Snapshot
Type of Interaction: Asynchronous
Type of Course: Online
Type of Activity: Low Stakes
LMS Used: TRACS
Tools Used: Blogs
Often when we think of adding a blogging tool to our courses, we do so to add an element of reflection through journaling or to allow students to create content for self-publication. Blogs are great for these purposes, but their usefulness doesn’t end there!
Description
The Learning Experience Design (LxD) team worked with a social work instructor whose course required students to write a 25-page research paper and literature review. This would be a daunting task in any course, as procrastination can quickly turn into an unrecoverable situation. Fully online students who have complex work/life schedules are doubly impacted. Offering students some extra low-stakes considerations will help maximize their potential for success.
Luckily, we did not have to look far from home for a tool to help us in this effort. We employed the TRACS Blogs tool. Course assignments were designed to sequentially move the students through the process of writing their research paper. The blogs tool became our method for allowing students to reflect on their progress, make their own plans to ensure success, and share their challenges and triumphs with their classmates.
Each week students composed a blog post that reflected their answers to three questions:
- Where are you currently in your writing process?
- What is the biggest challenge you are currently facing in writing your paper?
- What steps are you taking to overcome that challenge?
Students then replied to a classmate who was struggling with a similar challenge and shared their approach to overcoming it.
After the course was taught for the first time, students identified their favorite part of the course. Most students selected blog assignments as providing the most value. They reported that not only did the blogs help them keep on track (it turns out that seeing their classmates pull ahead of them in the writing process was a powerful motivator), but also that being able to talk with their classmates about their successes and challenges made them feel more connected to their peers and supported in their learning community.