Flourishing at an individual pace

Robin Morgan, IU Southeast

Morgan

Some faculty find that E-mail, discussion forums and other on-line communication media in their teaching are having profound effects on student thinking and writing skills. Students are writing more. In associate professor Robin Morgan's "Introduction to Psychology" class at IU Southeast, students use the on-line Discussion Forum in Oncourse to analyze and debate assigned readings. The act of reading and replying to each other's responses deepens the discussion of course content. At the same time, students help each other improve their writing skills. If they don't make their points clearly, others ask for explanations.

"Their peers hold them accountable for clarity; students put each other face-to-face with what needs work in their written expression," said Morgan. "The group response trains individuals to write so that others can understand them, all this in a non-graded environment."

On-line discussion also allows those who prefer to think and write at their own pace to flourish in class discussions.

Morgan illustrates, "One non-native speaker of English, shy about speaking in class, has blossomed into a class leader on the strength of her on-line participation." This discussion also provides a mirror through which she can view student learning.

"Student comments open my eyes to what they are struggling with in the classroom," said Morgan. "I can now adjust my preparation during the semester to address the areas where students need help."

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