In the face-to-face classroom, students tend to effortlessly
interact with each other as a normal part of their learning experience.
Students may talk before and after class, participate in class discussions,
build connections through study groups, and engage in other formal or informal activities.
However, in the online classroom, there is a loss of student-to-student
proximity. The loss of this opportunity for direct communication becomes a
potential challenge for instructors to foster meaningful student engagement. Advances
in technology offer instructors various methods in which to incorporate
student-student interactions into online courses. VoiceThread is one such
technology.
In a recent study, Bickle and Rucker (2018) examined
student-to-student interactions in an asynchronous online undergraduate course.
The authors used VoiceThread technology within group assignments and found that
students experienced a more humanizing method of interaction. The combination
of VoiceThread technology and group assignments influenced students’ ability to
learn, their feeling of a community, and their ability to communicate in an
online environment. VoiceThread as an interactive technology was a successful
learning tool to encourage collaboration, conversation, and creativity among
students. During the semester long course, student groups of three completed
seven assignments using VoiceThread. Within each group, each student researched
a specific topic and recorded a video thread in VoiceThread. Group members
collaborated to complete the assignment, and then the group leader uploaded the
VoiceThread link to Blackboard for grading purposes.
Delmas (2017)
explored the role of VoiceThread in creating a sense of community for graduate
students in blended and fully online classes. Students in the study used
VoiceThread for assignments (student introductions, presentations, historical
timelines, and book reviews) in their classes. Results indicated that students
felt more connected to their classmates due to VoiceThread’s ability to add
voice to online activities. In addition, students reported that they felt more
connected to their instructor because VoiceThread made the instructor seem
real. VoiceThread was effective in creating social presence and enhancing
communications.
In conclusion, student-student interaction is a vital part
of any student learning experience whether face-to-face or online. VoiceThread provided the opportunity
for student-student interaction in the absence of face-to-face interaction.
Student-student interaction is only one form of interaction. Last
month’s blog article focused on instructor-student interaction in
the online classroom. In next month’s blog article, student-content interaction
in the online classroom will be discussed in detail.
References
Bickle, M. C., & Rucker, R. (2018). Student-to-student
interaction. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 19(1), 1–11.
Retrieved from
https://www.infoagepub.com/quarterly-review-of-distance-education.html
Delmas, P.
(2017). Using VoiceThread to create community in online learning. TechTrends:
Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning, 61(6), 595–602.
doi:10.1007/s11528-017-0195-z
Cite this blog:
Washington, G. (2019, September 28). The online classroom: Student-student interactions [Blog post]. Retrieved
from https://pedagogybeforetechnology.blogspot.com/
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