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British Journal of Educational Technology Vol 37 No 5 2006 761-783 doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2006.00560.x Blackwell Publishing Ltd.Oxford, UKBJETBritish Journal of Educational Technology0007-1013British Educational Communications and Technology Agency, 20052005375761783Articles Developing a comprehensive metric British Journal of Educational Technology Developing a comprehensive metric for assessing discussion board effectiveness Robin H. Kay Assistant Professor, Faculty of Education, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. Email: Robin.Kay@uoit.ca Abstract The use of online discussion boards has grown extensively in the past 5 years, yet some researchers argue that our understanding of how to use this tool in an effective and meaningful way is minimal at best. Part of the problem in acquiring more cohesive and useful information rests in the absence of a comprehensive, theory-driven metric to assess quality and effectiveness. Based on an extensive review of the research, the following variables were used to assess traditional discussion board use: thread, location of message within thread, author (student vs. educator), subject line clarity, time of posting, response time from previous message, number of times message was read, number of words, primary purpose, message quality, difficulty level of topic, knowledge level, processing level and use of external resources. These variables proved to be effective in assessing 12 key areas of discussion board use. It is argued that this kind of metric is essential if we wish to advance our understanding of online discussion boards for both educators and researchers. Overview The use of online discussion boards has grown extensively in the past 5 years (Cooper, 2001). While this tool is viewed as revolutionary by some researchers (Hara, Bonk & Angeli, 1998; Li, 2003), others argue that our understanding of how to use online discussion in an effective and meaningful way is limited (Blignaut &

My Wordle for online Teaching module Robin Kay's Abstract 'Developing a comprehensive metric for assessing discussion board effectiveness'

The American Heritage® Dictionary invites you to create a self-portrait using your words. The words that tell the world who you are. That make you, you. It's easy to do, whether you decide to link to places like Facebook for words you've already written or write something new specifically for your portrait. Either way, you'll create a unique image that can be shared and saved and will remind everyone that You Are Your Words.

See how often US presidents have said certain words in their inaugural addresses. Click on the examples on the right, or type in your own word above. Hover over points in the graph and milestones to see names and dates

An online thesaurus and dictionary of over 145,000 words that you explore using an interactive map.

This program will explore the connections between visual literacy and information literacy. Examples of textual, visual, and hybrid resources will be examined in light of the standards developed for both literacies in order to discover the intersections between the two and ways to teach in an environment where both words and images convey important meanings. Attendees will have the opportunity to develop learning outcomes, rubrics, and pedagogical methods for effectively teaching these multiple literacies.

Explore the power of pictures through these examples from the Smithsonian Institution Libraries' collections in science, history, and art.

With the Picture Mixer, you can merge pictures and text into 3D scenes such as billboards or fluttering flags. The Picture Mixer helps you get started using Blender (a free and open 3D graphics tool) to make interesting pictures and animations. We collect basic 3D designs and let you customize them and preview the results quickly online. When you are happy with how things are set up, we'll run blender and generate a nice high-quality result for you. If you would like to try your hand at Blender yourself, you can download the design and play around with it as you like.

via @cliotech