6. APPLYING
CONTENT (Critical Thinking)
One the most challenging tasks that faculty face—whether in a traditional
classroom or online—is teaching students to apply the knowledge in new and
different contexts. Learning is more
than just memorizing facts; it is also about exploring the basis for which
facts are generated and learning to apply theories and ideas in different situations. This section offers a variety of strategies
for encouraging this kind of critical thinking.
Included here are discussions of how different features of the CMS—dropboxes, discussion boards, and chatrooms—can
be used to promote critical learning.
Also introduced are specific suggestions for working in groups; groups
offer an opportunity for students to contrast their own thinking with their
peers. The section concludes by offering
a variety of specific exercises that can be tailored for use by individual
instructors.
6.1. Drop
Boxes
Perhaps the most straightforward method of asking
students to apply learning is to assign writing projects, which are submitted
to dropboxes. Assignments
submitted in this fashion most closely mimic what occurs in the traditional
classroom. Instructors can often tailor
classroom exercises to dropboxes quite easily.
One disadvantage to dropboxes is that, by themselves,
they do not allow for collaborative learning, but they do work very well in
conjunction with other methods such as those described below. For example, threaded discussions or chatroom conversations can precede the submission of an
assignment.
*TIP* Many CMS’s provide preferences that allow students to view other postings
to the discussion board. Consider using
this feature if you want students to be able to read
their peers’ postings.
*TIP* When responding to assignments, consider doing so both by providing
specific feedback to individual students and providing general feedback that is
distributed to all students. Doing so
can reduce providing multiple explanations to students over and over and will
use instructor time more efficiently.
Consider the following feedback.
Here’s an example from a series of student papers exploring themes in
American science fiction of the 1960’s:
Many of you wrote about the topic of
revolution as did Kaylan: “The theme of revolution is
seen clearly in the song ‘Amerikon’: ‘Cause we’re not
the way you used to be, / when you were very young, / we’re something new’
(51-53).” Caleb echoes this same point
about revolution--or “rebellion” as he calls it--in his posting. Notice that Caleb is a bit more cynical about
the abilities of the revolutionaries to achieve their goals. Another way to understand this sense of
rebellion is examining the distrust of government. Michael writes, “Pym had trusted a member of
the government and found that he was a ‘swine, an unethical swine’ according to
Pym (344). Distrust of government loomed
large at the time this was written and is revealed by Farmer.”
6.2. Threaded
Discussions
Threaded discussion boards offer students the opportunity to respond to
questions put forth by the instructor and other student. Discussion boards, then, provide an excellent
way to discuss reading topics and apply lessons and theories covered in a
course textbook
6.2.1. Companions
to Reading Assignments
Many instructors use discussion boards to explore
course content and to ensure that students are comprehending their assigned
reading. Discussion boards can be used
for students to pose questions about reading assignments
with open ended questions that ask students to apply the lessons discussed in
their reading.
*TIP* Be sure to provide students with clear
instructions regarding length of posts, due dates, and other requirements. A general instruction such as “post comments
on your reading” may not yield very insightful comments from students. Consider this instruction: “Post a comment on
your reading by [DATE]. Your posting
should cite specific pages numbers from reading passages and include one
question about the reading assignment.
Postings should be about a paragraph (100-150 words) in length.”
6.2.2. Long
Term Assignments
Prior to submitting an assignment, create discussion
board to discuss different aspects of the assigned problem. For instance, a student in a social science
class might be asked to apply a social theory to an ongoing current event. Discussion boards could be used to first
brainstorm for events that fit these circumstances. E-learning permits this kind of give and
take.
A discussion board affords an excellent opportunity to explore a topic over a
period of weeks. Time can be devoted to
researching a topic, gathering and sharing information and students can assist
one another in drafting proposals.
*TIP* Threaded discussion boards permit attachments. Consider having students submit drafts of
work in a discussion board as opposed to a drop box.
6.2.3. Tips
and Suggestions
GIVE CLEAR DIRECTIONS. Be sure to give
clear directions on the number of posts and replies to posts you wish students
to make and give clear deadlines for submitting this work.
It is not necessary for each student to post every discussion board or to reply
to every posting. For instance, some
instructors assign a question to a handful of students on a particular
topic. These students are required to
make a post. Other students are required
to respond to a single posting. Over the
course of a semester, an instructor can insure that all students have an
opportunity to offer original posts on a topic.
Give sufficient time for discussion boards to run before closing the
discussion. This will permit an open
dialogue around a topic with students and instructors responding to each
other’s questions. Less than one week
may not allow enough time to accomplish this.
