Facilitating On- and Off-line Discussions
August 11, 2010
USM Professor of Communication Leonard Shedletsky has been teaching human communication to undergraduates for nearly 35 years. What has most recently caught his attention is a dramatic trend where students, who are virtually silent in the classroom, become active conversationalists when participating in discussions online.
“Each semester there is one day when we switch from the classroom to an online setting, during which the students are transformed into energetic communicators, sending text messages so quickly that most complain that it is chaotic,” says Shedletsky. “This highly predictable bit of behavior fascinates me. Why do the students, who are so reticent in the room with me, turn so suddenly into energetic discussants? It’s this event that has me re-thinking discussion in education.”
Shedletsky, who was named the holder of USM’s 2009-11 Walter E. Russell Chair in Philosophy and Education, invited students and faculty to a series of Russell Chair discussions he convened that examined the quality of online versus classroom discussion.
Shedletsky also is the lead editor and chapter author of the recently released IGI Global book, “Cases on Online Discussion and Interaction: Experiences and Outcomes.” The book’s collection of case studies examines the enormous varieties of online discussion that began with the first documented computer generated message sent in 1969. Shedletsky’s chapter reviews the literature on the quality of critical thinking in online discussion that takes place in the online college course. He also blogs about how to make our discussions better on IGI Global’s website.
During a time of increasing demand for online college-level education that allows working and place-bound adults the opportunity to achieve degrees, it is important to understand the benefits and pitfalls of online education. Shedletsky can address these issues and is available for interviews.
