Communication Tools

The communication tools allow for many types of interactions that may be beyond the regular in-class possibilities. You and your students may continue course discussions after regular class hours and touch on topics that the regular course schedule does not allow time for. Students can ask questions that they think of after class and think about the questions that you ask them a little more than they are able to during class.

Select a tool to learn more about it's capabilities:

 

Discussion Tool

The Discussions tool is probably the most flexible instructional tool that WebCT has to offer. It is meant for asynchronous communication, so you and your students do not have to be online at the same time. It allows for small groups and large groups to communicate, and it facilitates multiple discussions through topic areas and threading. (Threading means that it is easy to see when a message has replies.) You can use the Discussions tool simply for announcements, you might allow students more time to think about and respond to your in-class questions, break the class into small groups for more intensive discussions, even ask students to come up with questions for the class to consider online. This tool is also often used for peer-teaching exercises. As the instructor, you might take a secondary role in the online discussion and ask different students each week to take a lead role.

One thing to keep in mind if you choose to use this tool is to be very clear about the expectations. Will students be graded on the posts they make? Are they required to post? Will you be reading the discussions on a regular basis and responding to questions? It's a good idea to be specific. For instance, you might tell your class that you will check the posts every other day or so and inform them if you plan to miss a couple of days.

• Conclusions: The Discussions tool is a great way to allow individuals to share their wealth of experiences even though there may not be enough time in class to let everyone tell their stories. You might ask a leading question at the end of class for the Discussions tool - "have any of you had an experience that relates to what we've just learned?" This tool is also appropriate for learners to consider how the new material relates to them or their program of study.

• Seven Principles: This tool does it all - each of the Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education (1987 by Arthur Chickering and Zelda Gamson) (can be tied back to the Discussions tool in some way. Take the seventh for instance - Good practice respects diverse talents and ways of learning. You might be surprised when that student who always sits in the back and never contributes in class writes messages in Discussions every day! Some students just prefer to think about their responses a little bit longer than the minute or two they have in class.

Mail Tool

The Mail tool is used for personal communications between two or more individuals in a WebCT course. Much like Web-based e-mail, you can send a message to one or more students, students can send mail to you, or students can communicate with each other.

• Conclusions: The Mail tool allows learners to share experiences with one another on a more personal level than the other communication tools in WebCT. It also provides learners with the ability to contact you when it is convenient for them.

• Seven Principles: This tool will help you to keep in touch with your students and provide prompt feedback. Mail could also be used to communicate high expectations if you notice a particular learner might be doing especially well or need some encouragement to work a bit harder.

Chat Tool

The Chat tool is used for synchronous communication within your course. Synchronous means that everyone involved must be online and in the same chat room at the same time, much like a telephone call. Many students enjoy the Chat tool, but it can be difficult to facilitate with more than four or five people at a time. Therefore, the Chat is especially useful for small group work or virtual office hours. If you choose to use the Chat with a large group, you may want to set up a few rules. Without rules, you will often find the Chat to be very chaotic. An example Chat rule is hand raising - students type a question mark if they have a question or and exclamation point if they have a comment. Then the facilitator (you, a teaching assistant, or even a student) calls on someone to ask their question or make their comment.

• Conclusions: Chat is especially useful for allowing adult learners to share their experiences with one another. One drawback of Chat is that everyone must be available at the same time. This is inflexible and often causes problems in adults' busy schedules.

• Seven Principles: Chat encourages student-faculty contact and cooperation between students, especially in large groups. Chat is also a way to encourage active learning and give prompt feedback.