Using Chat Rooms to Enhance the Ecollege Online Learning Experience
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Using Chat
Rooms to
Enhance the
Ecollege Online
Learning
Experience
1
Why Chat?
Chatting can be a nice opportunity for you and
your students to communicate with each other and
share ideas in real time (live). Students may type
their thoughts depending on the chat system being
used.
A well-planned chat room experience can help
build community and foster valuable learning
opportunities.
Your eCollege classroom has an easy-to-use chat
feature. This presentation will introduce you to the
synchronous eCollege chat and offer some
suggestions for how you might like to use it in your
classroom.
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2
What does the research say about using chats in
online classes?
Study conducted by Lavooy & Newlin (2008) found statistically
significant correlation between frequency of students’ online chat hours
and the course outcome measures of total quiz points and total course
points.
This study took data points for 7 consecutive semesters.
These results suggest that educators should be as concerned about web-
based learning environments as they are about live course environments.
Educators should consider both synchronous (live chats) and
asynchronous (discussion boards) in their web-based courses.
Lavooy, M.J., & Newlin, M.H. (2008). Online chats and cyber-office hours: Everything but the office. International Journal
on E-Learning, 7(1), 107-116.
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3
How does synchronous behavior (online chat) benefit
students?
Wang, Newlin, & Tucker (2001) also found significant correlations
between specific behaviors in web-based lectures (answering instructor’s
questions in real-time chat) and course performance.
Affording students the opportunity to interact with each other is critical
for students who seek immediate feedback and interactivity.
Students who may not normally be likely to speak up in a live course
environment may be likely to “find their voice” in a setting where they
do not have to face their colleagues.
Wang, A.Y., Newlin, M.H., & Tucker, T.L. (2001). A discourse analysis of online classroom chats: Predictors of cyber-
student performance. Teaching of Psychology, 28(3), 221-225.
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4
Getting Started: How to Access the Chat Room in an
eCollege Classroom
The Chat feature appears in the menu of your eCollege classroom. Just click the
“Chat” tab to get started. Faculty and students access the chat room in the same
way.
Students are
already enrolled in
chat rooms upon
enrollment in
courses.
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5You can use the Main chat room or add additional
rooms.
Adding additional rooms
is not necessary although
you may find it useful for
small group work on
specific topics. You may
see some additional rooms
already created for you
(depending on how your
classroom was set up.)
To create a new chat
room, just click the “Add
New Room” option. You
can name and describe
your new room.
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6Click the chat room you want to use in order to begin.
You’ll be prompted with a message to “Click Button to Enter Chat.” Click as
directed.
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7Once in the chat room you can begin to type.
When you log in your name
will appear here. You will also
be able to see a list of every
Your own name will not appear student in attendance.
on your screen, but others will
be able to see your name.
The chat will end when the last person
exits the chat room. It doesn’t matter
if this person is the faculty member,
or a student.
Type here and press Enter. Your text will appear above.
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8Chats save automatically and are available as a read-only archive. You can see them by
clicking the “View Chat Logs” option. Saved chats are listed by the date they took place.
To see a particular chat, just click the date of that chat.
9 9Possible Chat Room Structures
Groups of between 2 and 5 typically work well although you may
consider different sized groups for different purposes.
A small group might be appropriate when working on a specific
topic. For example: a pre-assignment discussion
Faculty office hours
One-on-one conferencing
Whole-class discussions or question and answer sessions
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10Reminding Students About Chatiquette…
Courtesy rules apply.
Talk to others as you would want them to talk to you.
Chat participants should address each other by name.
Participants should “speak” one at a time.
Use standardized English (no text message symbols).
Establish the level of discourse that you wish for your
students to engage in.
Multi-tasking
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11Careful planning is absolutely necessary.
Some strategies for effective planning include:
Be familiar with the technical aspects/procedures for chatting using the
eCollege classroom.
Try a practice run with your students to ensure everyone is comfortable
using the chat room.
Include stated objectives for the chat and ensure that participants
understand the expectations and goals of the chat.
Provide or have students generate essential questions before the chat.
Maintain the allocated time period for the chat. That includes being
punctual and arriving to the chat on time.
Faculty member should log in ahead of time.
The sample chat on the following slides demonstrates what might
happen first with careful planning and second, without careful planning. 12
12Sample Chat with careful planning
Dr. Alexis has entered. [ 06:02:56 PM ]
T.A. Cannon has entered. [ 06:02:43 PM ]
Dr. Alexis> Good evening, T.A. I hope you are well this evening!
T.A. Cannon> Hello. I’m fine. A little nervous.
Dr. Alexis> Nothing to worry about, T.A.—we are here to learn and I will be here every step of the way. Just
remember the guidelines that I sent out previously.
Sasha Corrie > QUESTION.
Dr. Alexis: Yes, Sasha? You had a Q?
Sasha Corrie > I’m not sure how to complete my assignment for this week.
Juan Diego > I want to know how to cite my sources correctly.
Dr. Alexis> Juan: Please wait until I respond to Sasha. Sasha: This is one of the objectives for our session tonight.
We will chit chat for a few minutes until 6:10PM, and then we will tackle that question within the group.
Sasha Corrie> OK. Thanks.
Dr. Alexis> OK—to get us started, here is a little brain teaser for tonight—send us a smiley face as soon as you think
you know the answer…
Faculty member entered first.
Faculty member responded promptly and offered support to students.
There was an established protocol for posing questions.
Faculty member reinforced protocol and modeled for students.
Objectives were sent out ahead of time. 13
13Sample Chat without careful planning
T.A. Cannon has entered. [ 06:02:43 PM ]
Dr. Alexis has entered. [ 06:02:56 PM ]
Jenny Whitman > I don’t know what I’m doing in here
Juan Diego > Sorry I am a bit slower in typing thatn you are.
Sasha Corrie > What is the MRA?
Jenny Whitman > I’m typing now and just hit enter
Juan Diego > Michigan Reading association
Juan Diego > I tried to paste , but it isn't working for me? How do you do it?
Jenny Whitman > is this working? Can you see what I’ve written??????????????
Sasha Corrie > The inventory that we have to answer has 87 questions. At the end you have to identify four goals based on the IRA
standards and discuss them.
Juan Diego > Hi Jenny. Yeah we can see what you’re writing. Join us in our conversation.
Sasha Corrie > I tried to paste like the professor said, but it is not working.
T.A. Cannon > have we gotten started yet? Is this everybody? What do we do?
Jenny Whitman > this is crazy! I can’t understand what is going on
Jenny Whitman > everybody seemz to be talking at once
T.A. Cannon has left. [06:09:12 PM]
Jenny Whitman has left. [ 06:09:42 PM ]
Faculty member did not enter the chat room first.
Faculty member did not take the lead and let students flounder on their own.
Students were not aware of what they were to focus on.
There wasn’t an established protocol for communication.
Remember that for students who enter the chat room late, they will not be able to see the
prior discussion. They will only see the conversation at the point of entry.
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14And in conclusion…
If you have some thoughts or ideas to share or have questions on
how to use the Chat feature of your eCollege classroom effectively,
please contact:
Dr. Susan Krauss susan.krauss@waldenu.edu
Dr. Roberta Ross-Fisher roberta.ross-fisher@waldenu.edu
Dr. Kimberly Truslow kimberly.truslow@waldenu.edu
or post to the
Community Center www.waldenfaculty.org
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