Online Collaboration

Collaboration is the sharing of ideas and information between people. We are familiar with sharing ideas through discussions in traditional classrooms, while working in the lab and asking questions, talking with others in both formal and informal settings, "standing around the water cooler" (I just could not resist that old cliche!), and via email.

In any learning environment, communication and discussion is critical to the learning process. We don't just read something independently and fully understand the ideas and information being presented - it is through the exchange and sharing of ideas and perspectives with others that we gain a much deeper understanding.

In an online environment, we rely on communication technologies such as threaded discussions, chat rooms, and email to share our ideas. We should examine the way we think about written communication - recognizing that every detail of an idea must be presented, and we need to carefully read messages to fully understand what is being said. And above all, we must PARTICIPATE! A colleague of mine once said that email and threaded discussions were the "electronic hallway" - where everyone could stand around and talk and discuss and share their ideas and opinions.

Threaded Discussions

A threaded discussion is an online collaboration tool that allows the creation of a forum or "thread" in which individuals are able to post messages and respond to other messages. All messages remain visible, and responses are linked to the original messages - thus creating the "threads".

Some of the major advantages of threaded discussions are as follows:

• Separate threads can exist for different topics.
• Posted messages remain available for everyone to read.
• Replies to messages are grouped under the original message.
• Individuals can take time to compose and post messages.
• Everyone can participate even if they are not logged on at the same time.
• Some discussions threads notify the user of new messages.
• Discussions among large numbers of individuals can be managed easily.

These are the basic steps for creating a threaded discussion :

1. Set up the discussion thread

• Select a topic or question directly related to the content.
• Use a clear, descriptive title for the forum.
• Include a description of the purpose and focus of the forum.
• Explain how to participate and post messages.
• Post any timelines or milestones for the discussion.
• Refer to any specific readings, links, or other information to be referenced during the discussion.
• Welcome everyone to the forum.
• Encourage participation.

2. Begin the discussion

• Add a new thread
• Post the initial message, including a specific idea or question for everyone to respond to.
• Present supplemental resources that are relevant to the topic of discussion.

When you use threaded discussions in a class, it is sometimes difficult to know how to "grade" participation in a discussion. This document is a rubric that I developed that describes different levels and quality of participation in discussions. You are welcome to use this in evaluating threaded discussions you might use.

Rubric for Threaded Discussions

Moderating a Threaded Discussion

Once you have created the threaded discussion forum, you must then moderate the discussion.

Moderators of threaded discussions are responsible for setting up the discussion, and monitoring and guiding the discussions to make sure that they are focused, friendly, and valuable to all participants.

You must remain active during the discussion, encouraging participation, responding to messages and themes that evolve, and summarizing comments and ideas at the conclusion of the discussion. While serving as a moderator, check the discussion thread at least twice a day so you can respond to any messages that require immediate attention.

1. Guide and monitor the discussion

• Read all the messages!
• Add elaborations to ideas that are posted by participants.
• Highlight creative or insightful ideas from participants.
• Compliment individuals who present a particularly insightful idea by sending them an individual email.
• Create new threads that evolve from an ongoing discussion.
• Keep track of who participates and contributes to the threaded discussion. (I use a spreadsheet to record and evaluate participation, and use the Evaluation Rubric for Threaded Discussions as a guide.)
• Encourage participation from everyone; if some people don't participate, send a friendly email to them individually encouraging them to participate.
• Guide participants back to the theme or focus if they stray away from the point.
• If any messages are inflammatory remove them at once and send a personal email to the person who posted the message letting them know why their message was removed.

2. Summarize the discussion

• At the conclusion of the discussion, summarize the major points and ideas that were presented by the participants.
• Suggest additional topics for discussion.