August 21, 2018

In this series of bulletins, we are drawing on Subject Experience Survey items to inspire our weekly topics.

This week’s focus comes from

Item 7: The learning activities in this subject (e.g., labs, lectures, assessment tasks, forum discussions, group work) created opportunities for me to learn from my peers.

Implementing the CSU Value INCLUSIVE in your teaching.

In behaving inclusively we work collaboratively to develop and deliver solutions – we value new perspectives. An inclusive approach influences the way we all relate to each other and helps us all achieve our full potential collectively.

How to Design and Facilitate Online Discussions that Improve Student Learning and Engagement

By: Dr Meixun Sinky Zheng

Source: https://www.magnapubs.com/magna-commons/?video=14152

(See below for instructions on how to access the CSU free subscription to this resource).

A wide range of learning activities can provide opportunities for peer learning, as suggested in this week's SES focus item. This 48-minute webinar presented by Dr Zheng focuses on one such opportunity, Online Discussions.

Common challenges with online discussions that are addressed include:

• Students don’t participate.

• Discussion remains at surface level.

• Discussion stops shortly after it starts.

These are addressed with strategies and examples of activities in three broad areas and supported with evidence from academic literature:

• Design

• Facilitation

• Assessment

of online discussions.

Design online discussions

• Ask higher level discussion questions.

• Use a variety of discussion activities.

• Use a variety of discussion tools.

Facilitate online discussions

The BDA model: Before, During and After reading (Vacca et al, 2016)

• Before discussion.

• Give clear instructions.
  
• Communicate expectations and reinforce throughout the course.
  
• Provide exemplary and poor discussion examples.
  
• Focus on online community building.

• During discussion.

• Make yourself visible.
  
• Encourage students to provide constructive peer comment.
• Encourage students to respond to peers’ comments.
  
• Handle strong discussion behaviors effectively.

• After discussion.

• Summarize the discussion.
  
• Clarify misconceptions.
  
• Answer remaining questions.
  

Assess online discussions

• Grading categories - includes provision of effective rubrics.

• Provide constructive feedback to students.

... and finally, some suggestions to ...

Manage your workload

Particularly applicable to large online classes or blended learning classes

• Check the forum two or three time each week

• Respond to a subgroup of students in each forum.

• Address student questions in the classroom.

• Grade a subset of discussion forums.

Reference available from CSU library

Vacca, R. T., Vacca, J. A. L., & Mraz, M. E. (2016). Content area reading: Literacy and learning across the curriculum (12th ed.). Boston, Mass.: Pearson. [10th edition, 2011 is in library]

Presentation handouts, full transcripts and supplementary resources are available for download from the Magna Commons website if you don't have time to listen to the seminar.

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An interesting article available from CSU library:

Herzog, M. A., & Katzlinger, E. (2017). The multiple faces of peer review in higher education. Five learning scenarios developed for digital business. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics Science and Technology Education. 13(4): 1121-1143. doi:10.12973/eurasia.2017.00662a

A Before Discussion strategy for online community building: Ideas for Small Group Activities Online.

http://www.queensu.ca/teachingandlearning/modules/active/12_exmples_of_active_learning_activities.html

Think Aloud

Social Annotation of Text

Pro-Con Grids

Respond, React, Reply

Peer Review

Group Text Reading

Post It Parade

Case Studies

https://onlinelearninginsights.wordpress.com/tag/creating-group-activities-online/

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Professor Cindy Blackstock

Take this opportunity to hear from Visiting Scholar and First Nations Human Rights activist Professor Cindy Blackstock as she presents a series of seminars for the Faculty of Arts and Education and a public lecture in Bathurst on 28 August 2018.

Details: Watch What's New and Yammer for further details - coming soon.

Tune in for our upcoming occasional series on Indigenous Cultural Competence.

