Video Discussions are a Superior Option for Asynchronous Online Learning
In online education, asynchronous discussions are a key component of engaging students and encouraging participation in a flexible learning environment. Traditionally, these discussions have been text-based, with students posting written responses to prompts and replying to their peers. However, the rise of video platforms and tools like Canvas Studio, the late Flip (rest in peace), Kaltura, Screencast-O-Matic, Padlet, and others has opened the door to a more dynamic and interactive approach: video discussions. Integrating video discussions into online courses offers several key advantages, enhancing both the educational experience and community-building efforts.
The biggest reason I made the switch to video discussion is because of AI. As AI tools become more accessible, some students often turn to AI to generate text responses for asynchronous discussions. While this can save time, it undermines the authenticity and value of the learning process. AI-generated responses can come across as disingenuous, lacking the personal touch and deeper understanding that real human input provides. The result is a discussion that feels robotic and unengaging. This can make the overall conversation dull and uninspiring, as students simply churn out polished but formulaic responses without truly engaging with the material or their peers. Video discussions, on the other hand, make it much harder for students to rely on AI tools, ensuring that the content is genuinely their own and that they are actively participating in the learning process.
One of the main criticisms of online learning is the lack of personal connection compared to face-to-face classes. Video discussions bridge this gap by allowing students to see and hear each other, creating a more humanized and engaging interaction. Facial expressions, tone of voice, and body language add layers of communication that are absent in text discussions, fostering deeper connections between students and instructors. Video discussions enable learners to feel like they’re part of a real community, rather than just a series of names on a screen. This can be especially important for students who may feel isolated in an online environment. Seeing their classmates speak directly to the camera creates a sense of immediacy and involvement, helping to build camaraderie and rapport in the virtual classroom.
This semester I made the switch from Flip to Padlet for my video discussions in my journalism courses. After 3 weeks I can see a real connection between the students in the class. I can see the authenticity of their videos and feel it encourages students to speak more naturally and conversationally compared to the often formal, stilted language used in written posts. This leads to more dynamic exchanges and often deeper, more thoughtful reflections. Video discussions also tend to capture attention more effectively. Students are likely to watch a brief video response from a peer rather than reading through lengthy text posts, thus encouraging more active participation in ongoing discussions. I know that I’ve moved from spot-reading posts to watching all of their videos. I wish I could show you some of the cool interactions that have already transpired so far in these video discussions. You’ll just have to take my word for it.
The Anti-Racist Discussion Pedagogy Guide
Recently I was asked to co-author an Anti-Racist Discussion Pedagogy Guide with Packback, an AI-supported online discussion platform that enables curiosity-based student discussion. The guide provides a starting resource for instructors who want to adopt an Anti-Racist discussion pedagogy in their own classroom, regardless of discipline or course subject matter. The guide also includes a foreword by the President and CEO of League for Innovation in the Community College, Dr. Rufus Glasper.
I really enjoyed working with the team to create this valuable resource, and I met some incredible people. The guide has been well received, and it’s branched out into some other opportunities for me around the same subject. We also had a couple of articles written about the guide. Diverse: Issues in Higher Education published “How Can Professors Bring Anti-Racist Pedagogy Practices Into the Classroom?” and the EdSurge Higher Ed Newsletter featured our work recently as well.
Guide Summary: How to build an anti-racist pedagogy in any discipline through instructor reflection, clear communication guidelines, and inquiry-based discussion. Get your copy of the guide.
We followed that up the guide with a live webinar about the guide at the end of August. The recording of this presentation is below.
3 Discussion Tools for Engaging Students in Online Courses
Last year I participated in a district pilot of a new discussion tool – Packback. It took a whole year to stop calling it backpack. 🙂 But I was initially intrigued by Packback because of its built-in AI moderation which meant less grading for me, but more meaningful participation from students. It took a bit to wrap my head around using it in ENG101, but it fit well with my literature course this summer, and students really like it. Check this video out to see what the concept behind Packback is: https://vimeo.com/163888277
They offer a consultant to each faculty using Packback, so you have someone who will work with you to get it set up and learn how to best utilize the tool. I found that very helpful. We already have the LTI integration in Canvas so set up and use is pretty easy. For more information on how Packback works, watch this “Engaging Students with Packback” video. The district has paid for a license, so it’s free to use with in MCCCD.
