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"an average student who participates in online discussion will score 25 percentile points higher on course exams than an average student who participates in classroom discussion"

Folks who study student retention and success in community colleges are well-acquainted with the concept of "high-impact practices." They're a set of measures that have been shown through empirical research to make positive differences in student outcomes. The list of high-impact practices usually includes learning communities, service learning, writing-intensive courses, undergraduate research, internships, and capstone courses, among others.

+ useful bibliography in one of the comments

Abstract: The growth of online learning within education has corresponded to an increase in use of asynchronous discussion. Asynchronous discussion is a form of interaction that is mediated rather than directed, and is characterized by a time lag in the interactions between discussants. In this paper we conducted a brief narrative review of the literature on asynchronous discussion. We argue, initially, that discussion is necessary, but not sufficient, for successful pedagogic outcomes-especially in the case of online learning. We identified areas of agreement within the literature on what can be considered the key factors for successful asynchronous discussion.

"Specifically, students who reported being highly engaged connected ideas from other courses, changed their understanding of a topic or concept, found connections between their learning and societal problems, and had fun. . . . "What students in online classes seek is connection--to oneself, to others, and/or to course material."

Components of development and delivery: Content development, pre-semester setup, and overall involvement in the class decrease in time consumption by the third iteration. Yet, Grading & Assessment time consumption actually increases. The survey found that [of the respondents]: Learning curves: The problems, "myths," and concerns associated with online course development and delivery are more likely associated with pedagogy than with technology.

"As long as aviation pioneers tried to mimic birds, controlled, heavier-than-air human flight proved impossible. Along somewhat similar lines, it is only by breaking decisively from traditional face-to-face models that it will be truly possible to create the kinds of immersive, social experiences in online education that will truly engage students and promote high levels of attainment among broad profiles of students."

Key finding: "A strong majority of those who have taught online, 71 percent, say doing so has helped them develop skills and practices that have improved their teaching both online and in person. More than seven in 10 say online teaching has enabled them to think more critically about how to engage students with content, better use multimedia content and better use the learning management system."

"The findings suggest that a new role, the life skill promoter, has emerged. Furthermore, analysis of the remaining roles (pedagogical, designer, social, technical and managerial) showed that: (i) online instructors are, first and foremost, pedagogues; (ii) the design of the particular online program influences the pedagogical and designer roles and; (iii) the managerial role has declined in importance over the years due to the development of more intuitive and transparent online scenarios from the beginning of the course onward."

An article shared with me by Aaron Lewis (COB); very timely; related to how online instructors can encourage civil conversations in their classrooms

wb: Thought this a very useful (+short!) discussion of the new learning that is emerging thanks to computers. Filled with tons of great links to online resources and teaching game examples I hadn't heard of before.

Resources and ideas from CSU Channel Islands for faculty development, especially blended and online, including slides from a presentation their Teaching and Learning Innovations team did at OLC Innovate. Content and approaches include a toolbox, Facebook, Twitter, learning communities, course construction workshops and a faculty/staff blog. Impressive.