Click here to receive your FREE subscription to Campus Technology
Current News
Real-time Solutions for Online Learning: Using Synchronous Communication Tools for Right-now Learning
5/16/2005
The librarians at LCC are piloting a program designed to offer virtual reference desk hours via chat. As part of a consortium with 17 other Michigan colleges, students find help with how to formulate research questions and how to access electronic databases and articles. Any librarian from any of the colleges can help any student from any of the participating colleges. The hours of availability are aligned with times when students are most likely to be studying and not with the library building hours of operation. Students are clearly benefiting from this unique service.Office hours for many LCC instructors occur on a regularly scheduled online basis or anytime these instructors are at the computer using IM or chat. This affords students the opportunity to receive speedy responses to questions about their homework as they arise. From the instructor’s side, chat and instant messaging may appear as a time intensive venture. However, the efficiency of delivering individualized instruction becomes greatly improved by the development of an FAQ file. Over time, instructors begin to recognize that the same or a very similar set of questions are repeatedly asked. The use of an FAQ file allows for the cut and paste of answers into the IM or chat textbox with only small modifications needed to create customized responses.
Many students use instant messaging or chat for the planning of group projects. Students feel comfortable with these tools for social interaction so using it for project planning with classmates is a natural progression. The main drawback is keeping everyone from getting sidetracked by the flood of statements that appear quickly on the screen. Because chat and IM conversations are displayed as they are typed, students move simultaneously from thought to thought creating the potential for never reaching a conclusion on the main point of discussion.
At Lansing Community College, we’ve taken the first step toward helping our students learn to use synchronous communication tools for education by asking our students to add our names to their contact lists. Chat and instant messaging enable us to deepen the connection between student and instructor while promoting spontaneous learning experiences. We encourage a stronger connection among classmates and set the stage for powerful peer interaction and learning support. While we are still able to accommodate the factor of place so prominent in online environments, we now have a way to bridge any barrier that time may impose on collaboration. The direct application of real-time tools in the online environment provides the opportunity for right-now learning.
Rebecca Lawson, Professor, Information Technology Department Lansing Community College, (lawsonr@lcc.edu) will be presenting on this topic at the July 2005 Syllabus Conference in Los Angeles.
Cite this Site
copy text (above) for proper citation
Recommended Reading
- News Update :: Tuesday, November 25, 2008
:::::: NEWS
: Institute for Cyber Security at U Texas, San Antonio Opens Incubator
: ISO/IEC Publishes Office Open XML Standard
: Dynamics NAV 2009 ERP Coming Next Month
: Southwest Baptist U Adopts Angel LMS
: IE8 Release Candidate Coming on Q1 2009
: Hodges U Credits Lecture Capture for Online Enrollment Boost
: Mitsubishi Debuts WXGA Projectors for Education
: Slippery Rock U Applies SAS to Data Management and Reporting
: Moodle Gets SCORM Improvements, Security Fixes - IT Trends :: Thursday, November 20, 2008
:::::: CASE STUDY
:: DePaul Sets the Bar in Student Relationship Management
:::::: IT NEWS
:: Microsoft Unveils Exchange and SharePoint as Services
:: Penn State Pilots Proctored Online Testing System from Kryterion
:: State-wide New Mexico E-learning Program Adopts Wimba for Collaboration
:: IBM Launches 'Pass It Along' Social Networking, Knowledge Sharing Tool
:: MIR3 Adds Recorded Response Feature to Mass Notification Service
:: Northern New Mexico College Moves to Latest AVG Anti-Virus
:: Ubuntu ARMed for Mobile Expansion - SmartClassroom :: Wednesday, November 19, 2008
:::::: SPOTLIGHT
: 6 Ways Not To Become Rote Using Instructional Technology
:::::: NEWS and PRODUCT UPDATES
: CSU System Adopts Moodle LMS Services
: CourseCast Integrates Closed-Captioning Service
: Wimba Pronto 2.1 Adds Accessibility, Spanish Language Features
: Mitsubishi Debuts XD95U 'Pico' Projector
: InFocus Launches DisplayLink Projector for Education - Web 2.0 :: Wednesday, November 19, 2008
:::::: THE BUZZ
: Bringing Student Web "Stuff" to Campus Enterprise Systems
:::::: WEIGHING IN
: Tipping Point for "Content"--Dynamic Interaction, Not Static Stuff
:::::: PRODUCTS AND APPS
: Delta iTunes U Helps Meet Student Expectations for Web 2.0 Apps
: Penn State Pilots Proctored Online Testing System from Kryterion
: State-wide New Mexico E-learning Program Adopts Wimba for Collaboration
: CSU System Adopts Moodle LMS Services
: Office Web Apps Will Work on iPhones - News Update :: Tuesday, November 18, 2008
:::::: NEWS
: Carnegie Mellon Validates Production Xirrus 802.11n Network
: Ave Maria U Deploys In-Building Cellular Gear
: ASU Campus Nixes Fiber; Chooses Gigabit Wireless for Network Connectivity
: Sun Unveils Family of Open Storage Appliances
: Office Web Apps Will Work on iPhones
: Sun To Cut More Than 15 Percent of Global Workforce
: Texas A&M Upgrades Supply Chain Lab Curriculum
: Texas Lutheran U Implementing Jenzabar EX for ERP
: Anna U Chennai Partners with Cypress on Embedded Systems Engineering - Campus Security :: November 14, 2008
:::::: SECURITY SPOTLIGHT
: Smart Phone Security: New Challenges for Road Warriors
:::::: CAMPUS SECURITY NEWS
: SMobile Releases Antivirus To Protect Google Android Phones
: Blue Coat Integrates Network Appliances
: e2Campus Provides Twitter Integration in Emergency Notification System
: Moodle Gets Student Verification Capabilities
: Rave Wireless Adding BlackBerry Devices to Notification Service
: U Miami Trades IPS for Top Layer Security System
: Cornell Hardens Campus Network with Gigabit Wireless Radio Links
: U Pittsburgh Turns to Verizon Business for Automated Notification Services
