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The WebCT
Assignment:
Students were given two weeks
to introduce themselves and work together with 4-5 other students from
other lecture sections to solve one potential test question via online
discussion board. Students were also required to fill out online surveys
before and after the assignment to provide insight on the following issues:
student experience with classroom technology, student confidence using
classroom technology, student attitudes regarding group work, and student
perceptions about the assignment and its benefits.
Students were given a detailed handout that
provided the following information: 1) an introduction to the purpose and
details of the assignment, 2) a step-by-step list of how to complete the
assignment for full points, 3) a suggested timeline for the completion
of the assignment, 4) a detailed set of instructions for how to post messages
on a discussion board, 5) a detailed list rules for proper online Netiquette
behavior, 6) a list of deadlines for each phase of the assignment, 7) a rubric that
outlined objective criteria for earning all of the points for the assignment.
The suggested timeline included recommendations for meeting other subgroup
members and agreeing to post and discuss answers within the first week.
This would provide ample time for students to get familiar with the technology
and for subgroup members to get to know one another. It was recommended
that the final week be used solely for posting answers, discussing answers,
deriving a consensus answer to the question, and agreeing who should post
the subgroup’s answer in the Group forum.
Three superceding criteria were
established in the rubric that
nullified credit for the assignment in the event of failure to do the orientation
activity, of failure to participate in the subgroup’s effort to solve
the problem assigned, or for Netiquette violations (unprofessional behavior;
i.e., profanity, offensive language, etc.). The assignment itself was worth
1% of the overall course grade. However, 2 of the 14
questions from the assignment were offered verbatim on the first exam,
increasing the overall value to about 2.5% of the overall course grade.
Students appeared motivated by the prospect of providing the answer key
to a few questions on the exam
Background
Objectives of the Work
The WebCT Assignment
Experimental Design
Facilitation of the Assignment
Grading the Assignment
Results - Student Surveys
Acknowledgements and References
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