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Designing Instructional Discussion Forums
The document describes a faculty development module designed to train faculty members at Mayville State University on effectively using discussion forums in Moodle, the institution's learning management system. The goal of the module is for learners to design an instructional discussion forum by choosing a purpose, activities, and appropriate Moodle forum type. The module was created using principles of andragogy and experiential learning and incorporates practice activities, knowledge checks, and a pre-test and post-test to assess learning. Analysis of learner performance found that scores improved as the module progressed and learners gained familiarity with the expectations, suggesting cognitive load was reduced. Revisions are recommended to further emphasize the strategy of multiple practice attempts and incorporate more discipline-specific
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Designing Instructional Discussion Forums
- 1. MOODLE @ MAYVILLE: DESIGNINGINSTRUCTIONAL DISCUSSION FORUMS Christine Gonnella
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- 4. THE PROBLEM Faculty membersat Mayville State University (MSU) need higher- level training on the effective use of discussion forums in the institution’s learning management system, Moodle.
- 6. THE RATIONALE FORLOOKING AT FORUMS 1. Discussion forums are the most widely used feature in online courses in the ND University System (Wald, R., 2012). 2. Discussion forums are important for online teaching and learning. 3. Discussion forums can be effective instructional strategies for face to face education as well. 4. Forums are an important part of the Online Course Development Rubric 5. Fifteen of the twenty (75%)* MSU faculty that responded use Moodle discussion forums in some or all of their online classes. 6. Ten of fifteen (67%)* respondents felt that discussion forums are an important part of their online classes. 7. Nine of the nineteen (47%) reported using Moodle discussion forums in their on-campus courses. 8. Six of eleven (55%) respondents felt that discussion forums were an important part of their on-campus classes. *Corrected from design document
- 7. EVIDENCE THAT THEPROBLEM IS INSTRUCTIONAL Responses and quoted comments made in the survey: • At this point they are not an important part of my online class, but they should be. I should use this more! • Don't know how to use them. • Seven out of sixteen(44%) of respondents chose “ I do OK, but would like to learn more ideas for improving my forum assignments” • Again, I would need to learn more about this. I can envision its usefulness. • I need to work on becoming a better online teacher. Effective forums could help bring online learning closer to as effective as face-to-face discussion. They won't ask questions in class or one-on-one (office hours) - why would they go through this extra step instead?
- 8. I chose thetop four from this response. Edutopia, 2009
- 10. THE GOAL Using Moodleand the Guide for Designing Instructional Discussion Forums, learners will design an instructional discussion forum by choosing a forum purpose, selecting a forum activity, and choosing a Moodle forum type* that supports the purpose and activities of the forum. * Each of these steps is derived from the Task Analysis.
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- 12. THE ENVIRONMENT • MayvilleState University – growing online course offerings has led to a pressing need for professional development opportunities in the area of online teaching and learning. • Quality improvement- MSU Online Course Development Rubric – forums are often mentioned as an important part of building online courses. • All faculty are offered instructional design support. • Technology – All learners will use Moodle 2.4 and are provided technical assistance by Extended Learning and the OIDT. • Most learners will use Windows-based laptops with Windows 7 or 8; Microsoft Office 2010 or 2013; • Rare exceptions are instructors at a distance who utilize their own hardware • History of face to face faculty development opportunities.
- 13. THE LEARNERS • MSUfaculty members, full and part time in all five Divisions • All hold Masters or PhDs • Small rural town of ND – creates a hiring challenge • Faculty carry full and over-full teaching loads plus meet substantial service expectations - faculty are extremely busy • Many have never taken an online class – i.e. seven out of fourteen (58%) who took the experience assessment had NOT taken an online class.
- 14. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK • TheADDIE process • Gagne’s Learned Capabilities and situated cognition • *The Experiential Learning Model of Faculty Development to Improve Teaching (Estepp, Roberts & Carter, 2012) was NOT used. Too many obstacles for this iteration of the instruction. • Theoretical support for faculty development research (McQuiggan, 2007; Lawler & King, 2000) • Kolb – Experiential Learning • Knowles – Six Principles of Andragogy • Clark and Mayer’s Principles of e-Learning *Corrected from design document
- 15. DETAILS OF THETHEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND IMPLICATIONS OF ANALYSIS combined
- 16. KOLB Experiential Learning andFaculty Development – Learners are: • learning online like their learners do • learning with Moodle, like their learners do • completing forum post assignments similar to those they are learning • posting to Moodle forum types about which they are learning • designing/writing plans for forum which will be used in their actual classes • using the same learner manual they will use as they design and develop forums in the future .