On the other hand, discussion boards that run for an entire semester may
be too long. Posts can become “lost” in
a discussion board that contains hundreds of postings.
6.3. Chat
Guidelines for running chat rooms are provide in §5.3, but the chatroom can also be used to engage students in critical
thinking. Here are some tips to keep in
mind when using chatrooms for this purpose.
6.3.1. Give
students questions to answer—or questions to ask—in advance of a chat. For instance: in a computer programming
class, a professor might want student to explore possible uses for a particular
computer program. In advance of the
chat, students should prepare possible answers.
6.3.2. After
the chat has concluded, create discussion boards to discuss any topics that
were brought up during the chat or to address any unanswered questions.
6.3.3. See
§6.5.1 below for a detailed example of how to use a chatroom
6.4. Group
Work
Groups offer an excellent opportunity for students to apply course content. Working in groups also teaches students
important lessons in comparing and evaluating opinions from different points of
view.
Listed below are some important factors to consider when creating groups:
6.4.1. SIZE. When groups become too large, it becomes
difficult for students complete assignments.
Groups larger than 3 or 4 students can quickly become unwieldy. At the same time, some projects work better when
the works load is distributed among more than 2 students.
6.4.2. COMMUNICATION. Give clear directions on how group members
should communicate with each other.
Options include: discussion boards, email, chatrooms,
and even face-to-face meetings. Creating
threaded discussion boards works very well in most cases. Chatrooms or other
meetings can always be offered as suggestions.
6.4.3. PARTICIPATION
GUIDELINES. Set clear guidelines on when
and how often group members are expected to participate.
6.4.4. GROUP
LEADERS. For assignments that have a
specific end project such as a joint paper, consider assigning a group
leader. Group leaders can be responsible
for assembling different pieces of a project that other students have written
and uploading that work to a dropbox.
6.4.5. GROUP
CONFLICT. Have policies in place to
handle group conflict or to deal with missing group members.
6.4.6. ASSIGNING
GROUPS. If you choose to let students
select their own groups, be sure to allow sufficient time to do this. For example, an instructor might create a
discussion board for students to discuss group membership a week or two in
advance of assigning groups. This does
take careful planning.
6.4.7. GRADING
GROUPS. Many instructors grade group
work both by looking at the group’s final project but also at the amount of
participation of the group members.
Consider asking group members to provide evaluations of their group
members to help you in assigning grades.
Consider this peer evaluation form:
Directions: Rate each group member on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the
highest grade: (1) quality of work, (2) communication with other group members,
(3) submitted assignments on time.
6.5. Sample
Assignments
Listed below are a variety of assignments to consider implementing in your
online class to help promote critical thinking.
These assignments employ many of the strategies discussed above.
Assignments are divided into “Stages.”
It is important to allow time in between these stages: two or three days
at a minimum—probably no more than one week at maximum. Sample directions are given in italics.
6.5.1. THE
DEBATE I: CHATROOM.
The instructor assigns a topic for which there are competing theories or
answers. Students, working in teams, debate
the topic.
Stage 1
Create a folder to hold all content related to your debate. Post an overview of the assignment. Assign students to debate teams. Create discussion boards for each team. Close the discussion boards to permit only
members of that group to view the content.
State when the debate will be held.
Create a discussion board to select a time to hold the debate. Ask students to post times when they
absolutely cannot attend the debate.
Assignment Overview: “Students will work
in teams to debate [name of topic].
Students will be responsible for conducing research on their topic and
posting their findings to a group discussion board. The debate will be held via an online chat on
[DATE]”
*TIP* In the week prior, allow students, using a
discussion board, to post their preference: to which side of the debate would
they prefer to be assigned. Use this to
help create debate teams.
*TIP* In the Debate Folder, place a list of links containing additional
information on the assigned topic.
Stage 2
In preparation for the debate, teams post talking points
and other lines of argument for their side to the group discussion board. Remind students also to post counterarguments
in anticipation of arguments raised by the competing team
Based on the discussion board from Stage 1, announce the date for the debate.
Assignment: “By [DATE], post arguments in
favor of your position. You post should
include the following: (1) Using the
course text, locate a line of argument in favor of your position. Be sure to include the page number. (2) Locate a magazine or journal article from
the LRC’s InfoTrac to
locate another line of argument in favor of your position. Be sure to reference the article. (3) Provide a counterargument in anticipation
of argument the other time might raise.
Locate a passage either from your class textbook or other research to
support your position.”
