An example of a class website featuring use of surveys and blogs

Review of course website featuring student blog use: “The Practice of Criticism” by Paul Schacht.

Where my previous blog post and reference to my del.icio.us site concerned websites devoted to research in the natural sciences, this blog entry includes an outline of the contents of an online course website in the humanities that might be helpful for instructors wanting to know in a more detailed fashion what kinds of information might be helpful to include, and especially, how they might go about integrating the use of blogs in their courses. What follows is a brief discussion of why this example might be important and a simple list of the material and links I have found on this site with very brief explanations.

To be sure, the most extensive online presentation of course syllabi is the Open Course Ware site of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (), but the problem with using this site as a guide is that it has been constructed by a large, well-paid team. The virtue of Paul Schacht’s website below is that it is a one-man operation that to my mind is a more realistic model for many of our instructors, and also, that it includes surveys and the blogs use that is our immediate concern.

The blogging use here is comparatively limited to providing students with the opportunity to practice writing blogs and commenting on their class work. The students were required to set up their own blogs and post comments on a regular basis. Of the 30 blogs, approximately 75% include significant contributions of 6-12 entries on the class, the assigned readings, relevant links, and what students think about the use of blogs and their own learning.

I have not found a web-accessible evaluation of this course or blogging use, but I have found an online book chapter on the “The Collaborative Writing Project” by the author and will add my review of this text here soon. However, by reading the student entries one quickly gains an impression of young people rising to the challenge of putting their comments online and having done so well – well meaning the most of the entries are coherent, thoughtful, and reflecting commitment to learning.

I can imagine two ways these blogs contributed to class and learning. First, by having students express their thoughts on the class, they and the instructor found here helpful advice on student learning and likely grasped the opportunity to talk about it and so supporting classroom management. Second, this writing frequently has meaningful content: the sharing of observations here suggests that students used the blogs to clarify their learning goals and actually made progress towards those goals through the writing process.

Of additional interest is the instructors use of the forums. Here, the instructor used a simply phpbb forum site, and the one entry the includes responses from all students – apparently this was required – was on the topic of what students expected from the class. As an instructor, I can easily imagine that this exercise played a vital role in helping the class define what it is about, helping students commit themselves to class, and supporting the creation of a cooperative classroom and online atmosphere.

1. Basic course management (links on the top right-hand column). Rules, regulations, course requirements, office hours, etc.
a. Outcomes: what student may expect to learn in the course.
b. Requirements: what students will be required to do, with emphasis on deliverables, including contributions to the class forum, creation of their own blogs, and contribuion to the “Collaborative Writing Project” wiki
c. Class Schedule: class meeting dates and times, topics, required texts (with links).
d. Papers and Exams: what they will be required to deliver, including dates and times, topics, submission formats, and how to get help.
e. Resources: recommended websites (links) for student research as well as advice on avoiding plagiarism, advice on using sites critically, and the proper way to write attributions.
f. Fine Print: Detailed information on office our times, place, and procedures; policies on attendance, use of cellphones and laptops, paper submission forms, plagiarism, examinations; grading polcies.
g. Links to the course forum (phpbb), the course electronic reserves.
h. Link to data input functions, including surveys, student blog urls and cell phone numbers, and examination topic.
i. Preview of the examination questions.
j. Link to a page including photographs of almost all enrolled students.
k. Link to produce a printer-friendly output of the course syllabus.
2. Links of general interest (left-hand column and part of the right-hand column)
a. Links to wiki and rss feeds on podcasting.
b. Links to online literature archives.
c. Links to online guides for writing and dictionaries.
d. Links to interesting websites, newspapers, journals, political advocacy groups, bloggers.
e. Links to university websites, including departments, library, student guides, student disability services.
f. Of special interest is the extensive online writing guide authored by the class instructor Paul Schacht, “The Guide”. Similar to the handouts of many instructors, this resource would function as the basis information for student writing tutors and tutors, including advice on the qualities of good writing, considerations of audience an purpose, and advice on paper organization, editing, and conventions. Additional topics include advice on the writing process, including how one goes about developing outlines, developing topics, preparing and editing drafts, proof-reading, etc.
3. Links to blogging advice and student blogs (right-hand column).
a. Advice on setting up blogs and writing entries. The blogging service link is to the cost-free Blogspot service registration page featuring a simple accessible registration process. The advice on writing is practice, general advice from the university on formal and informal writing.
b. Links to all student blogs

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