- 17. KNOWLES Six principles ofAndragogy recommended in faculty development research 1. Adults are autonomous and self-directed • The module is self-paced 2. Adults have accumulated a foundation of life experiences and knowledge • Life experience shared by peer showcase options 3. Adults are goal-oriented • Learners are told the goal and reach a different goal in each phase 4. Adults are relevancy-oriented • Examples are highly relevant to learners 5. Adults are practical • The work learners do in the module can be readily used in their classes; promotes knowledge transfer. 6. Adults want to be shown respect. (Knowles, et al, 2011) • All language in the module is respectful and peer work is used to show them respect
- 18. CLARK &MAYER’S E-LEARNING PRINCIPLES •Multimedia Principle - graphics were used as topic organizers • Contiguity Principle – text was presented next to related graphics (rather than above or below) • Modality Principle – when narration accompanied graphics • Coherence Principles One and Two – no extraneous text or audio
- 19. CLARK & MAYERCONT’D • Personalization Principle – friendly yet respectful, conversational tone of the agents; agents were part of the instruction
- 20. OTHER IMPLICATIONS OFANALYSIS • Instruction is web-based and self-paced to accommodate learners at a distance and busy schedules. • Moodle is web-based • Learner controls are in place to allow learners to stop and start as schedules require. • Articulate provides learner control options.
- 24. 1. 0 UsingMoodle and the Guide for Designing Instructional Discussion Forums, learners will design an instructional discussion forum by choosing a forum purpose, selecting a forum activity and choosing a Moodle forum type that supports the purpose and activities of the forum. 1.2 PS Generate a plan describing the learning activities chosen to support the purpose of the forum. 1.1 PS Generate a plan describing the purpose of the forum. 1.2.1 R Demonstrate choosing forum learning activities that align with the purpose of the forum. 1.2.1.1 DC Classify learning activities according to the corresponding forum purpose. Log in to Moodle Click a link in Moodle Download a Word document from Moodle Pre-Requisites 1.3 PS Generate a plan describing the Moodle forum type that aligns with the activity and purpose of the forum. 1.3.1 R Demonstrate choosing a Moodle forum type that aligns with the learning activities of the forum. 1.3.1.1 DC Classify Moodle forum types according to their uses and features. 1.1.1.1 DC Classify example forums according to their purposes. 1.1.1 R Demonstrate choosing a forum purpose. Answer Moodle quiz items Locate the MSU Moodle page. Open and navigate a web browser Click play and pause in a Flash player Post to a discussion forum
- 25. PRE-REQUISITE SKILLS Original Set 1.Logging in to Moodle 2. Locating course in Moodle 3. Posting to announcement forums 4. Uploading assignments 5. Creating discussion forums 6. Posting to forums 7. Knowledge of measurable objectives Final Set 1. Open and navigate a web browser 2. Locate the MSU Moodle page 3. Log in to Moodle 4. Click a link in Moodle 5. Download a Word document from Moodle 6. Click play and pause in a Flash player 7. Answer Moodle quiz items 8. Post to a discussion forum
- 26. PRE-REQUISITE SKILLS Original Set 1.Logging in to Moodle 2. Locating course in Moodle 3. Posting to announcement forums 4. Uploading assignments 5. Creating discussion forums 6. Posting to forums 7. Knowledge of measurable objectives Final Set 1. Open and navigate a web browser 2. Locate the MSU Moodle page 3. Log in to Moodle 4. Click a link in Moodle 5. Download a Word document from Moodle 6. Click play and pause in a Flash player 7. Answer Moodle quiz items 8. Post to a discussion forum
- 27. Final Set ExperienceAssessment • PS# 1, 5, 6 - Q1: How many years have you been using computers? 12/12 said more than 10 years • PS# 2, 3, 4, 7, 9 – Q2: How many years have you been using Moodle? • PS# 8 – Q13: Do you know how to post to discussion forums in Moodle? 1. Open and navigate a web browser 2. Locate the MSU Moodle page 3. Log in to Moodle 4. Click a link in Moodle 5. Download a Word document from Moodle 6. Click play and pause in a Flash player 7. Answer Moodle quiz items 8. Post to a discussion forum 9. Locating course in Moodle
- 28. PRE-TEST NO GUIDE ONE ATTEMPT Allbut one objective (1.1.1) was below target.
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- 31. PHASE2PRACTICEITEMS Learners were encouragedto use the Guide for this set of questions as well. Alpha 2, Small Group #2 Learner B and Field Tester #4, did not re-attempt the quiz to get full points. ThreeAttemptswithGuide
- 32. PHASE3PRACTICEITEMS Alpha 2 andSmall Group #2 Learner A and Learner B scored lower than others on Question #3 and overall. Again, they did not re-attempt the quiz and raise their scores. Observation: Fewer attempts and higher scores occurred as the module progressed. ThreeAttemptswithGuide
- 33. DISCUSSIONFORUMS Forum 4 scoreswere incorrect in the design doc Gradedbymeusingrubric/checklist
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- 35. KNOWLEDGECHECK Average scores forobjectives were at or above target in the context of the Goal. with Guide
- 36. KNOWLEDGECHECK Why did scoresgo up and down through the groups? One attempt with Guide
- 37. POST-TEST NO GUIDE Three ofsix objectives, 1.1.1.1, 1.2.1 and 1.3.1.1, were at or above target.
