WEBVTT 00:00:00.030 --> 00:00:04.859 so the discussion boards are a very 00:00:01.948 --> 00:00:07.950 important part of the course it's a way 00:00:04.859 --> 00:00:10.110 for you to interact with each other to 00:00:07.950 --> 00:00:13.490 help teach yourself and others the 00:00:10.110 --> 00:00:16.350 material and to interact with me and 00:00:13.490 --> 00:00:19.380 learn things from me get clarifications 00:00:16.350 --> 00:00:21.029 from me and and also helped me learn as 00:00:19.380 --> 00:00:23.670 well so the discussion boards are 00:00:21.029 --> 00:00:25.439 something that I really enjoy and what 00:00:23.670 --> 00:00:27.390 I've decided to do this semester is to 00:00:25.439 --> 00:00:28.800 make them much more student-led than 00:00:27.390 --> 00:00:30.779 they've been in the past in the past 00:00:28.800 --> 00:00:32.880 I've largely led the discussion boards 00:00:30.779 --> 00:00:37.739 but I've found that I'm not really able 00:00:32.880 --> 00:00:39.600 to respond or interact with as many of 00:00:37.739 --> 00:00:42.780 the comments on the discussion board as 00:00:39.600 --> 00:00:44.629 I would like to optimally so this 00:00:42.780 --> 00:00:47.820 semester what I'm doing is having 00:00:44.629 --> 00:00:49.559 students essentially act as the leads or 00:00:47.820 --> 00:00:52.500 the curators for the discussion I'll 00:00:49.559 --> 00:00:54.899 still participate but I want you all to 00:00:52.500 --> 00:00:56.699 get the opportunity and the experience 00:00:54.899 --> 00:01:00.420 of leading a discussion helping to 00:00:56.699 --> 00:01:02.280 answer questions and curating different 00:01:00.420 --> 00:01:04.500 directions in a discussion board I think 00:01:02.280 --> 00:01:06.689 it's good practice for you and I think 00:01:04.500 --> 00:01:08.250 it'll enable me to better interact with 00:01:06.689 --> 00:01:11.340 what's going on on the discussion board 00:01:08.250 --> 00:01:14.939 by freeing up my time to be able to 00:01:11.340 --> 00:01:18.930 really focus on posting responses I have 00:01:14.939 --> 00:01:21.689 a full-time job outside of this teaching 00:01:18.930 --> 00:01:23.580 engagement and there's also a lot of 00:01:21.689 --> 00:01:25.350 work behind the scenes during the 00:01:23.580 --> 00:01:27.479 semester to keep the course running and 00:01:25.350 --> 00:01:28.950 that all really limits the amount of 00:01:27.479 --> 00:01:30.210 time that I can spend actually on the 00:01:28.950 --> 00:01:31.560 discussion board so I want to make sure 00:01:30.210 --> 00:01:33.869 that you feel you're getting really good 00:01:31.560 --> 00:01:36.180 feedback and having a really engage time 00:01:33.869 --> 00:01:38.130 in the discussion board and and as such 00:01:36.180 --> 00:01:41.100 I don't want that to have to rely on on 00:01:38.130 --> 00:01:43.649 me being available to make sure that 00:01:41.100 --> 00:01:45.630 that's going on so I'm empowering you 00:01:43.649 --> 00:01:47.430 all to really ensure that we have an 00:01:45.630 --> 00:01:49.860 active and vigorous discussion this 00:01:47.430 --> 00:01:51.270 semester so what the way this is going 00:01:49.860 --> 00:01:52.920 to work because of the number of 00:01:51.270 --> 00:01:55.200 students we have about 20 students in 00:01:52.920 --> 00:01:58.259 the class is that I'm going to divide 00:01:55.200 --> 00:01:58.770 everyone up each week into two separate 00:01:58.259 --> 00:02:01.560 groups 00:01:58.770 --> 00:02:03.600 you'll be randomly assigned to a group 00:02:01.560 --> 00:02:05.189 so it'll rotate around and that'll give 00:02:03.600 --> 00:02:05.579 you the chance to engage with different 00:02:05.189 --> 00:02:08.639 people 00:02:05.579 --> 00:02:12.150 it'll make sure that your discussion pod 00:02:08.639 --> 00:02:13.620 does not stagnate at any point in the 00:02:12.150 --> 00:02:15.180 past I've taught two sections 00:02:13.620 --> 00:02:17.220 this class simultaneously and it's been 00:02:15.180 --> 00:02:20.220 really interesting to see how each 00:02:17.220 --> 00:02:22.200 section operates as a really independent 00:02:20.220 --> 00:02:24.780 organism the discussion boards end up 00:02:22.200 --> 00:02:26.280 looking very different and by moving you 00:02:24.780 --> 00:02:28.860 all around from week to week I think 00:02:26.280 --> 00:02:33.390 it'll encourage a