Synchronous discussions
Module 3 mentioned keeping live chats to a minimum of 6-7 students. If a class consists of 30 students, do I break it up into groups and have 5 different live chats? Also, do I randomly choose the students for each group?
Karin:
I recommend small groups because it is easier for an Instructor to manage the session. Random assignment to groups is not necessary.
Satrohan
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Would it not be beneficial to refer to the student bios and then group them so you get a diverse mix This would facilitate better discussions and I believe a superior learning environment
Joel
Joel:
This is a possibility providing that the bios capture the kinds of information to support this endeavour. In online programs geared for working professionals, we include the kinds of infomation that would, for example, enable an Instructor to apprpoach students working in the same organization to see if they would be interested in working on the same project. In other instances, instructors use information in the bios to identify students who live in the same locale, and encoursge them to engage in field trip assignments together; or even meet for face-to-face discussions.
Satrohan
I will keep these points in mind as I begin my work with online education
As a marketing professional I understand the importance of maintaining accurate database info as well as seeking useful/relevant info from surveys.
Joel
I have an associate who has taken a number of online classes. The most recent included a smaller group for online discussions. The group had to email to establish a convenient time. An instructor can then add later or join in. The live chat then was no so large and cumbersome
Joanne:
Smaller groups make the Chat session more manageable. IF the Instructor does not join in, do you think that the Chat session would remain on the topic or would it stray to other topics not related to the main topic?
Satrohan
In a smaller group the interaction may be more direct in discussion based on specific topics in which research or reading is required. The Instructor might choose to interject comment afterwards. A group may be self motivated/disciplined. General comments in evaluation reports may reclarify the direction
Joanne:
I do not foresee any major problems if the students are motivated and self-disclipined; and if the rules of conduct when participating in online chats are adherd to. I have reviewed Chat session in which the opening contributions included threads on the latest fashion, movies, video games, cars, sports---no trelated to the topic. The Instructor had to spend quite a while to get the Chat session on topic.
Satrohan
Dividing it into three sessions with a fairly equal number of students in each session would be better. I have 24 students currently in my one-weekly live chat. It works well for my students and my goal for the session. It is an hour long (the module said 30 minutes should be the max) and it works well because I reinforce what the students are working on each week independently. I try to reinforce the material they are covering, take questions from students, and allow input from students. My synchronous session is orderly, and students are not talking on top of each other; it works for me. It is not the "ideal" but it works. I'm sure I could improve on it. I think dividing up your students into three different scheduled sessions would work. Try it; most of my online students have been very flexible to schedule changes as long as I let them know well in advance. ;-) Good luck!
Robert:
without knowing the goal of your Chat session, I consider it amazing that you can manage 24 students in one Chat session. Do you find that all students are able to provide some input during the 60 minutes?
Satrohan
My experience found that a class of 20 students resulted in less participation by all of the students. My live chat has also been for an hour, but I do like the idea of lowering the time to 30 minutes. If I divide the class into two 30-minute sessons with 10 students max in each session, I should be able to cover the same amount of information with more participation by all of the students. I'm glad this was covered because it gives me direction.
At my online university, we are required to hold live chats each week, and we have 35-40 students in each class.
Darcy
Hi Darcy
Thanks for your comments. Does the number of students in the class depend on the subject matter or is there always 35-40 students in every class?
