0:00:00.030,0:00:04.859
so the discussion boards are a very

0:00:01.948,0:00:07.950
important part of the course it's a way

0:00:04.859,0:00:10.110
for you to interact with each other to

0:00:07.950,0:00:13.490
help teach yourself and others the

0:00:10.110,0:00:16.350
material and to interact with me and

0:00:13.490,0:00:19.380
learn things from me get clarifications

0:00:16.350,0:00:21.029
from me and and also helped me learn as

0:00:19.380,0:00:23.670
well so the discussion boards are

0:00:21.029,0:00:25.439
something that I really enjoy and what

0:00:23.670,0:00:27.390
I've decided to do this semester is to

0:00:25.439,0:00:28.800
make them much more student-led than

0:00:27.390,0:00:30.779
they've been in the past in the past

0:00:28.800,0:00:32.880
I've largely led the discussion boards

0:00:30.779,0:00:37.739
but I've found that I'm not really able

0:00:32.880,0:00:39.600
to respond or interact with as many of

0:00:37.739,0:00:42.780
the comments on the discussion board as

0:00:39.600,0:00:44.629
I would like to optimally so this

0:00:42.780,0:00:47.820
semester what I'm doing is having

0:00:44.629,0:00:49.559
students essentially act as the leads or

0:00:47.820,0:00:52.500
the curators for the discussion I'll

0:00:49.559,0:00:54.899
still participate but I want you all to

0:00:52.500,0:00:56.699
get the opportunity and the experience

0:00:54.899,0:01:00.420
of leading a discussion helping to

0:00:56.699,0:01:02.280
answer questions and curating different

0:01:00.420,0:01:04.500
directions in a discussion board I think

0:01:02.280,0:01:06.689
it's good practice for you and I think

0:01:04.500,0:01:08.250
it'll enable me to better interact with

0:01:06.689,0:01:11.340
what's going on on the discussion board

0:01:08.250,0:01:14.939
by freeing up my time to be able to

0:01:11.340,0:01:18.930
really focus on posting responses I have

0:01:14.939,0:01:21.689
a full-time job outside of this teaching

0:01:18.930,0:01:23.580
engagement and there's also a lot of

0:01:21.689,0:01:25.350
work behind the scenes during the

0:01:23.580,0:01:27.479
semester to keep the course running and

0:01:25.350,0:01:28.950
that all really limits the amount of

0:01:27.479,0:01:30.210
time that I can spend actually on the

0:01:28.950,0:01:31.560
discussion board so I want to make sure

0:01:30.210,0:01:33.869
that you feel you're getting really good

0:01:31.560,0:01:36.180
feedback and having a really engage time

0:01:33.869,0:01:38.130
in the discussion board and and as such

0:01:36.180,0:01:41.100
I don't want that to have to rely on on

0:01:38.130,0:01:43.649
me being available to make sure that

0:01:41.100,0:01:45.630
that's going on so I'm empowering you

0:01:43.649,0:01:47.430
all to really ensure that we have an

0:01:45.630,0:01:49.860
active and vigorous discussion this

0:01:47.430,0:01:51.270
semester so what the way this is going

0:01:49.860,0:01:52.920
to work because of the number of

0:01:51.270,0:01:55.200
students we have about 20 students in

0:01:52.920,0:01:58.259
the class is that I'm going to divide

0:01:55.200,0:01:58.770
everyone up each week into two separate

0:01:58.259,0:02:01.560
groups

0:01:58.770,0:02:03.600
you'll be randomly assigned to a group

0:02:01.560,0:02:05.189
so it'll rotate around and that'll give

0:02:03.600,0:02:05.579
you the chance to engage with different

0:02:05.189,0:02:08.639
people

0:02:05.579,0:02:12.150
it'll make sure that your discussion pod

0:02:08.639,0:02:13.620
does not stagnate at any point in the

0:02:12.150,0:02:15.180
past I've taught two sections

0:02:13.620,0:02:17.220
this class simultaneously and it's been

0:02:15.180,0:02:20.220
really interesting to see how each

0:02:17.220,0:02:22.200
section operates as a really independent

0:02:20.220,0:02:24.780
organism the discussion boards end up

0:02:22.200,0:02:26.280
looking very different and by moving you

0:02:24.780,0:02:28.860
all around from week to week I think

0:02:26.280,0:02:33.390
it'll encourage a variety of different

