4b+-+Artifacts+of+Online+Course


 * 4. Observations of interaction between master teacher and students, and students and students (continued) **


 * **Select artifacts that represent great examples of interaction between teacher-students and students-students from your practicum course. **
 * **Write reflective statements for each artifact, elaborating on why it was selected and its meaning and value in the portfolio. **

__**Teacher-Student Interaction**__


 * Artifact #1 t-s: mid-course progress discussion (private message thread) **

Artifact #1: This example of teacher-to-student interaction is from a correspondence via the Private Thread area. Halfway through the course (week 8) the instructor sent a "progress report" message to each of the students, letting them know what their mid-point grade was and where she would like to see them improve or grow in the second half of the course. The instructor uses the "feedback sandwich" model discussed in an article by the Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development entitled "Giving Feedback to Students." The "feedback sandwich" model looks like this: first, the instructor mentions something that the student is doing well; next, the instructor suggests an area in which the student can improve; finally, the instructor closes her message with a positive affirming note to the student. I chose this communication between instructor and student because it illustrates the positive, supportive messages typical of this instructor, and shows her genuine desire to see her students be successful in the course.


 * Artifact #2 t-s: posting of work confusion (screenshots) **

Artifact #2: This example of teacher-to-student interaction is a series of screenshots documenting emails sent from the student to the instructor about a question he had regarding an assignment he had completed but had not received credit for. I included this communication as an example of the instructor being understanding of the student, but firm in her expectations of her students - the student had done the assignment, but had not followed the directions about where to submit the work, and so he hadn't received the credit. When he emailed the instructor, she reiterated her expectations by guiding him to a specific part of the course where he could find the instructions for where to submit his work. The expectation now more clear to the student, he submitted his work properly and received the deserved credit for his work.


 * [[image:teacher_to_student_communication_reminder.JPG width="484" height="248" caption="Artifact #3 t-s: reminder posting"]] ||
 * Artifact #3 t-s: reminder posting ||

Artifact #3: This example of teacher-to-student interaction is a screenshot I took of the course's main page. The instructor for this course has, I've noticed, utilized the "News Items" section of the main page effectively. Regarding this particular message to students, the instructor had been posting, for the first six weeks of the course, "gentle reminders" about her expectations regarding assignments, here, at the main page of the course. On week seven, she again posted her expectations, along with the message that the following week she would start deducting points from students' weekly grades if the expectations were not met in the timely fashion required. This message above is from week eight - the week where point deductions are starting to occur, and here the instructor is again reminding the students of the expectations of the course and the consequences for not following those expectations. There have been many studies and much research done in regards to online coursework and expectations which have shown that it is better to have repetition of information than a dearth of information for students to follow. The author of the article "Creating an Effective Syllabus" said it best, I feel, in this quote: "//Redundancy is often better than elegant succinctness//." Clearly, in this example above, the instructor shows her understanding of this online course tip.

__**Student-Student Interaction**__


 * Artifact #1 s-s: discussion thread: Hiroshima bombing **

Artifact #1: This example of student-to-student interaction is taken from Week 7's discussion thread. Each week, students are responsible for posting an original response, plus commenting on 2-3 of their peers' responses, to each of the week's posted discussion questions. The topic for this particular week was focused on Hiroshima. Students read a few articles about Hiroshima and watched several videos in which survivors of the bombing were interviewed as to what they remembered about that day. Students were then asked to post their opinions about whether the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were warranted and justified. I chose this discussion thread as one of my artifacts because although this particular week's discussion (asking students to post their opinions on a very emotional subject) had the ability to become very heated and argumentative, the students were able to hold an intelligent discussion even while having opposing opinions. They may have disagreed with each others' views about the bombings, but they did so in a respectful and non-threatening way. When I first saw the assignment for the week, before anyone had posted a response, I remember cringing inside and thinking to myself, "Uh oh, this could get out of control and very ugly very quickly. I hope the students, if they have different viewpoints, stay focused on arguing the issue and not with each other." I was happily surprised to see their discussions as they developed and unfolded. They had different opinions about the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but they didn't attack one another, "gang up" on one particular student whose ideas opposed their own, nor did they lash out at one another. This example clearly speaks to the level of trust and openness that has developed among this small group of students. They are comfortable enough with one another not only to post their own opinions, which they know might be argued by others, but they are accepting of others' viewpoints and encourage one another to explain themselves more explicitly.


 * Artifact #2 s-s: discussion thread: gender inequality **

Artifact #2: This example of student-to-student interaction is taken from Week 5's discussion thread about the movie Whale Rider, which is "//A contemporary story of love, rejection and triumph as a young Maori girl fights to fulfill a destiny her grandfather refuses to recognize//" ([|http://www.imdb.com]). I chose this as one my artifacts because the level of discussion [among 3 students] exemplifies the cohesiveness of the group dynamics and the level of insight displayed by some of the students in the class and connections made to the world at large [i.e. Student B: "//I guess the gender inequalities definitely still exist//"], which most likely wouldn't have been reached without the questions and probing from other students within the discussion board. Within the discussions of this class, the students are asking each otehr questions, sharing their thoughts and opinions, and providing feedback on their peers' thoughts and opinions. It is just a great example of a good discussion amongst students - all without teacher prodding!

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