Online Roles of Faculty and Students: Changing the Way We Teach

Curt Bonk, Indiana University(and CourseShare.com)

cjbonk@indiana.edu

http://php.indiana.edu/~cjbonk

Are You Ready???

Administrators and faculty members at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are debating what could become a $100-million effort to create extensive World Wide Web pages for nearly every course the university offers.

Jeffrey R. Young, March 1, 2001, The Chronicle of Higher Ed

Douglas Rowlett has turned his English-department office into a virtual radio station that broadcasts continuously on the Internet, offering a mix of poetry readings, lectures, and popular music. He plans to deliver entire courses over the Internet radio station.

Jeffrey R. Young (Jan 8., 2001). Chronicle of Higher Ed.

Faculty Entrepreneurship

Santa Clara University has fired an adjunct instructor who sold his students thousands of dollars worth of stock in an online-education venture that appears to never have gotten off the ground.

Sarah Carr, The Chronicle of Higher Ed.

Faculty Entrepreneurship?

What Percent of Time Teach Online?

Figure 21. Percent of Instructional Time Spent Teaching Online During the Next Decade

0

20

40

60

80

1 Year 2 Years 5 Years 10 Years

Time Teaching Online

Pe

rce

nt

of

Re

sp

on

de

nts

0%

1-25%

25-50%

51-75%

76-100%

To Cope with the Explosion, We Need Instructor E-Learning

Support!!!

Problems FacedAdministrative:• “Lack of admin vision.”• “Lack of incentive from

admin and the fact that they do not understand the time needed.”

• “Lack of system support.”

• “Little recognition that this is valuable.”

• “Rapacious U intellectual property policy.”

• “Unclear univ. policies concerning int property.”

Pedagogical:• “Difficulty in performing

lab experiments online.”• “Lack of appropriate

models for pedagogy.”

Time-related:• “More ideas than time to

implement.” • “Not enough time to

correct online assign.”• “People need sleep; Web

spins forever.”

TrainingOutside Support

• Training (FacultyTraining.net)• Courses & Certificates (JIU, e-education)• Reports, Newsletters, & Pubs• Aggregators of Info (CourseShare, Merlot)

• Global Forums (FacultyOnline.com; GEN)• Resources, Guides/Tips, Link Collections,

Online Journals, Library Resources

Certified Online Instructor Program

• Walden Institute—12 Week Online Certification (Cost = $995)

• 2 tracks: one for higher ed and one for online corporate trainer– Online tools and purpose– Instructional design theory

& techniques– Distance ed evaluation– Quality assurance– Collab learning communities

http://merlot.orghttp://www.utexas.edu/world/lecture/

Inside Support…

• Instructional Consulting• Mentoring (strategic planning $)• Small Pots of Funding• Help desks, institutes, 1:1, tutorials• Summer and Year Round Workshops• Office of Distributed Learning• Colloquiums, Tech Showcases, Guest Speakers

– Newsletters, guides, active learning grants, annual reports, faculty development, brown bags, other professional development

Four Key Hats of Instructors:– Technical—do students have basics? Does their

equipment work? Passwords work?

– Managerial—Do students understand the assignments and course structure?

– Pedagogical—How are students interacting, summarizing, debating, thinking?

– Social—What is the general tone? Is there a human side to this course? Joking allowed?

– Other: firefighter, convener, weaver, tutor, conductor, host, mediator, filter, editor, facilitator, negotiator, e-police, concierge, marketer, assistant, etc.

Study of Four Classes(Bonk, Kirkley, Hara, & Dennen, 2001)

• Technical—Train, early tasks, be flexible, orientation task

• Managerial—Initial meeting, FAQs, detailed syllabus, calendar, post administrivia, assign e-mail pals, gradebooks, email updates

• Pedagogical—Peer feedback, debates, PBL, cases, structured controversy, field reflections, portfolios, teams, inquiry, portfolios

• Social—Café, humor, interactivity, profiles, foreign guests, digital pics, conversations, guests

How to Combine these Roles?

E-Moderator

• Refers to online teaching and facilitation role. Moderating used to mean to preside over a meeting or a discussion, but in the electronic world, it means more than that. It is all roles combined—to hold meetings, to encourage, to provide information, to question, to summarize, etc. (Collins & Berge, 1997; Gilly Salmon, 2000); see http://www.emoderators.com/moderators.shtml.

