Blogs and Wikisin Blackboard

NERCOMP - Blackboard User Group, December 6, 2006Barbara Knauff, Senior Instructional

TechnologistAcademic Computing

Session Overview

• Bb at Dartmouth• Why blogs and wikis? • Learning Objects implementation• Use cases• Tips

Dartmouth

• 4,100 undergrads• 1,600 graduate/professional

students• 475 faculty• 400-500 courses/term

Dartmouth

• Residential student body• No distance ed programs• Study abroad > 50%• Face-to-face instruction at core of

institutional identity• Liberal arts• Bb used as a supplement

Bb at Dartmouth

• 1999: adopted CourseInfo• 2002: integration with Banner• 2006: more than 2/3 of courses

have active Bb site• Cross-platform support crucial

(40% Mac users)

Bb growthBlackboard Courses, 2002-present

15

7585

115

45

170

200 200

55

210 218 219

64

240

275 283

82

323

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

Summer 02

Fall 02Winter 03Spring 03

Summer 03

Fall 03Winter 04Spring 04

Summer 04

Fall 04Winter 05Spring 05

Summer 05

Fall 05Winter 06Spring 06

Summer 06

Fall 06

Number of Courses

Early uses of Bb

• Tool adoption weighted towards administrative functions

• Instructor disseminates content• Students consume content• One-way street: faculty to student

So what’s the problem?

“… students do not always complete the readings, so sometimes come to class with no ideas and questions about new knowledge.”

So what’s the problem?

“The issue with which I really struggle is that […] students seem to not want to think or take responsibility for their own learning.”

So what’s the problem?

“Another problem that new technologies may address is the range of student competence […]”

So what’s the problem?

“… students […] often seem unwilling to apply what they know to their classmates’ presentations.”

So what’s the problem?

“… students […] want to be fed the ‘answers’ to the test questions.”

Deeper Learning Principles

• Social• Active• Contextual• Engaging• Student-owned

Carmean, Colleen and Jeremy Haefner. "Mind over Matter: Transforming Course Management Systems into Effective

Learning Environments." Educause Review, Nov/Dec.

2002, pp. 27-34.

Tools for deeper learning

• Discussion Boards• Wikis• Blogs or online journals

Shared attributes

• Asynchronous• Collaborative• Multi-media possible • Text-centered

Discussion Boards

• Implemented in Bb• Limitations:

– Linear structure– Can be cumbersome to read– Focus on text– No cross-platform WYSIWYG editor– Cannot embed media in page– No commenting– Access: all or nothing

Blogs

• Simple web publishing• Chronological presentation• Shared or individual• Support comments

Wikis

• “A web application that allows users to add content, as on an Internet forum, but also allows anyone to edit the content.” (Source: wikipedia)

• A website (non-linear, hyperlinked)• Collectively authored• Supports comments

Blogs and Wikis in Bb

• Based on Building Block technology• Enterprise clients only• Learning Objects:

http://www.learningobjects.com• Substantial cost• Cross-platform support• Excellent customer support• Rapid development cycle

Basic clients?

• Link to free services from within Bb• No seamless authentication

integration• No integrated assessment• Recommended services:

– PB Wiki: http://pbwiki.com/– Blogger: http://www.blogger.com

Teams LX

• “Teams Site” = wiki• Nomenclature and icon switch =

Teams LX

Create a wiki in any content area

Teams LX

Assign name and description

Teams LX

Grant editing privileges based on groups

Teams LX

Grant editing privileges to individuals

Teams LX

Set availability

Teams LX

Set dates for editing

Teams LX

Set dates for viewing/commenting

Teams LX

Ability to create gradebook entry

Teams LX

Ability to set text direction

Teams LX

• Cross-platform WYSIGYG toolbar– IE– Firefox– Unsupported browsers - can edit

HTML

Teams LX

Toolbar supports:– Word-like changes in display– Links– Images– File uploads– Special characters– HTML editing mode– pseudo-CSS

Teams LX

Editing history for each page

Teams LX

Version changes highlighted

Teams LX

• Ability to revert to prior versions• Other tools:

– Page list– Search tool– Export tool

Teams LX

Assess Wikis (Control Panel)

Wiki examples

• Scientific Basis of Medicine Program (SBM.Program-AY0607):– Student presentation of medical case

studies– Use of pathology images crucial

Wiki examples

• Whitman and Dickinson (ENGL.066.01-SU06):

– Class-built literary glossary– Class-built annotated bibliography– Tendency to append, not overwrite

Wiki examples

• Composition and Research (WRIT.002.04-FA06)– Collection of sources– Class-built historical synopsis– Orphaned pages

Wiki examples

• Expository Writing (WRIT.005.13.14-FA06)– Group web project instead of paper– Multi-media included– Course administration: signup sheets

Wiki examples

• Expository Writing (WRIT.005.01-FA06)– Student-generated questions– Wiki functions like an erasable

whiteboard

Wiki examples

• Biology & Politics of Starvation (BIOL.009.01-SSOC.009.01-WI06)– Final projects– Charts and images– Some poor design choices (colors,

width)

Wiki examples

• Collaborative article (ORG.computing.curricular.CMS-article)– Used wiki as shared writing space

Wiki positives

• Student engagement and ownership

• Multi-media• Sharing work in class / outside of

class• Wikis enhance other work

Wiki positives

• “Group writing doesn’t produce good papers - but the next individual paper will be improved”

• Engages deeper learning principles:– Social, active, contextual, engaging,

student-owned

Wiki problems

• Confusion between general course wiki and wikis deployed in content areas

• Confusion between “edit page” and “new page”

• Concept of linked web of pages difficult• Browser problems (Safari)• Locked-up documents• Assessment difficult• Poorly designed sites, image sizing problems• Orphaned pages• Flashy instead of substantive

Wiki suggestions, 1

• Brief & clear technical instructions• Disable course wiki• Clearly define expectations of wiki

assignments• Create demo wiki for students• Consider “seeding” wikis/pre-

establishing structure• Don’t expect beauty• Be aware of time commitment required

Wiki suggestions, 2

• Be aware of file size quota• Iterative process:

– Create– Review and comment, feedback– Refine– Final Assessment– Consider separating process/product

in assessment• Require commenting

Journals LX

• Analogous to Teams LX• “Journal Site” = blogs• Nomenclature and icon switch =

Journals LX

• Single-page• Multi-author• Users can only edit their own posts• Versioning• Commenting• No assessment tool• Option: students can view only own

posts• Option: RSS feed

Sample journal assignments

• Individual reading or progress journals

• Group project progress reports• Student blogs• Peer review• Link collection

Journals example

• Latinos in Media/Arts LATS.041.01-FA05 – Student link collections

Journals positives

• Easy for students to use• Good replacement for some single-

page wikis• Alternative to discussion board

Journal problems

• Less used at Dartmouth than wikis• Student engagement seems lower• Few technical/conceptual problems

– Browser problems

• Problems similar to discussion board:– Student motivation– Integration with course

Expo LX

• Formerly called “Backpack”• Not deployed at Dartmouth• Blogs, wikis associated with user• Module-based (not course)• Rudimentary permissioning• E-portfolios• Personal student spaces

Conclusion

• Contact: barbara.knauff@dartmouth.edu

• Slides: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~bknauff/NERCOMP2006/

Questions!