Stage 3
Students select lines of argument that they will use in the debate.
Assignment: “By [DATE], in your group’s
folder, post which line of argument you will be responsible for discussing in
the debate. This is first come first
serve. No more than TWO STUDENTS may be
responsible for any one line of argument.”
Stage 4
Hold the debate via a chatroom. Allow each team to
post arguments for their side. Be a good
moderator. Allow one side to present an
argument. Allow the other side
opportunity to rebut. Allow the first
side an opportunity to respond to the rebuttal.
Then switch sides.
Allow each student an opportunity to present their line of argument.
When the debate has ended, post a follow-up, in which you discuss the merits of
each case, perhaps announcing a winner.
*TIP* Change the settings on the team discussion boards so that members of each
team can now view each other’s research.
This will allow students to find information for future tests and
essays.
6.5.2. THE
DEBATE II: THREADED DISCUSSION BOARD
Follow the rules above (Debate I) for Stages 1, 2, and 3. But then substitute the following:
Stage 4
Using the debate discussion board, each side will be responsible for posting
arguments for their position and countering arguments raised by the opposing
side.
Assignment: “On [DATE], post the argument
you select in Stage 3 to the debate discussion board. Be sure to give your posting a clear subject
heading. For example: PRO: [Name of
Topic] or CON: [Name of Topic].”
Stage 5
Begin the debate by allowing each side to rebut the opposition.
Assignment: “On [DATE], respond to an
argument that a member from the opposing team has made. Make your counterargument in a reply to the original
posting. Your counterargument should
include a reference in support of your position.”
Stage 6
End the debate by allowing students to respond to the rebuttal.
Assignment: “On [DATE], respond to
comments made to your posting. Your
posting should include a reference in support.”
*TIPS* Debates like this are great preparation for an essay exam on the topic
selected for the debate.
6.5.3. CASE
STUDY
Assign students a case study that gives students the opportunity to apply a theory
learned in the course to real situation.
In groups, students discuss the theory and post a joint response. The response should be detailed with
different members of the team contributing to different aspects of the case
study.
Consider examples from current or historical events. Students might explain how a particular
social theory offers a better understanding of these events.
Sample Overview: “Students will be
divided into groups to examine how Durkheim’s
theories of suicide can help explain the deaths of a number of famous
historical figures: Kurt Cobain, Ernest Hemingway, and Joseph Goebbels. In groups,
you will discuss which of Durkheim’s four theories of
suicid best explains the death of your
assigned figure. The project will
conclude with a short, 2-3 page written statement.”
Stage 1
Assign groups. Assign one student for
each group as the group leader. Students
read biographies of their assigned case study.
Stage 2
Students discuss the case study via the discussion board.
Assignment: “Begin posting observations
about the case study to the Case Study Discussion Board. Each student is required to make at least TWO
postings. The FIRST posting will suggest
which of Durkheim’s theories of suicides provides the
best explanation of the death of your assigned figure. Be sure to cite specific passages (with page
numbers) from the assigned reading in your post. The FIRST posting is due [DATE]. The SECOND posting is a reply to a group
member’s posting. Agree or disagree with
his or her reasoning and be sure to explain why. The SECOND post is due two days after the
FIRST post.”
Stage 3
Students submit their written statement.
The statement will be written in three sections: (1) a short explanation
of the theory, (2) a short summary of the case example, (3) the explanation of
how theory offers a deeper understanding of the case example.
Assign the writing of each of these sections to a particular student. Ask the group leader to collect the different
sections and to write an introduction and conclusion.
Assignment: “Each student will be
responsible for writing one of the following sections: (1) a short explanation
of the theory, (2) a short summary of the case example, (3) the explanation of
how theory offers a deeper understanding of the case example. These sections must be sent to the group
leader by [DATE]. The group leader will
be responsible for assembling the different sections, writing the introduction
and conclusion, and posting a rough draft to the group discussion board.”
Stage 4
Students reply to the rough draft with suggestions for revisions. Have students post their revisions in a reply
to the posting from Stage 3.
Stage 5
The group leader posts the final draft to a dropbox.
6.5.4. CASE
STUDY II (FILM)
Use the same stages described above but assign a film. Be sure to allow sufficient time between
Stage 1 (group assignments) and Stage 2 (discussion board postings) for
students to view the film: at least one week.
Sample assignments: (1) History: How accurately does Warren Beatty’s Reds
(1981) describe the events of the Communist revolution in
6.5.5. GUEST
SPEAKER (SYNCHRONOUS)
Guest speakers offer an opportunity for students to gain direct access to
experts and professionals in a specific field.