Other Hats

Online Concierge

• To provide support and information on request (perhaps a map of the area…) (Gilly Salmon, 2000).

Personal Learning Trainer

• Learners need a personal trainer to lead them through materials and networks, identify relevant materials and advisors and ways to move forward (Mason, 1998; Salmon, 2000).

E-Police

• While one hopes you will not call yourself this nor find the need to make laws and enforce them, you will need some Code of Practice or set procedures, and protocols for e-moderators (Gilly Salmon, 2000).

Online Conductor

• The pulling together of a variety of resources as people as in an orchestra to produce beautiful integrated sound or perhaps electrical current conductors if your conferences are effective and flow along, there will be energy, excitement, and power (Gilly Salmon, 2000).

Convener

• A term that is used especially with online conferences and courses where there is a fairly sizable audience (Gilly Salmon, 2000).

Online Negotiator

• Where knowledge construction online is desired, the key role for the e-moderator is one of negotiating the meaning of activities and information throughout online discussion and construction (Gilly Salmon, 2000).

Online Host

• The social role of online working is important so there may be a need for a social host or hostess. They do not need to run social events online (though they may) but ensure everyone is greeted and introduced to others with like-minded interests (Gilly Salmon, 2000).

Other Hats

• Weaver—linking comments/threads

• Tutor—individualized attention

• Participant—joint learner

• Provocateur—stir the pot (& calm flames)

• Observer—watch ideas and events unfold

• Mentor—personally apprentice students• Community Organizer—keep system going

Still More HatsAssistantDevil’s advocateEditorExpertFilterFirefighterFacilitator

GardenerHelperLecturerMarketerMediatorPriestPromoter

Sure…but Cat Herder???

Activity: Pick a Online Instruction Metaphor from 40 Options

Reality: ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

Ideal World: ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

Online Mentoring and Assistance Online

Twelve forms of electronic learning mentoring and assistance

(Bonk & Kim, 1998; Tharp, 1993; Bonk et al., 2001)

1. Social (and cognitive) Acknowledgement: "Hello...," "I agree with everything said so far...," "Wow, what a case," "This case certainly has provoked a lot of discussion...," "Glad you could join

us..."

2. Questioning: "What is the name of this concept...?," "Another reason for this might be...?," "An example of this is...," "In contrast to this might be...,""What else might be important here...?," "Who can tell me....?," "How might the teacher..?." "What is the real problem here...?," "How is this related to...?,“,

"Can you justify this?"

3. Direct Instruction: "I think in class we mentioned that...," Chapter ‘X’ talks about...," "Remember back to the first week of the semester when we went over ‘X’

which indicated that..."

4. Modeling/Examples: "I think I solved this sort of problem once when I...," "Remember that video we saw on ‘X’ wherein ‘Y’ decided to...," "Doesn't ‘X’ give insight into this problem in case

‘Z’ when he/she said..."

5. Feedback/Praise: "Wow, I'm impressed...," "That shows real insight into...," "Are you sure you have considered...," "Thanks for responding to ‘X’...," "I have yet to see you or

anyone mention..."

6. Cognitive Task Structuring: "You know, the task asks you to do...," "Ok, as was required, you should now summarize the peer responses that you have received...," "How might the

textbook authors have solved this case."

7. Cognitive Elaborations/Explanations: "Provide more information here that explains your rationale," "Please clarify what you mean by...," "I'm just not sure what you mean by...," "Please evaluate this solution a little

more carefully."

8. Push to Explore: "You might want to write to Dr. ‘XYZ’ for...," "You might want to do an ERIC search on this topic...," "Perhaps there is a URL on the Web that addresses this topic..."

9. Fostering Reflection/Self Awareness: "Restate again what the teacher did here," "How have you seen this before?," "When you took over this class, what was the first thing you did?," "Describe how your teaching philosophy will vary from this...," "How might an expert teacher handle this

situation?"

10. Encouraging Articulation/Dialogue Prompting: "What was the problem solving process the teacher faced here?," "Does anyone have a counterpoint or alternative to this situation?," "Can someone give me three good reasons why...," "It still seems like something is missing here, I just can't put my

finger on it."

11. General Advice/Scaffolding/Suggestions: "If I were in her shoes, I would...," "Perhaps I would think twice about putting these people into...," "I know that I would first...," "How totally ridiculous this all is; certainly the “person” should be able to provide some..."

