Best (Online) Practices for Teaching

MTH 211-212-213

Dr. Laurie BurtonMathematics Department

TOTOM—September 11, 2015

211-212-213 Online?

• Last year we (WOU) offered 211 and 212 online for the first time, with 213 for fall 2015

Does anyone else offer 211-212-213 online?

Another undergrad math ed class?

Discussion

211 – 212 -213 online

Really?

Class structure—Set up• 10 weeks = 10 sections (possible combo)• Each week / section has the same structure– A Forum: Initial math activity and discussion– B Forum: Lecture powerpoint and discussion– C Quiz: Activity set quiz– D Online Homework: Publisher’s site– E Written Homework– V Vocabulary Quiz: 213 only

Class structure—Exams

• Proctored midterm (one)• Proctored final• (WOU required)

Proctored skills tests in 212 & 213

Who has been signing up?

• So far my (self-selecting) population has been fairly distinct– Single parents–Working adults (very few)– Confident math students

When is work due?• "They" tell me that I should only have things due

once or twice (maybe) a week in an online class.– "They" might be students I don't really recall

where I heard this particular “should” • I have disregarded this advice• 211-212-213 isn’t a once a week experience– 3 key due days per section– Forum responses on other days

Nitty gritty

• OK, so how do I really do all of this? • I’ll give one thorough example and the

remainder examples “lite”

(A) Math activity forum• Students do a

math activity• Students post an

answer (group forum)

• Students respond to other student’s answers

(A) Math activity forum• That sounds great! How did it work out?• 211 I found a flaw• I didn’t require “correctness” (to facilitate

conversation)– After all, when we ask them to share in class

they aren’t required to be correct• When students made errors, I would ask a

question to get them to move forward– So that’s good pedagogy, how did it work out?

(A) Math activity forum

• Two things happened …. • Some students fixed their errors• Some students (rightly) noticed they were not

required to respond and so they –did not!

(A) Math activity forum

• This means the other students in their group will read the wrong answer and never have a recourse about what the right answer is unless– I post the right answer

• Which, as we know, tends to shut down the conversation and thought process

(A) Math activity forum• So now I … • Include a correctness check• First answer rating:–On time–Work shown AND fully explained– Answer complete, including images

BEST PRACTICES

(A) Math activity forum

• To address correctness:• First answer professor response: – (error) ask questions • Students respond with corrections

– (accurate ) responds with "correct“• Students respond with an acknowledgement

(A) Math activity forum

• All together (week starts Monday)– Students post answer by TUESDAY– Students post corrections by WEDNESDAY– Students post response to another student

post by FRIDAY– Groups of 3 or 4 students –Who answers / responds is assigned

Keeping track

• I started by just filtering and sorting email notifications

• I would want to see my students progress and I would go back through folders and back through forum threads and waste a lot of time

• The gradebook wasn't particularly useful if I had a forum with two ratings, I couldn't distinguish between low or incomplete

A Best Practice

• This is perhaps not the pedagogical best practice advice you were hoping for, but it is connected

• In order to implement any good pedagogy, you have to be hands on too & that creates work for you

DON’T TOUCH ANYTHING TWICE

Another Best Practice

• I use a Google sheet to track ALL progress• Device independent and easy access• I can check off (for myself) student work– At my WOU office– At my home office–On my phone–On my iPad

Lesson learned

• 211-212-213 is not a class where you can set up a forum, no matter how great your content / questions / prompts are and let the students “converse amongst themselves” without instructor input

• “Hands-off” doesn’t actually save time since you have to “hands-on” check for progress

• Integrating hands-on / progress check can be FAST

Lesson learned

• This hands-on check & track method worked beautifully in my summer EMIL course (4-week intensive, 46 students (2 sections))

And the rest ….

• B Forum: Lecture powerpoint and discussion– Students post answers & respond (similar to A

forums, only Thursday-Friday-Sunday)• Then the rest are due Sunday– C Quiz: Activity set quiz– D Online Homework: Publisher’s site– E Written Homework– V Vocabulary Quiz: 213 only

B lecture forum example

C activity set quiz• Use a “write in’ activity book• The quiz questions don’t make sense unless

the student have done the activity set• Examples:

C activity set quiz

V quiz example

• A little vocabulary quiz philosophy• They are not really memorizing – Do they ever?

• The vocabulary quizzes are timed so they do have the opportunity to learn to– fluidly access and be comfortable using their

vocabulary terms

V quiz example

The weekly plan

Other details

• Ideas for any online class–Write down all directions – Keep it as simple as possible– Require the students to talk to each other

The good stuff• These classes are very accessible and these

students are grateful • The online environment fosters individual

responsibility • Every student must show their work for class

activities – You can’t sit in the back and pretend to work

• Public sharing of work (even in small groups) tends to result in higher quality work

Some issues

• These students are not really having a conversation – They (perhaps?) are missing the aha! moments

when another student shares a solution • Student responses are minimal – 140 characters or less?

• I’ve lost true activity set focus and discussion in my class

Not an issue • Using manipulatives – Text comes with kit• Students post hand sketches• Students post photographs

– Virtual manipulatives• Students post screenshots

– Students will check out manipulatives too• Geometry software– For 213 we’re using GeoGebra

Not an issue

• Uploading work– Students type and embed images– Students photograph hand written pages– Students scan hand written pages

Discussion

211 – 212 -213 online

How do we get students to have a realconversation in the online environment?