Stage 1: “Getting Started”
Set the date for the guest speaker.
Consider setting up a discussion board for students to post the best
times they are available to be online and chat.
At this time check with your systems administrator how to provide guest
privileges for your speaker. Enter the
site yourself as guest so that you can give directions to your speaker. Ask your guest speaker to prepare short
statements or comments in a word processor.
This information can be easily cut and pasted into the chat.
Stage 2: “Preparation”
Have students develop a series of questions based on course content for a guest
speaker.
Assignment: “Post a possible question for
our guest speaker to the Preparations discussion board. Your posting is due [DATE]”
*TIP* Be sure to review students’ postings and offers
tips and suggestions.
Stage 3: “Chat”
Hold the chat. Require each student to
ask one question. Be sure to play the
role of moderator.
Stage 4: “Follow Up”
Students post comments and observations to a group discussion board.
Assignment: “By [DATE], post a short
statement about what you learned from our guest speaker. Your post should include at least one
specific item.”
*TIP* Many CMS’s allow the content of chats to be archived. Make the archived chat available to your
students for the follow up.
*TIP* At your discretion, assign the following to
students who cannot attend the chat: “Read the archived transcript of the chat
with the guest speaker. Then write a
short, 2-3 page statement about the chat.
Be sure to summarize (1) the content of the guest speakers chat and (2)
to discuss how the guest speaker’s comments changed the way you view the
subject.”
6.5.6. GUEST
SPEAKER (ASYNCHRONOUS)
Instead of holding an online chat, allow the speaker to respond to student
questions via a discussion board. Be
sure to set clear dates when you expect students to post questions and to
respond to the guest speakers comments.
6.5.7. PROBLEM
SOLVING
Have students work in groups to solve a problem. Examples include the solution to a difficult
mathematics equation, the validity of a theoretical model in a social science
class, a historical debate, or the theme of a novel.
Stage 1: “Getting Started”
Assign the problem and divide students into groups. Assign a group leader.
Stage 2: “Discussion”
Allow students to discuss the problem in a discussion board and to post
possible answers.
Assignment: “By [DATE], post a possible
answer to the problem in the Problem Solving
discussion board. Your post should, in
addition to providing an answer, outline important issues that need to be taken
into consideration.”
Stage 3: “Drafting the Answer”
Using the discussion board, students decide which of the given answers best
solves the problem. If students cannot
agree, allow them the Supreme Court approach: a dissenting opinion.
Assignment: “By [DATE], post, in the
group discussion board, which solution you believe best solves the
problem. By [DATE] look to see if there
is consensus. If you cannot achieve
consensus, consider having some members of the group write a “dissenting
opinion.”
Stage 4: “Post the Answer”
The group leader will be responsible for posting the answer to a dropbox. First, the
group leader should post a draft of the answer for members to read and offer
suggestions.
6.5.8.
JOINT RESEARCH
Students work in groups to gather research for a term paper. While students are responsible for the final
draft of their paper, groups are responsible for gathering and sharing
research, peer editing essays, and presenting the final research.
The example given below is for an analysis of a novel. This works well in a variety of courses—not
just literature.
Assignment Overview: “Students will write
a research paper. Students will work in
groups to gather and share research and to peer edit essays. Students will be responsible individually for
writing the paper itself. The final
essay should be 6-8 pages in length.”
Stage 1: Identifying Topics
Assignment: “Post the author and title of
a one novel that you think might make a good candidate for the research project
to the Topic and Selection Discussion Board.
Visit Amazon.com to locate a short summary of the novel; include that
with your posting.”
*TIP* Offer students a list of books to choose from or direct them to an online
list (such as list of Pulitzer Prize winners)
Stage 2: Select Groups
Assignment: “Review the authors that have
been suggested. Then select an author
and groups members to work with. Groups will
need to be small—three members is about the ideal
size. Post your selection to the Topic
and Selection Discussion Board.”
Instructors may need to step in and help create student groups, but often
students can manage this on their own.
Once groups have been decided, create a Group Discussion Board for each
group.
*TIP* In the title or subtitle of the Group Discussion
Boards include the names of the group members.
Stage 3: Preliminary Research
Assignment: “Locate biographies of your
author, book reviews, and critical analyses the novel. Post this information on your group’s
discussion board. If the material
resides on the Internet, be sure to include the link to that source. Be sure to check that the link works,
too. If the material is an essay
obtained via InfoTrac, attach the essay to the
posting.”