12. Management (via private e-mail or discussion): "Don't just criticize....please be sincere when you respond to your peers," "If you had put your case in on time, you would have gotten more feedback." "If you do this again, we will have to take away your

privileges."

What About Student Roles???

Participant Categories

• Web Resource Finder• Starter-Wrapper• Researcher• Online Journal Editor• Expert Resource Gatherer• Technology Reviewer• Mentor/Expert• Instructor• Seeker/Questioner

Role 1: Starter/MediatorReporter/Commentator

• Summarizes the key terms, ideas, and issues in the chapters, supplemental instructor notes, journal articles, and other assigned readings and asks thought provoking questions typically before one’s peers read or discuss the concepts and ideas. In effect, the starter is a reporter or commentator or teacher of what to expect in the upcoming readings or activities. Once the “start” is posted, this student acts as a mediator or facilitator of discussion for the week.

Role 2: Wrapper/SummarizerSynthesizer/Connector/Reviewer

• Connects ideas, synthesizes discussion, interrelates comments, and links both explicit and implicit ideas posed in online discussion or other activities. Here, the student looks for patterns and themes in online coursework while weaving information together. The wrapping or summarizing is done at least at the end of the week or unit, but preferably two or more times depending on the length of the activity.

Role 3: Conqueror or Debater/Arguer/Bloodletter

• Takes ideas into action, debates with others, persists in arguments and never surrenders or compromises nomatter what the casualties are when addressing any problem or issue.

Role 4: Devil's Advocate or Critic/Censor/Confederate

• Takes opposite points of view for the sake of an argument and is an antagonist when addressing any problem posed. This might be a weekly role that is secretly assigned.

Role 5: Idea Squelcher/Biased/Preconceiver

• Squelches good and bad ideas of others and submits your own prejudiced or biased ideas during online discussions and other situations. Forces others to think. Is that person you really hate to work with.

Role 6: Optimist/Open-minded/Idealist

• In this role, the student notes what appears to be feasible, profitable, ideal, and "sunny" ideas when addressing this problem. Always sees the bright or positive side of the situation.

Role 7: Emotional/Sensitive/Intuitive

• Comments with the fire and warmth of emotions, feelings, hunches, and intuitions when interacting with others, posting comments, or addressing problems.

Role 8: Idea Generator Creative Energy/Inventor

• Brings endless energy to online conversations and generates lots of fresh ideas and new perspectives to the conference when addressing issues and problems.

Role 9: Questioner/Ponderer/Protester

• Role is to question, ponder, and protest the ideas of others and the problem presented itself. Might assume a radical or ultra-liberal tone.

Role 10: Coach Facilitator/Inspirer/Trainer

• Offers hints, clues, supports, and highly motivational speeches to get everyone fired-up or at least one lost individual back on track when addressing a problem or situation.

Role 11: Controller/Executive Director/CEO/Leader

• In this role, the student oversees the process, reports overall findings and opinions, and attempts to control the flow of information, findings, suggestions, and general problem solving.

Role 12: Slacker/Slough/Slug/Surfer Dude

• In this role, the student does little or nothing to help him/herself or his/her peers learn. Here, one can only sit back quietly and listen, make others do all the work for you, and generally have a laid back attitude (i.e., go to the beach) when addressing this problem.

Activity: Pick a Role Or Role Taking TaskName a role missing from this sheet and discuss how

you might use it(see Bonk’s 28 roles)

Web Facilitation???Berge Collins Associates

Mauri Collins and Zane L. Bergehttp://www.emoderators.com/moderators.shtml#mod

Changing Role of the TeacherThe Online Teacher, TAFE, Guy Kemshal-Bell (April, 2001)

• From oracle to guide and resource provider• From providers of answers to expert

questioners• From solitary teacher to member of team• From total control of teaching environment

to sharing as a fellow student• From provider of content to designer of

learning experiences.

Knowledge Sharing & ConstructionE-Moderating: The Key to Teaching and Learning

Online, (Gilly Salmon, (1999) Kogan Page)

• Be an equal participant in the conference.• Provide sparks or interesting comments.• Avoid directives and right answers.• Acknowledge all contributions.• Weave, summarize, and model discussion, but

be tolerant of new twists in it.• Reward knowledge construction &

accomplishments.