0:02:28.860,0:02:35.459
styles and and and different directions

0:02:33.390,0:02:36.690
in the discussion to emerge and you'll

0:02:35.459,0:02:38.459
still get to know each other because

0:02:36.690,0:02:40.409
you'll probably be together for you know

0:02:38.459,0:02:42.810
an average about half of the discussions

0:02:40.409,0:02:45.090
since it's random so I'll divide you up

0:02:42.810,0:02:47.549
into two groups of ten into two

0:02:45.090,0:02:49.140
different discussion boards and in these

0:02:47.549,0:02:52.079
two discussion boards that's where

0:02:49.140,0:02:53.579
you'll spend most of the week chatting

0:02:52.079,0:02:56.910
with your classmates and interacting

0:02:53.579,0:02:59.329
with me and each week there will be a

0:02:56.910,0:03:01.680
lead for each of the discussion boards

0:02:59.329,0:03:03.659
everyone in the class participates in

0:03:01.680,0:03:05.670
one of the two discussion boards and

0:03:03.659,0:03:08.010
what I'll do is post the name of the

0:03:05.670,0:03:11.280
participants in each of these sub boards

0:03:08.010,0:03:13.230
on the front page of that board like I

0:03:11.280,0:03:15.209
mentioned each board has a lead and that

0:03:13.230,0:03:17.419
name will will go out in advance so you

0:03:15.209,0:03:20.130
know on a schedule when you're leading

0:03:17.419,0:03:21.660
the discussion each week in these boards

0:03:20.130,0:03:23.130
should really be related to the material

0:03:21.660,0:03:24.480
in the class so the things that are in

0:03:23.130,0:03:27.660
the lecture video are the things that

0:03:24.480,0:03:29.129
are in the book you can ask questions

0:03:27.660,0:03:30.540
about the material if there's something

0:03:29.129,0:03:32.510
you don't quite understand if there was

0:03:30.540,0:03:34.919
something you found interesting I

0:03:32.510,0:03:37.169
encourage you to bring information from

0:03:34.919,0:03:40.519
outside of the class into the discussion

0:03:37.169,0:03:43.079
can be personal information or perhaps

0:03:40.519,0:03:44.910
new scientific findings or things that

0:03:43.079,0:03:48.150
are going on outside of the class that

0:03:44.910,0:03:49.859
are relevant to that week's topic please

0:03:48.150,0:03:53.940
do bring it in it really makes it very

0:03:49.859,0:03:56.069
stimulating and and you all will be

0:03:53.940,0:03:58.109
grading each other's so the participants

0:03:56.069,0:03:59.730
each week will grade the lead of that

0:03:58.109,0:04:01.790
week and the lead will grade the

0:03:59.730,0:04:05.250
participants each week and over time

0:04:01.790,0:04:08.160
your discussion and participation score

0:04:05.250,0:04:10.560
will be cumulatively based on these

0:04:08.160,0:04:15.720
grades that you receive for these two

0:04:10.560,0:04:18.988
roles in the class so each week towards

0:04:15.720,0:04:21.899
the end of the week the curators are

0:04:18.988,0:04:23.550
leads of each of these weekly discussion

0:04:21.899,0:04:25.469
boards so the two people assigned to

0:04:23.550,0:04:27.130
lead these discussion boards in a

0:04:25.469,0:04:28.570
particular week

0:04:27.130,0:04:30.220
at the end of the week they'll sum up

0:04:28.570,0:04:32.380
the discussion and their board and then

0:04:30.220,0:04:35.110
post it on a third board that'll be

0:04:32.380,0:04:37.210
higher level and which everyone in the

0:04:35.110,0:04:39.970
entire class can look at so not just the

0:04:37.210,0:04:42.400
two subgroups but actually all twenty

0:04:39.970,0:04:43.720
students and it's expected that you'll

0:04:42.400,0:04:45.460
look at this and it should be

0:04:43.720,0:04:47.320
interesting to see the the different

0:04:45.460,0:04:51.160
summaries of what the two groups talked

0:04:47.320,0:04:53.530
about at that point you can have some

0:04:51.160,0:04:55.300
discussion about the summaries or other

0:04:53.530,0:04:58.900
topics that you want to bring up in the

0:04:55.300,0:05:00.130
the whole class forum and in general you

