows a few misunderstandings of concepts

Makes many mistakes in terminology and shows a lack of understanding of many concepts

Shows no understanding of the topic’s concepts and principles

Knowledge of the relationships among concepts

Identifies all the important concepts and shows an understanding of the relationships among them

Identifies important concepts but makes some incorrect connections

Makes many incorrect connections

Fails to use any appropriate concepts or appropriate connections

Ability to communicate through concept maps

Constructs an appropriate and complete concept map and includes examples; places concepts in an appropriate hierarchy and places linking words on all connections; produces a concept map that is easy to interpret

Places almost all concepts in an appropriate hierarchy and assigns linking words to most connections; produces a concept map that is easy to interpret

Places only a few concepts in an appropriate hierarchy or uses only a few linking words; produces a concept map that is difficult to interpret

Produces a final product that is not a concept map

Group Number Concepts and Terminology Knowledge of the relationships among concepts

Ability to communicate through concept maps Score (12)

Pair and Share

Get with a neighbor and…

Brainstorm one idea that could serve as an effective peer assessment activity where students assess another student or a group of students via the use of a rubric. If helpful, think of past group activities you have facilitated that were successful and how you might involve peer assessment using a rubric in a synchronous learning environment.

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Implementing Peer Assessment

Best Practices

1. Individual and group contributions

2. Fewer dimensions

3. Expectations and rationale

4. Co-develop criteria

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Assessing Synchronous LearningFlipping the Classroom

Why Flip?

1. Engagement

2. Flexibility

3. Active Learning

4. Application

5. Peer Instruction

6. Feedback

(Mazur, 2013)

Exercise: Create a Poll1. Click on the Options menu in the

Participants panel, and change thePolling Type to A..D Multiple Choices.

2. If visible, make the polling responses invisible.

3. In the Whiteboard space below, use one of the Text toolsto type a multiple choice question requiring an A, B, C or D answer.

4. Allow the other participants to answer the question.

5. Lock the responses.

6. Publish the responses to the Whiteboard.

Question:

A. A.

B. B.

C. C.

D. D.

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Sample polling questionsPhysics Example:

An object floats in water with 3/4 of its volume, V, submerged. The ratio of the density of the object to that water is:

A. 1/4

B. 1/3

C. 1/2

D. 3/4

E. None of the above

F. Not enough information

Law Example:

Which of the concepts from the Unit 5 lecture video would you like to discuss further?

A. Intentional Tort

B. Negligence

C. Strict Liability

D. Insurance

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Flipping the Classroom

Best Practices

1. Create a need to know

2. Employ engaging models

3. Consider technology

4. Allow for reflection

(Miller, 2012) (Mazur, 2013)

Questions?Review

1. Building Student Engagement – Considerations, Instructional Challenges, Best Practices Creating a profile

Ice Breaker Activities

Pair and Share

2. Facilitating Group Interaction – Considerations, Instructional Challenges, Best Practices Breakout Rooms

Interactive Whiteboards

Pair and Share

3. Assessing Synchronous Learning – Considerations, Instructional Challenges, Best Practices Peer Assessment

Pair and Share

Polling

Quizzing

Thank you for attending!

Thank You!