- 38. QUESTIONS • Shouldlearners should be better informed DURING THE INSTRUCTION of the multiple attempt strategy? • Yes, in a way that helps them utilize metacognitive strategies. • Why was there such a drastic change in the number of learners re- attempting the quizzes? • Cognitive load is reduced as the learner becomes more comfortable in the environment and familiar with the expectations of the instruction. • Need more performance support • Why were so many correct on the first try in the second and third phases? • Reduced cognitive load • Demonstration that learners are gaining knowledge and do not need to look up everything in the Guide
- 39. 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1.1.1 1.1.1.1 1.2.11.2.1.1 1.3.1 1.3.1.1 4 4 4 9 4 2 Number (count) of Questions Too much representation: 1.2.1.1 Classify learning activities according to the corresponding forum purpose. Too little representation: 1.3.1.1 Classify Moodle forum types according to their uses and features. Just right!
- 40. 1.1.1 Demonstrate choosing aforum purpose 1.3.1 Demonstrate choosing a Moodle forum type that aligns with the learning activities of the forum.
- 41. CONCLUSIONS • Average scoresof the Knowledge Check met the Objectives at or above the target of 80% • Important items were addressed early. Future Revisions • The use of multiple attempts should be stressed as a cognitive strategy. • Discipline-specific examples would provide more support for application. • The forum assignments should be better designed to exclude copying and pasting and incorporate more synthesis. Success!
Editor's Notes
- #2 Dir at MSU; support faculty on various instructional technologies, member of the Assessment and Essential Studies Committees and review online courses using a faculty written and approved rubric. The LMS at Mayville is Moodle which is supported by the University System; we are one of four campuses who use Moodle. The photo is a screen shot from the e-learning that I developed. Two pedagogical agents and iconic building Old Main.
- #3 The project originated with a series of modules called Moodle at Mayville. The purpose is to offer online Moodle training for all MSU faculty. The scope of that project was too large, so I focused on discussion forums.
- #4 Randy Wald, Advanced learning Technologies, Learning Technology Specialist – forums most used feature in Moodle. My experience with forums in Moodle via the course evaluations = they weren’t used well. So I found my Problem.
- #6 So, the first thing I did was conduct a survey that I hoped would both demonstrate the need for training.
- #7 In addition to … the survey revealed that there were quite a few MSU faculty using forums in both online and on campus courses, and that they felt forums were an important part of their courses. (some of the information was reported incorrectly in the design document – it is correct here)
- #8 I found that some people came out and stated that they needed and wanted to learn more; and others who demonstrated their need for training by the type of comments they made.
- #9 Edutopia’s Guide to discussion boards written in ’09 defined several ‘forum purposes’ and I asked faculty to choose the ones they were most likely to use…. Say them.
- #10 Videos created in Articulate. Also created the Guide.
- #11 Through this process and the Task Analysis which I will cover in a moment, the Goal arrived.
- #15 The Learning Task Analysis was done using Gagne’s Taxonomy of Learning. His theory of situated cognition was applied by presenting the learning the same environment in which the teaching will occur. The Model is mentioned because is was mistakenly left in the design document Faculty development research is supported by Kolb and Knowles – and this is the framework I used. For the e-learning portion of the module, I followed Clark and Mayer’s principles of e-learning
- #18 Faculty are adults. In my experience, faculty want to get right to the point – how can I use this? So I focused in on ‘what is relevant and what can they use.’
- #20 Research shows that pedagogical agents are most effective when using audio but I was concerned that the faculty audience would be impatient with this so I acted as narrator rather than doing voice overs.
- #23 Asking themselves what they want or feel for each step
- #25 The task requires a variety of intellectual skills
- #29 Questions 2, 3, 6, 7, 9 and 10 were below target. “jargon”
- #30 Mark wanted to try it without the Guide Problem with Question 3
- #32 SG2
- #34 Forums were graded using a rubric/checklist. Forum 4 was worth 3 points and the others were worth 4. All targets were met with the final scores. Alpha group went below target on 1.3
- #35 Kelly – Received a 3 for this answer. She did answer part 1 but I did not copy it here. She did NOT answer #4 of the assignment.
- #37 Learners may not have used the Guide. I asked Lona if she had and she couldn’t remember. Some of the matching questions could have caused problems for learners.
- #39 Learners might be more motivated to perform more than one attempt on a quiz if they understood the reasoning behind it. This would be a good opportunity to demonstrate how to use the multiple attempts features of Moodle and how it can be a useful strategy.
- #41 Overall there was great improvement between the pre test and the knowledge check and the pre test and the post test. However, there was a lack of improvement in Objective 1.1.1
- #42 Mark’s invitation; Stephanie’s immediate use; Misti’s switch to using 2 forums rather than 1.