variety of different 00:02:28.860 --> 00:02:35.459 styles and and and different directions 00:02:33.390 --> 00:02:36.690 in the discussion to emerge and you'll 00:02:35.459 --> 00:02:38.459 still get to know each other because 00:02:36.690 --> 00:02:40.409 you'll probably be together for you know 00:02:38.459 --> 00:02:42.810 an average about half of the discussions 00:02:40.409 --> 00:02:45.090 since it's random so I'll divide you up 00:02:42.810 --> 00:02:47.549 into two groups of ten into two 00:02:45.090 --> 00:02:49.140 different discussion boards and in these 00:02:47.549 --> 00:02:52.079 two discussion boards that's where 00:02:49.140 --> 00:02:53.579 you'll spend most of the week chatting 00:02:52.079 --> 00:02:56.910 with your classmates and interacting 00:02:53.579 --> 00:02:59.329 with me and each week there will be a 00:02:56.910 --> 00:03:01.680 lead for each of the discussion boards 00:02:59.329 --> 00:03:03.659 everyone in the class participates in 00:03:01.680 --> 00:03:05.670 one of the two discussion boards and 00:03:03.659 --> 00:03:08.010 what I'll do is post the name of the 00:03:05.670 --> 00:03:11.280 participants in each of these sub boards 00:03:08.010 --> 00:03:13.230 on the front page of that board like I 00:03:11.280 --> 00:03:15.209 mentioned each board has a lead and that 00:03:13.230 --> 00:03:17.419 name will will go out in advance so you 00:03:15.209 --> 00:03:20.130 know on a schedule when you're leading 00:03:17.419 --> 00:03:21.660 the discussion each week in these boards 00:03:20.130 --> 00:03:23.130 should really be related to the material 00:03:21.660 --> 00:03:24.480 in the class so the things that are in 00:03:23.130 --> 00:03:27.660 the lecture video are the things that 00:03:24.480 --> 00:03:29.129 are in the book you can ask questions 00:03:27.660 --> 00:03:30.540 about the material if there's something 00:03:29.129 --> 00:03:32.510 you don't quite understand if there was 00:03:30.540 --> 00:03:34.919 something you found interesting I 00:03:32.510 --> 00:03:37.169 encourage you to bring information from 00:03:34.919 --> 00:03:40.519 outside of the class into the discussion 00:03:37.169 --> 00:03:43.079 can be personal information or perhaps 00:03:40.519 --> 00:03:44.910 new scientific findings or things that 00:03:43.079 --> 00:03:48.150 are going on outside of the class that 00:03:44.910 --> 00:03:49.859 are relevant to that week's topic please 00:03:48.150 --> 00:03:53.940 do bring it in it really makes it very 00:03:49.859 --> 00:03:56.069 stimulating and and you all will be 00:03:53.940 --> 00:03:58.109 grading each other's so the participants 00:03:56.069 --> 00:03:59.730 each week will grade the lead of that 00:03:58.109 --> 00:04:01.790 week and the lead will grade the 00:03:59.730 --> 00:04:05.250 participants each week and over time 00:04:01.790 --> 00:04:08.160 your discussion and participation score 00:04:05.250 --> 00:04:10.560 will be cumulatively based on these 00:04:08.160 --> 00:04:15.720 grades that you receive for these two 00:04:10.560 --> 00:04:18.988 roles in the class so each week towards 00:04:15.720 --> 00:04:21.899 the end of the week the curators are 00:04:18.988 --> 00:04:23.550 leads of each of these weekly discussion 00:04:21.899 --> 00:04:25.469 boards so the two people assigned to 00:04:23.550 --> 00:04:27.130 lead these discussion boards in a 00:04:25.469 --> 00:04:28.570 particular week 00:04:27.130 --> 00:04:30.220 at the end of the week they'll sum up 00:04:28.570 --> 00:04:32.380 the discussion and their board and then 00:04:30.220 --> 00:04:35.110 post it on a third board that'll be 00:04:32.380 --> 00:04:37.210 higher level and which everyone in the 00:04:35.110 --> 00:04:39.970 entire class can look at so not just the 00:04:37.210 --> 00:04:42.400 two subgroups but actually all twenty 00:04:39.970 --> 00:04:43.720 students and it's expected that you'll 00:04:42.400 --> 00:04:45.460 look at this and it should be 00:04:43.720 --> 00:04:47.320 interesting to see the the different 00:04:45.460 --> 00:04:51.160 summaries of what the two groups talked 00:04:47.320 --> 00:04:53.530 about at that point you can have some 00:04:51.160 --> 00:04:55.300 discussion about the summaries or other 00:04:53.530 --> 00:04:58.900 topics that you want to bring up in the 00:04:55.300 --> 00:05:00.130 the whole class forum and