0:04:58.900,0:05:02.740
know most of the discussion should take

0:05:00.130,0:05:06.010
place the week in which it's most

0:05:02.740,0:05:07.810
relevant but it's fine you know for

0:05:06.010,0:05:11.200
things to continue into the the

0:05:07.810,0:05:13.540
following week especially you know on

0:05:11.200,0:05:16.240
this whole class board where the

0:05:13.540,0:05:18.460
summaries make you up some questions for

0:05:16.240,0:05:22.720
me or questions from you or other points

0:05:18.460,0:05:25.360
you want to add the summary should be

0:05:22.720,0:05:27.850
fewer than 500 words and it should be

0:05:25.360,0:05:30.070
posted on Tuesday this as the syllabus

0:05:27.850,0:05:31.450
says the class resets every Wednesday

0:05:30.070,0:05:34.330
and goes goes on to the next week's

0:05:31.450,0:05:36.010
material everyone in the class should be

0:05:34.330,0:05:39.250
familiar with what's on the whole class

0:05:36.010,0:05:41.340
discussion board and like I mentioned

0:05:39.250,0:05:45.460
all the students can participate in

0:05:41.340,0:05:47.320
comment in addition there may be some

0:05:45.460,0:05:49.600
weeks where there will be a topical

0:05:47.320,0:05:51.190
discussion a particular topic that I

0:05:49.600,0:05:52.990
thought the whole class would find

0:05:51.190,0:05:55.210
interesting and the intention is for

0:05:52.990,0:05:57.280
everyone to be engaged with that special

0:05:55.210,0:06:00.220
topic and to post on it and have

0:05:57.280,0:06:04.060
discussions on it not every week will

0:06:00.220,0:06:05.380
have this but some weeks will and if

0:06:04.060,0:06:07.510
you're interested in the grading process

0:06:05.380,0:06:08.950
there's a lot of detail in the syllabus

0:06:07.510,0:06:11.380
about this I'm not going to go into it

0:06:08.950,0:06:14.050
here except to say that the course

0:06:11.380,0:06:15.250
engagement score is is the the total

0:06:14.050,0:06:17.380
grade for course engagement is worth

0:06:15.250,0:06:20.500
quite a bit of your total grade in the

0:06:17.380,0:06:23.290
class and a lot of that grade is

0:06:20.500,0:06:26.410
determined through the peer grading

0:06:23.290,0:06:27.250
process so the discussion board is

0:06:26.410,0:06:29.800
really important

0:06:27.250,0:06:33.040
you really should participate as much as

0:06:29.800,0:06:34.600
possible and it should not be quantity

0:06:33.040,0:06:36.880
of participation it's really the quality

0:06:34.600,0:06:39.640
that matters and there are some

0:06:36.880,0:06:41.050
parameters in the syllabus to help the

0:06:39.640,0:06:42.940
participants grade the

0:06:41.050,0:06:44.349
and the leads grade the participants so

0:06:42.940,0:06:45.699
I encourage you to look through them I

0:06:44.349,0:06:46.840
don't want to go through them in this

0:06:45.699,0:06:47.830
video because they're already written

0:06:46.840,0:06:50.830
out and I think they're fairly

0:06:47.830,0:06:52.419
straightforward but this is how the

0:06:50.830,0:06:54.909
discussion boards are gonna work I think

0:06:52.419,0:06:57.310
it'll really help you get much more

0:06:54.909,0:07:00.280
timely feedback and much more voluminous

0:06:57.310,0:07:02.710
feedback it'll help me really focus on

0:07:00.280,0:07:04.300
what to respond to and be able to spend

0:07:02.710,0:07:06.639
my time interacting with your ideas

0:07:04.300,0:07:09.460
instead of sort of keeping track of your

0:07:06.639,0:07:11.500
performance on the boards and I think

0:07:09.460,0:07:13.240
overall it's a win-win for everyone so

0:07:11.500,0:07:17.259
I'm really excited to see how this works

0:07:13.240,0:07:19.539
and and and and thank you for doing the

0:07:17.259,0:07:21.639
experiment with me if you have any

0:07:19.539,0:07:24.550
questions about this please post them in

0:07:21.639,0:07:28.120
the discussion board for general

0:07:24.550,0:07:32.009
syllabus or general class questions that

0:07:28.120,0:07:32.009
you might have thanks