The
Stage 4: Summary of Novel
Assignment: “Post a summary of the novel
to your group’s discussion board. Put
your summary in outline form as opposed to writing in paragraphs.. Identify the major
characters and the significant elements of the plot. Be sure to include page numbers.”
Asking students to provide page numbers is helpful for directing them to
important passages that might be of use in writing the final essay.
Stage 5: Identification of Major Themes
Assignment: “Post a list of themes that
occur in the novel to your group’s discussion board. Be sure to read over your colleague’s
comments. Be as detailed as you can when
discussing these themes. Be sure to
include page numbers that pinpoint specific passages that deal with the themes
you identify. Be sure to identify at
least two themes.”
Stage 6: Rough Draft
Assignment: “Post a rough draft of your
paper to the group discussion board. Attach your draft to your posting. Remember to save your work in a Rich Text
format. Begin with a thesis statement
and identify the principle theme or themes that you will be addressing. Then offer a good close reading of the text
using primary sources (the novel itself) and secondary sources (biographical
information and critical essays) to support your claims.”
Stage 7: Peer Review
Assignment: “Provide comments on the
rough drafts of your group members’ rough drafts. Provide feedback in three major areas: (1)
organization, (2) argument, and (3) MLA style.
(1) ORGANIZATION: Consider the organization of the essay. Suggest alternate ways of organizing
material. For instance, should certain
themes be discussed prior to others? (2)
ARGUMENT: Offer suggestions for other
ways that the author can support the claims he or she is making. Your suggestions must be specific. For example, you might recommend specific
passages (with page numbers) from the one the novelist’s works or comments made
in an interpretative essay. (3) MLA
STYLE: If you encounter any MLA style
errors, please make a note of these.”
Stage 8: Final Draft
Assignment: “Submit the final draft to the Final Draft Dropbox. Remember to save your work in a Rich Text
format (*.rtf).”
6.5.9.
Group
Presentations
Group presentations can be used in conjunction with many of the activities
described above, such as the Joint Research assignment, a response to Guest
Speakers, etc.
Stage 1: Assign Groups and Presentation Tasks
Assign groups yourself or allow students to self select using Stages 1 and 2 of
6.5.8, Joint Research. Also assign a
group leader and assign tasks to students.
For example: a presentation using the Joint Research assignment, might
assign the summary of the novel to one student, an author biography to another,
and a identification of major themes to a third.
Alternately, you may create a discussion board and have each student post the
information for which they wish to be responsible.
As recommended reading, assign these tips for building effective PowerPoint
presentations:
http://mason.gmu.edu/~montecin/powerpoint.html
http://people.csp.edu/saylor/effective_powerpoint.htm
*TIP* Since the group leaders will have additional responsibilities, consider
assigning them an easier task or even no other task.
*TIP* Assign the task of group leader to someone who has knowledge of and
access to PowerPoint.
Stage 2: Post Tasks
Using Microsoft PowerPoint, each student will create a series of slides for his
or her assigned task. Attach this work
to a posting to the group discussion board.
Stage 3: Rough Draft
The Group Leader will combine the different pieces posted in Stage 2 into a
single PowerPoint presentation and post this to the group discussion
board. Other students will evaluate the
presentation using guidelines from the tips provided in Stage 1.
Stage 4: Final Draft
The Group Leader will make changes based on the comments given in Stage 3 and
present the final draft to the instructor.
Stage 5: Presentations of Research
Convert the presentations you received to html
documents. This is easily done. Open the file and click “File / Save
As.” Under “Save as Type” select
“Webpage (*.htm).”
*TIP* Save the presentation using only one word in lower case, e.g.
project1.htm.
Create a directory in htm. Open Microsoft Word. Put a title at the top of the page. List all the presentations. Right click on the presentation titles and
select “Hyperlink. . .” In the address bar, typed the name of the file with the
file extension, e.g. project1.htm.
Very important: click “File / Save As” and choose under “Save as Type:” “Web
Page (*.htm).”
Label the file “index.htm”
Then use Filezilla to upload these documents to your
KCTCS Web Locker. In Filezilla,
click “File / Site Manager.” Click “New
Site.” Enter the following information:
Host: district.bluegrass.kctcs.edu.
Server Type: FTP over SSL (explicit encryption). Use your Web Locker UserID
and Password.
Using FileZilla, create a new folder in your locker
and upload the content of your presentations there. Remember to upload the index.htm file, the
presentations and the presentation folders.
Stage 6: Discussions of Presentation
Create a discussion board to discuss the
presentation. Give students specific
questions for the presentations.