Links for resources you can access right now:
Gulaay
Graduate Learning Outcome for Indigenous Cultural Competence (requires CSU Interact 2 Organisation self-enrolment)

Follow Teaching Tuesdays on Twitter.
Our Twitter feed includes links to further hints, tips and resources in the broader field of teaching in higher education. https://twitter.com/TeachingTuesday



Link to: Folder with all previous issues of Teaching Tuesdays

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Contents
1....Teaching support resources at CSU
2....Contemporary Approaches to University Teaching MOOC
3....CSU Professional Learning Calendar
4....Bonus CSU resource - Lynda.com
5....Magna Commons Subscription
6....Links to previous bulletins
7....Subscribe

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You have access to a range of quality CSU resources to help you incorporate educational resources and techniques into your teaching. Check out the following:

• Teaching at CSU - the Division of Learning and Teaching website with links to resources for Teaching Staff, Online Learning, Assessment, Curriculum, Indigenous Curriculum, Workplace Learning, Technologies, Feedback and Analytics, and Learning Spaces.
  
• Resources for Learning and Teaching Academic and Professional Staff - searchable CSU database
  
• Learning Technologies - the starting point for a range of learning design options
• CSU Learning Exchange: Technologies in Context - a searchable database to promote online learning and teaching strategies
• The CSU wiki - a faculty-based source of learning and teaching information and strategies

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Professional Development opportunity for all.

Contemporary Approaches to University Teaching is an

open access COURSE for the Australian Higher Education Sector.

This teaching induction course provides key introductory learning and teaching concepts and strategies for those who are in their first few years of university teaching. The self-paced course is comprised of 11expert-developed modules, and several specialty modules and resources.

For more information on how to enrol, please contact

Sheeja Samuel- email: ssamuel@csu.edu.au ph: +61 2 6051 9742, or

Kellie Smyth - email: ksmyth@csu.edu.au ph: +61 2 6272 6270

NOTE: Completion of this course will provide some credit and a pathway into the CSU Grad. Cert. in Learning & Teaching in Higher Education (GCLTHE). It can provide a basis for commencing preparation for Associate Fellowship (HEA).

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Regular seminars on teaching-related topics are listed on the

CSU Professional Learning Calendar - accessed directly here

or from the Division of Learning and Teaching front page - accessed here

CSU Professional Learning Calendar:

Extending Reality in the Web Browser Zoom online session 23 August 2018 at 12:00 pm OR

Writing Assessment tasks in alignment to outcomes and marking criteria Adobe Connect session 22 August 2018 at 1:00 pm or 23 August 2018 at 1:00 pm

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All CSU students and staff members have access to Lynda.com, an online subscription library that teaches the latest business, creative and software skills through high-quality instructional videos.

A search for 'online discussions' with a filter for Education and eLearning returned 278 results. Resources range from general teaching tips, to keynote lectures, to the specifics of various tools and applications for employing educational resources and techniques.

For example,

Fostering student-to-student communication (8m 33s) as part of the broader topic of Learning to Teach Online (2h 5m).

Facilitating discussion (3m 27s) as part of the broader topic of Teaching with Technology (2h 30m).

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All staff with a CSU email address have free access to our annual

CSU subscription to the Magna Commons series of online seminars

Presentation handouts, full transcripts and supplementary resources are available for download if you don't have time to listen to the seminar.

How to subscribe

Staff with a CSU email address can obtain the Magna Commons CSU subscription code from Ellen McIntyre elmcintyre@csu.edu.au

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Suggest topics that you would like for Teaching Tuesdays; or
Share your own teaching tips article.

Click on the Green Contact Ellen McIntyre button (below, or at the top of the bulletin) to offer your suggestions.

Folder with all previous issues.

Issue 1 Group Work; Issue 2 Engagement; Issue 3 Engagement;

Issue 4 Academic Integrity; Issue 5 Feedback; Issue 6 Feedback;

Issue 7 Active Engagement; Issue 8 Building on Prior Learning;

Issue 9 Student Diversity; Issue 10 Learning Outcomes;

Issue 11 Deep Learning; Issue 12 The Teaching-Research Nexus;

Issue 13 Improving Student Learning; Issue 14 Planning for Effective Student Learning; Issue 15 Feedback for Teaching; Issue 16 Gamification;
Issue 17 Activities for Effective Learning; Issue 18 Dialogic Feedback;

Issue 19 Student Evaluation; Issue 20 Enhancing Learning;
Issue 21 Rationale for Assessment; Issue 22 Motivating Learning

FoBJBS Newsletter: BJBS-News

FoA&E Newsletter: NeXus

Email: elmcintyre@csu.edu.au
Website: https://www.csu.edu.au/division/learning-and-teaching/about-us/learning-academy
Phone: +61 2 6933 4726
Twitter: @TeachingTuesday

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