This next tool was introduced to me by Dr. Jennifer Lane, our CTLE Faculty Director. Perusall is a social annotation tool that integrates with Canvas via LTI assignments. Perusall allows students and their instructors to collaboratively markup documents. Instead of reading a document and discussing it in person, Perusall brings the discussion to the text online. Learn more about how it works by watching this video: https://youtu.be/ODE6v4YOo0E And… wait for it… Perusall auto-grades effort and engagement with the text and scores are added to your Canvas grade book automatically. This frees up time for you to analyze the discussion students are having around the document and where you can help clarify or provide more instruction. It’s really cool and students actually like it (after they figure out how to score full points). It takes a few assignments before they figure it out, so it’s best to use it often and not as a one-off. This tool is also free.
Lastly, I’ve already introduced you to FlipGrid. See my last post. I’ll be doing two workshops for the CTLE in the next few weeks. They should be sending out information soon. Join me if you want to learn how to get set up and use video discussions this fall. My workshops are scheduled for next Thursday, August 13th at 1 pm and Tuesday, August 18th at 1 pm.
Making Online Discussion More Relevant for Students (MIL)
7 Habits of Highly Effective Online Discussion Participants
Most students hate online discussion. It’s true. Ask them. I don’t blame them. I hate it too. Ha! Yep, I just admitted that. It’s not the idea behind asynchronous discussion that I dislike. It’s how it is implemented in most online courses. It’s almost as if it’s an after thought. Oh wait, I need some student to student interaction, so I’ll throw a few questions in a discussion forum and be done with it. There’s no clear purpose. Then 24 students all jump in and try to manage what can quickly become unruly or worse boring and meaningless. First, my horror story. How do 24 students “discuss” this question: What was the theme of the story? Yes, I’ve seen that discussion question in an online course. Well, after the first student nails the answer, and it didn’t take long in this case. Everyone waiting 4 days until the one brave soul responded with the correct answer. Done. What was everyone else supposed to say after that? Not much and the discussion was a flop. Twenty-four students echoing the same response. And I’ve seen worse.
There’s a lot that goes into creating successful asynchronous discussion in online courses. I talk a little about some of it in the video at the end of this post. Instead of elaborating on that further, I’d rather share with you a very rewarding asynchronous discussion going on right now in my ENG102 online course. Discussions don’t have to take place in a traditional discussion forum. That’s the first lesson. In this case, my real goal, aside from getting students to interact with each other, was to have students help each other out with their writing by offering some valuable feedback. This discussion begins in Connect Composition where students submit their latest essays. I set up a peer review assignment and put students in groups of 3. Their goal at this stage is to review the other two papers in their group and offer feedback based on the 6 questions I set up for them to answer.
The objective is twofold: Read more
Turn Q&A into Discusions in Your Online Class
I’ve talked about Piazza before, but that was before I really had a chance to use it. I introduced it to students in my online ENG102 course last semester, but I think students asked about 3 questions all semester. They resorted to texting and emailing me most of the semester, and I pretty much didn’t enforce the “Ask Piazza rule.” But this semester, not only am I insisting that students use Piazza to ask questions, I’m also using it for discussions. This is part of my MIL project I’m working on this semester.
Using Piazza is very easy, especially since Piazza has an LTI that lets you integrate the tool right into Canvas. So I have a button on the menu bar that opens Piazza right in the Canvas window. It also takes the user information from Canvas to authenticate the user in Piazza, so they only have to log in once (to Canvas) and then they can go straight to Piazza without having to log in again there. I think I’ve already talked about how the Q&A works in Piazza. This post is more about using it as a discussion forum.
In Piazza instructors and students can ask questions or post notes in the Q&A forum. If they post a question, users are prompted to supply an answer to the question. Instructors have a place to answer and students have a separate box to answer in. Student answers are like a wiki. Other students can edit the answer to try to improve it. The instructor can then mark the answer as a “Good Answer.” I plan to use this feature in some manner later down the road. For now, I’m using the “notes” posts for small group discussions. When you post a note, users are not prompted for an answer, but are encouraged to post “followup discussions.” Follow up discussions let students post their own responses and then let’s others reply. Each student can post a followup discussion within a note. Read more