in general you 00:04:58.900 --> 00:05:02.740 know most of the discussion should take 00:05:00.130 --> 00:05:06.010 place the week in which it's most 00:05:02.740 --> 00:05:07.810 relevant but it's fine you know for 00:05:06.010 --> 00:05:11.200 things to continue into the the 00:05:07.810 --> 00:05:13.540 following week especially you know on 00:05:11.200 --> 00:05:16.240 this whole class board where the 00:05:13.540 --> 00:05:18.460 summaries make you up some questions for 00:05:16.240 --> 00:05:22.720 me or questions from you or other points 00:05:18.460 --> 00:05:25.360 you want to add the summary should be 00:05:22.720 --> 00:05:27.850 fewer than 500 words and it should be 00:05:25.360 --> 00:05:30.070 posted on Tuesday this as the syllabus 00:05:27.850 --> 00:05:31.450 says the class resets every Wednesday 00:05:30.070 --> 00:05:34.330 and goes goes on to the next week's 00:05:31.450 --> 00:05:36.010 material everyone in the class should be 00:05:34.330 --> 00:05:39.250 familiar with what's on the whole class 00:05:36.010 --> 00:05:41.340 discussion board and like I mentioned 00:05:39.250 --> 00:05:45.460 all the students can participate in 00:05:41.340 --> 00:05:47.320 comment in addition there may be some 00:05:45.460 --> 00:05:49.600 weeks where there will be a topical 00:05:47.320 --> 00:05:51.190 discussion a particular topic that I 00:05:49.600 --> 00:05:52.990 thought the whole class would find 00:05:51.190 --> 00:05:55.210 interesting and the intention is for 00:05:52.990 --> 00:05:57.280 everyone to be engaged with that special 00:05:55.210 --> 00:06:00.220 topic and to post on it and have 00:05:57.280 --> 00:06:04.060 discussions on it not every week will 00:06:00.220 --> 00:06:05.380 have this but some weeks will and if 00:06:04.060 --> 00:06:07.510 you're interested in the grading process 00:06:05.380 --> 00:06:08.950 there's a lot of detail in the syllabus 00:06:07.510 --> 00:06:11.380 about this I'm not going to go into it 00:06:08.950 --> 00:06:14.050 here except to say that the course 00:06:11.380 --> 00:06:15.250 engagement score is is the the total 00:06:14.050 --> 00:06:17.380 grade for course engagement is worth 00:06:15.250 --> 00:06:20.500 quite a bit of your total grade in the 00:06:17.380 --> 00:06:23.290 class and a lot of that grade is 00:06:20.500 --> 00:06:26.410 determined through the peer grading 00:06:23.290 --> 00:06:27.250 process so the discussion board is 00:06:26.410 --> 00:06:29.800 really important 00:06:27.250 --> 00:06:33.040 you really should participate as much as 00:06:29.800 --> 00:06:34.600 possible and it should not be quantity 00:06:33.040 --> 00:06:36.880 of participation it's really the quality 00:06:34.600 --> 00:06:39.640 that matters and there are some 00:06:36.880 --> 00:06:41.050 parameters in the syllabus to help the 00:06:39.640 --> 00:06:42.940 participants grade the 00:06:41.050 --> 00:06:44.349 and the leads grade the participants so 00:06:42.940 --> 00:06:45.699 I encourage you to look through them I 00:06:44.349 --> 00:06:46.840 don't want to go through them in this 00:06:45.699 --> 00:06:47.830 video because they're already written 00:06:46.840 --> 00:06:50.830 out and I think they're fairly 00:06:47.830 --> 00:06:52.419 straightforward but this is how the 00:06:50.830 --> 00:06:54.909 discussion boards are gonna work I think 00:06:52.419 --> 00:06:57.310 it'll really help you get much more 00:06:54.909 --> 00:07:00.280 timely feedback and much more voluminous 00:06:57.310 --> 00:07:02.710 feedback it'll help me really focus on 00:07:00.280 --> 00:07:04.300 what to respond to and be able to spend 00:07:02.710 --> 00:07:06.639 my time interacting with your ideas 00:07:04.300 --> 00:07:09.460 instead of sort of keeping track of your 00:07:06.639 --> 00:07:11.500 performance on the boards and I think 00:07:09.460 --> 00:07:13.240 overall it's a win-win for everyone so 00:07:11.500 --> 00:07:17.259 I'm really excited to see how this works 00:07:13.240 --> 00:07:19.539 and and and and thank you for doing the 00:07:17.259 --> 00:07:21.639 experiment with me if you have any 00:07:19.539 --> 00:07:24.550 questions about this please post them in 00:07:21.639 --> 00:07:28.120 the discussion board for general 00:07:24.550 --> 00:07:32.009 syllabus or general class questions that 00:07:28.120 --> 00:07:32.009 you might have thanks