Online Chat Attendance
Hi, all! What methods have you found encourage Live Chat attendance? It used to be a requirement of our institution that students attend at least one of the 2 standard Live Chats per week, but since that requirement has been dropped, so has the attendance in chats. Asynchronous learning is wonderful, and we archive all of our Live Chats, but I find that when students attend, they produce better work. Any thoughts?
Katina,
It can be difficult to have a live chat when you have students on both coasts, but it can be done. If you do one chat early one week, do another late the following week. Make sure students know they must attend one of their choice.
Shelly Crider
Hi Katina I'd be interested to know that answer also! :) I teach at a few colleges and all require online chats - and sometimes I get 4 students a week between them! If I knew for sure they weren't going to show up I'd just sit down one Sunday afternoon and record all my demo's for the entire course. In fact, I might try that this week and then for my scheduled chat times just do Q&A or bonus primers for those who show up.
I guess that is one thing you could do if you do something special for those who show that isn't recorded. For instance, I teach some web development content at one college, I could do an off topic lesson on a "New Feature" that only participants that came to the chat received. If the word got around that there was some good content being done for folks who show up then it might increase attendance.
HI Justice, You are never going to get a majority of students in on line classes in the chatroom. The reason is the majority are not traditional college students and are involved in the business of families and jobs. Archiving the chats is beneficial but I run my chat twice in the week. Once in the evening and then again in the afternoon on different days only to accommodate those that work in shift work. I also explain in the beginning that my experience has been that students who attend at least one live chat per week in the course have consistently done better in their graded deliverable s because they are able to address issues with the instructor and classmates in real time and don't lose the question by forgetting it. They can also call for clarification of an answer from the instructor in a chat.
Required attendance may be difficult for evrybody as we have busy lives with many demands outside of the class room and live in different time zones. I like using the forums better.
Katina,
I too would like to know the answer to this question. I think if the requirement is dropped, it will be difficult to get students to participate. I used to post a second board on which students could post their comments, just so that we could discuss current events and their application to the course. However, only the same students each week participated. Even when extra credit was offered, this did not significantly boost attendance.
Samantha Eaddy
Kristina ,
This is one reason many students take the online class as they are just busy people.
Shelly Crider
Katina,
I am in the same boat! Recently chats became optional and I have a class of 17 students and am lucky if I have one participant. I totally understand why attending live chats can be challenging but I set my times with that in mind. I also stress in the beginning of the term how important it is to attend. I have so many great features (like polls) and ways I want to make the material relevant and interactive but instead I end up lecturing to myself. My chats are recorded but I don't think any of my students listen to them.
My college requires that we do at least one chat in the evening and another when we want as long as it is between certain hours in the day. We have students from all over to include individuals in the Armed Forces. They could be stationed anywhere in the world. As was mentioned, since the college doesn't make attendance mandatory for the live chats, I do get maybe one or two or none that show up. I always record the chats. I encourage the students by letting them know that I normally talk about the homework assignment in the first class and that I am available for questions about it. That still doesn't work the way I hope. Students are busy people with many responsibilities. I work with them as much as I can to help them pass the course!
Marie,
It does make you question what is really important.
Shelly Crider
I would say that we have found that unless it is required or worth the students time they do not attend. There has to be some benefit (bonus points) or possible deduction to the grade to motivate the students to attend. Our institution has tried numerous options and all have failed.
Which I could be more help.
William Huber
William,
We all like to be motivated to do something, unless the topic is just wonderful!
Shelly Crider
I wish it would required to attend on-line, just on-ground classes. I think students benefit from interaction with the instructor as well as their peers. I also wish it was required to be audio and video group sessions. I do my Capstone final presentation this way and my students love it!
Diana
Diana,
I do think they benefit from the discussion as well. If you have a discussion they want to join, they tend to be there a little more.
Shelly Crider
