Enhancing Interactivity

Ideas for Enhancing Interactivity in Blackboard

Ideas for Enhancing Interactivity with Discussion Board

• Encourage students to introduce and share a little about themselves at the beginning of the term.
• Use Discussions to provide peer feedback. Students can attach a paper (Word document), presentation (PowerPoint document), or link to a personal homepage via Discussions, and the rest of the class can comment on it within a certain time period.
• Set up a forum for general and/or technical questions.  Create a forum for social discussions and name it something like Cyber Café or Water Cooler. 
• Post frequently asked questions (FAQs) that you've received from previous students at the start of your course to prevent a lot of repeat messages from your new students wishing to know the same information. This will save you time and assuage anxious students, preparing everyone to focus on course content.
• Rotate members of small groups to provide students with interaction with many different people.  You may want to group students based on their level of participation so that groups contain a mix of avid participators as well as more hesitant students.
• Articulate expectations for participation – what qualifies as active participation?  Provide students with examples or a rubric.  Set clear guidelines and ground rules so that students understand proper “netiquette.”
• Ask open-ended questions to encourage discussion, participate regularly in the forum, and be a positive role model.
• Start discussions and offer structure, yet allow room for students to talk to each other rather than read an instructor-dominated “lecture.” 
• Consider making regular participation in discussions count toward the final grade.

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Ideas for Enhancing Interactivity using Email

• You can use Email to deliver your feedback on assignments, discussion participation, and quizzes. Your students will then have a written record of the feedback to refer to when studying and working on future projects.
• Encourage a student who is not becoming involved in the class interaction.
• Send an Email message to each student as they log in to the course.  This gives the course a more personal feel and welcomes the student to the online environment.

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Ideas for Enhancing Interactivity with the Chat Tool

• Hosting an introductory chat session to get to know students and orient them to the chat environment.  During this practice session, the instructor sets expectations for future chat sessions.
• Assigning small study groups (about 4-5 students), and letting students know that Chat is a convenient way to study together without having to leave their dorm room or home.
• Holding “office hours.” The real-time component of Chat lets instructors clarify information quickly and effectively.
• Inviting a guest speaker.  Use Connect to have a guest speaker meet with your class. 
• Conducting an online exam review.  If the group is large, set clear ground rules up front, such as limiting response length or requiring that students “raise their hands” . Use Connect for this option, too. You'll love Connect!

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Ideas for Enhancing Interactivity with Announcements

• Post a welcome message for the first week of the term.
• Remind the students of key assignment due dates, quizzes, events and course milestones
• Change the announcements regularly to keep students alert to course happenings.  This also encourages them to revisit and read the homepage.