Pedagogical Tips (Bonk 1998)

• Test system with immediate task• Build peer interactivity• Embed choices (avatars, tasks, etc.)• Simplify (everything!!!)• Embed peer and portfolio fdbk

tools• Offer early feedback• Link to prior work (legacies)

• Little or no feedback given

• Always authoritative• Used factual Q’s.• Created tangential

discussions• Only used “ultimate”

deadlines

• Provided regular qual/quant feedback

• Participated as peer• Allowed perspective sharing;

relevant tasks• Tied discussion to grades,

other assessments.• Clear goals

Poor Instructors Good Instructors

Dennen’s Research on Nine Online Courses (sociology, history,

communications, writing, library science, technology, counseling)

Facilitating Electronic Discussion

• Provide Guidelines and Structure

• Weave and Summarize Weekly

• Be patient, prompt, and clear

• Foster Role Play, Debate, and Interaction

• Assign Due Dates, Times, and Points

• Constantly Monitor, Converse not Dictate

• Assign Buddies/Pals or Include Mentoring

Isit

thatsimple?

NOPE!!!

But How Avoid Shovelware???

“This form of structure… encourages teachers designing new products to simply “shovel” existing resources into on-line Web pages and discourages any deliberate or intentional design of learning strategy.” (Oliver & McLoughlin, 1999)

Motivational Terms?See Johnmarshall Reeve (1996). Motivating Others: Nurturing inner motivational

resources. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. (UW-Milwaukee)

1. Tone/Climate: Psych Safety, Comfort, Belonging2. Feedback: Responsive, Supports, Encouragement3. Engagement: Effort, Involvement, Excitement4. Meaningfulness: Interesting, Relevant, Authentic5. Choice: Flexibility, Opportunities, Autonomy6. Variety: Novelty, Intrigue, Unknowns7. Curiosity: Fun, Fantasy, Control8. Tension: Challenge, Dissonance, Controversy9. Interactive: Collaborative, Team-Based, Community10. Goal Driven: Product-Based, Success, Ownership

Intrinsic Motivation“…innate propensity to engage one’s interests and

exercise one’s capabilities, and, in doing so, to seek out and master optimal challenges

(i.e., it emerges from needs, inner strivings, and personal curiosity for growth)

See: Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. NY: Plenum Press.

1. Tone/Climate:Ice Breakers

1. Eight Nouns Activity:1. Introduce self using 8 nouns2. Explain why choose each noun3. Comment on 1-2 peer postings

2. Coffee House Expectations1. Have everyone post 2-3 course expectations2. Instructor summarizes and comments on how they

might be met(or make public commitments of how they will fit into

busy schedules!)

Multiple Rooms for Chat

2. FeedbackRequiring Peer Feedback

Alternatives:1. Require minimum # of peer comments

and give guidance (e.g., they should do…)

2. Peer Feedback Through Templates—give templates to complete peer evaluations.

3. Have e-papers contest(s)

3. Engagement:Electronic Voting and Polling

1. Ask students to vote on issue before class (anonymously or send directly to the instructor)

2. Instructor pulls out minority pt of view3. Discuss with majority pt of view4. Repoll students after class(Note: Delphi or Timed Disclosure Technique:

anomymous input till a due date and then post results and

reconsider until consensus Rick Kulp, IBM, 1999)

3. EngagementSurvey Student Opinions

(e.g., InfoPoll, SurveySolutions, Zoomerang, SurveyShare.com)

4. Meaningfulness:Job or Field Reflections

1. Instructor provides reflection or prompt for job related or field observations

2. Reflect on job setting or observe in field

3. Record notes on Web and reflect on concepts from chapter

4. Respond to peers

5. Instructor summarizes postsAlternative: Pool field interviews

of practitioners

5. Choice:Multiple Topics

• Generate multiple discussion prompts and ask students to participate in 2 out of 3

• Provide different discussion “tracks” (much like conference tracks) for students with different interests to choose among

• List possible topics and have students vote (students sign up for lead diff weeks)

• Have students list and vote.

