Getting learning and teaching value out of online message board discussions

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Getting learning and teaching value out of online
message board discussions
Penelope J. Goodman, Department of
Classics p.j.goodman_at_leeds.ac.uk
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Pedagogical benefits of online discussions

• Active learning
• Student-led learning
• Time-efficient for the teacher
• Time-flexible for the student
• Removes social pressures of face-to-face
  discussion
• Acts as a resource to refer back to

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Student comment

• I think this discussion board is a great way of
  creating more interaction between students, as
  you don't really get to do that in lectures and i
  think for most people it's kind of nerve-racking
  in seminars too.

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Initial student views

• am i the only one who finds this more than a
  little bit wierd?
• I agree with Student X that the internet
  posting jobbies seem a bit daunting but we will
  see.
• This message board thing is pretty weird, but I
  really like the idea so I hope it's a success. At
  least I'll be using the internet for something
  productive instead of just wasting time on
  Facebook!
• I think these message boards are a really good
  idea, I like the sound of active learning,
  hopefully it will keep me more interested!

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Some ideas for the message board

• Would you have wanted to serve in the Roman army
  during the Augustan era?
• Why was it important that soldiers pensions were
  paid out of a separate aerarium militare, rather
  than the existing aerarium Saturni?
• Can you find any further examples of ways in
  which Augustus ensured a good relationship
  between himself and the army?
• What sort of activities would the navy be used
  for? Who commanded them?
• Read Suetonius, Augustus 24-5, which is about
  disciplinary measures in the Roman army under
  Augustus. What does it add to our understanding
  of how Augustus managed his relationship with the
  army?
• Or (as for every week) you can simply choose any
  item of reading material (primary or secondary)
  listed on the module bibliography under the
  heading for this lecture, and post with your
  thoughts about it. You could summarise its
  contents for the benefit of other students, say
  whether you think there are any problems with it,
  or point out any places where it disagrees with
  other evidence.

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Thinking out loud

• I have been wondering, and unable to find out,
  why the senate was naive enough to give Octavian
  provincial powers with which he could then later
  gain power over Rome by twisting the arm of the
  senate into giving him the power to his success.
  How did they not envisage such a move? Does
  anyone have any thoughts on this?
• I would like to know what others think, as I am
  struggling to decide whether Augustus was a
  shrewd poltician using all the tricks at his
  disposal, or a shameless exploiter of the man who
  arguably gave him his stepping stone into
  politics
• The part that I found particularly interesting,
  and I'm not sure that I completely understood it,
  was when Augustus forbade the imperial family and
  other relevent people to use the term
  'fellow-soldier' when addressing the army. This
  method of referring to the army as equals had
  served the generals in the past well especially
  during the civil wars, so why did Augustus forbid
  it? Was he merely trying to exaggerate the fact
  that times had changed and that he held all the
  power? If this is true, would it not go against
  everything he was trying to say to the populace?

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Assessment method

• 10 quantitative assessment
• 20 posts over 20 teaching weeks
• 10 qualitative assessment
• Three self-selected best posts at end

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Participation levels
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A sense of developing identity as scholarly
commentators

• Following on from my previous discussion post
  for lecture 5
• As I discussed last week
• Building on my prior query
• From our discussions after last week's lecture
  we can see

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Peer scrutiny and originality

• I liked the message boards but sometimes felt
  that they were quite intense. I often wanted to
  just make a quick comment but felt that would
  look bad since people tended to write a LOT every
  week.
• You can feel harsh if you criticise someone
  elses work, i.e. posts, but it looks stupid when
  everyone agrees with each other.
• Perhaps a little more discussion midweek on
  message boards. There was about 20 posts every
  week saying the same thing, and a little nudging
  could help.

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Aiming for originality
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Comparison between qualitative marks for message
board posts and essay marks
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Positive responses

• I enjoyed having discussions.
• Encouraged extra reading.
• Such a help in understanding great way to
  learn.
• Certainly helped to consolidate lectures.
• Encouraged me to keep up with the work.
• I think the message boards were very helpful as
  they encourage you to go over your notes
  previously made.
• A good way to ensure I did a little work each
  week rather than just cramming at the end.
• I might complain about having to post every
  week, but they do keep me thinking about the
  course all the time.
• I think they will be useful as a revision aid.

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Negative responses

• I think 20 is too much for the message boards
  alone, I feel 10 would be better, but it is a
  very easy 20
• It is possible to write three good threads and
  very little else and get a good mark.
• Maybe more weight should be awarded for content
  than posting.
• I felt like it was too high a mark for the
  module.

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Comparative performance