Some students (most) generally like small discussions/exercises.
Others may object that it breaks their concentration and is distracting.
What to do?
#Survey: 5 responses
Challenge
3.8
Liked
Round table’ discussion, ‘check in’ period at the beginning of class, ‘show and tell’ through
email before class and a de-brief in class.
The use of a website for the class syllabus instead of blackboard.
The amount and type of work we have is appropriate, the writing assignments are spread out
evenly.
As a student, I appreciate the relative non-pressure of our discussion format. There aren’t
reading quizzes or short answers. Instead, we’re free to openly express our opinions and ideas in a
longform discussion format. A lot of courses rush through content as quickly as possible, so it’s
been refreshing to be able to really dive into a singular topic and discuss it as a group.
Redouble
I liked when we went around the room and had each person share a comment, insight or question
from the reading. It was the best way to generate relevant discussion so far.
I would like to see a greater inclusion of “Public Sources” and articles included into our
reading. We’ve had a few really interesting ones (Wired’s A/B testing article comes to mind) and I
think this could be expanded upon. I don’t always find the textbook to be the most diverse or
engaging piece of reading.
To improve
The course page and syllabus are difficult to navigate. It would be helpful for there to be one
spot for instructions and tips (how to write an essay, how to present, etc.) instead of having to
search the page. — See resources?
For students less comfortable speaking, maybe the inclusion of an online discussion board would
be helpful to allow them to participate. — Greater use of email list?
I think the use of laptops could be beneficial to this class because it could make discussions
about online communities more engaging when we have them at our finger tips, like that one day we
looked at different sites’ codes of conduct. — You can opt-in to
laptop use; what do people think?