5. Choice: Multiple Topics

6. Variety

7. Curiosity: Electronic Guests & Mentoring

1. Find article or topic that is controversial2. Invite person associated with that article

(perhaps based on student suggestions)3. Hold real time chat4. Pose questions5. Discuss and debrief (i.e., did anyone

change their minds?)(Alternatives: Email Interviews with expertsAssignments with expert reviews)

8. Tension: Role Play

A. Role Play Personalities• List possible roles or personalities (e.g., coach, optimist,

devil’s advocate, etc.)• Sign up for different role every week (or 5-6 key roles)• Reassign roles if someone drops class• Perform within roles—refer to different personalities

B. Assume Persona of Scholar– Enroll famous people in your course– Students assume voice of that person for one or more

sessions– Enter debate topic or Respond to debate topic– Respond to rdg reflections of others or react to own

9. Interactive: Critical/Constructive Friends, Email

Pals, Web Buddies1. Assign a critical friend (perhaps based on

commonalities).2. Post weekly updates of projects, send reminders of

due dates, help where needed.3. Provide criticism to peer (I.e., what is strong and

weak, what’s missing, what hits the mark) as well as suggestions for strengthening. In effect, critical friends do not slide over

weaknesses, but confront them kindly and directly.

4. Reflect on experience.

10. Goal Driven:Gallery Tours

• Assign Topic or Project

(e.g., Team or Class White Paper, Bus Plan, Study Guide, Glossary, Journal, Model Exam Answers)

• Students Post to Web• Experts Review and Rate• Try to Combine Projects

Peer Questions & Team Meeting: Moderated

Motivational Top Ten 1. Tone/Climate: Ice Breakers, Peer Sharing2. Feedback: Self-Tests, Reading Reactions3. Engagement: Q’ing, Polling, Voting4. Meaningfulness: Job/Field Reflections, Cases5. Choice: Topical Discussions, Starter-Wrapper6. Variety: Brainstorming, Roundrobins7. Curiosity: Seances, Electronic Guests/Mentors8. Tension: Role Play, Debates, Controversy9. Interactive: E-Pals, Symposia, Expert Panels10. Goal Driven: Group PS, Jigsaw, Gallery Tours

Pick One…??? (circle one)

So What Happens to Instructors and Students in the

Future???

“We are evolving out of the era of the Lone Rangers…faculty members can choose to be involved in the design, development, content expertise, delivery, or distribution of course…” (Richard T. Hezel)

Sarah Carr, (Dec 15, 2000, A47), A Day in the Life of a New Type of Professor, The Chronicle of Higher Education

Faculty Member in 2020• Track 1: Technical Specialist

• Track 2: Personal Guide

• Track 3: Online Facilitator

• Track 4: Course Developer

• Track 5: Course or Program Manager

• Track 6: Work for Hire Online Lecturer

• Track 7: High School Teacher

• Track 8: Unemployed

Track 1: Technical Specialist

• Help critique technical aspects of media and materials built into online courses. Here one would be part of a course development team or instructional design unit. Freelance learning object evaluator. Here one would likely operate alone or as part of a consulting company.

Track 2: Personal Guide

• Provide program or course guidance to students on demand or preplanned. Becomes more of a generalist across university offerings. For example, one might help students see how different learning objects or modules fit together into a degree.

Track 3: Online Facilitator

• Offers timely and informed support to students struggling to complete an online course or inserting questions and nudging development of students who are successfully completing different modules. This is the most similar to college teaching positions today.

Track 4: Course Developer

• Help develop specific courses or topic areas for one or more universities. In many institutions, this will move beyond a course royalty system to a paid position.

Track 5: Course or Program Manager

• Supervisor or manager of an entire new program or courses, most often leading to certificates or master’s degrees. Similar in stature to a development head or chairperson.

Track 6: Work for Hire Online Lecturer

• Is a freelance instructor for one course or a range of course. May work on just one campus or on a range of campuses around the world. While this will be highly popular and rejuvenate careers, institutional policies are yet to be sorted out.

Track 7: High School Teacher

• As universities begin to offer secondary degrees, some college faculty with online teaching experience and teaching degrees will find positions in those classes. Some may view such positions as being demoted to the minor leagues.

Track 8: Unemployed

• If one does not find a niche in one or more of the above tracks or roles, he or she will likely be unemployed or highly unsuccessful.

Student Differences in 2020• Live Longer• More Educated

– Multiple Degrees

– Accustomed to Multiple Learning Formats

– Design own programs and courses

• Specialists AND Generalists• Courses/Degrees for unknown occupations• Expect to Take Courses Where Live• Cyber-students (various digital aids attached to appendages)

So Where is Nebraska Headed?