Thomas hat für das Holmberg Modul insgesamt 3 Konferenzen eingerichtet. Hier die Conferences mit den Main Topics... Hinzu kommt die Einführung für die Study Groups (s. Ende).

Module 2a: History and Principles of DE

Introducing Boerje Holmberg

Dear Class Members,

We would like to warmly welcome Prof. Dr. Boerje Holmberg as our first guest faculty member in our course. Prof. Holmberg is a pioneer and a pillar of the distance education community. In 1999, he received "The ICDE Prize of Excellence for Lifelong Contribution to the Field".

Boerje Holmberg was born in 1924 in Malmoe, Sweden. He studied English, German, Roman Languages and Education at the University of Lund, where he has also earned his doctorate in 1956.

In 1956, Boerje Holmberg became educational director of Hermods in Sweden, then the largest distance-teaching organisation in Europe, which in the 1955 - 75 period annually enrolled between 75,000 and 100,000 students. In 1966 he was appointed Director General of Hermods Foundation and resigned from this position, when the Swedish government took over Hermods in 1975. During his time at Hermods, Boerje Holmberg had published studies in distance education, three monographs and several articles.

In 1976, Boerje Holmberg became Professor in distance education methodology and Director of the Institute for Distance-Education Research at the FernUniversitaet in Hagen/Germany. He published several books and a great many contributions to learned journals. Among his works can be mentioned "Theory and Practice of Distance Education", a second and revised edition of which was published by Routledge (London, New York) in 1990, "Growth and Structure of Distance Education" (Croom Helm, London, 1986), "Mediated Communication as a Component of Distance Education" (FernUniversitaet, Hagen, 1989), a number of research reports, thus, e.g., on his empathy approach and theory of guided didactic conversation.

After his retirement from the FernUniversitaet, Boerje Holmberg has continued contributing both to research and debate on distance education, for example by articles in "Open Learning" and "Epistolodidaktika". He is also active as a practitioner in the field. Thus he has taken part in the planning of a new distance-teaching polytechnic in Germany. He is now Rector of this, the "Private FernFachhochschule Darmstadt" (http://www.privatfh-da.de/).

Boerje Holmberg has been awarded honorary doctorates by Deakin University in Australia and the Open University in the United Kingdom. He is a member of Kungliga Fysiografiska Saellskapet i Lund, an academy of sciences founded in 1792, he is a Knight of Royal Order of Vasa, Sweden, as well as of the Order of the White Rose of Finland.

It is a great pleasure to have Boerje Holmberg with us in this Foundation course of our Master of Distance Education program.

Boerje, welcome to our online class, the "podium" is yours.

Best wishes,
Thomas

History and Principles of DE: an Introduction

Dear Participant,

Welcome to this module of our course in distance education.

We have little time at our disposal for this particular module so I must ask you to be prepared for quite an intense period. We can divide the reading required into three units. The more you have done of these three reading assignments before 20th of February, when we are to start our seminar on the net, the better. I will then make some suggestions for this seminar and will give you your assignments for our module on or before 27th February.You will be required to submit your solutions no later than the fifth of March.

In our case the pacing I have indicated will be necessary, which I regret. In fact, our course differs from most distance-education programmes by being limited to fixed periods of study. As a rule distance students pace themselves and follow their personal time-tables, which is sometimes necessary and usually practical for adult students with jobs, families and social commitments of various kinds. In our case this will be possible to a very limited extent, however. I will introduce the three reading assignments and you will personally have to plan your time in such a way that you can keep to the plan indicated.

The seminar we shall start on 20th of February will be based on the assumption that you have completed the first two reading assignments before we begin our interaction. Then something very important. In the second and third reading assignments you will be introduced to quite lengthy texts. In most cases you need only look them through to get to know what they are about, whereas in other cases a thorough reading will be necessary. I will explicitly point out to you which parts belong to each of these categories. Then your own particular interests and predilections will also influence your reading.

Reading assignment 1 will differ from this as the whole of the texts belonging to it will have to be read carefully. Now please start by reading my introduction to the first reading assignment and the texts it refers to. When you have done this, do the same with the introduction to the second and finally the third reading assignment. I am sure you will find a number of points you wish to discuss. Do so on the net while you read the texts belonging to this module. Any question, comment or objection you may have to what I say or what is said in the texts you are to read is welcome. You will see that I constantly insist that personal interaction is a necessity in distance education, so please don't hesitate to contact me when you feel like discussing or querying something. You will also get opportunities to exchange views with other course participants. I very much look forward to our contacts.

Yours sincerely,

Börje Holmberg

Reading Assignment 1: Principles of Distance Education

Dear Class Members,

Some basic principles of distance education will be the theme of the first part of our course. Discussing principles necessarily means looking into the historical development of distance education. What we now mean when we talk about distance education, i.e. its very concept, is a consequence of its history, just as the principles on which its methods, media, organisation, general potential and attractiveness are based on more than a century of thinking and practice.

Traditionally distance education implies wholly individual study, each student interacting on the basis of pre-prepared learning materials with his/her tutor, who corrects and comments on assignment solution submitted. However, distance education can also be arranged for and offered to groups of students. Modern information technology makes this possible. It is the use of tele and/or computer conferencing that widens the possibilities of distance education in this way.

What is very important, indeed, is that distance teaching consists of two components, viz.

1. the presentation of learning matter, which means one-way traffic, and
2. the interaction between students and tutors, i.e. two-way traffic.

The protagonists of distance education usually claim that it is a mode of education which opens up possibilities for study to anyone interested, particularly adults with jobs, which can be carried out anywhere and at any time, and which can encourage and support students' independence (I am no exception!).

You will find that scholars and practitioners writing on distance education have different target groups in mind. My colleague Otto Peters, whose printed work and contributions to this course will be of great importance to you, mainly discusses university distance education, whereas other writers, like myself, also have students at the high-school level and people in occupational and professional training in mind. When reading make sure you realise how inclusive as to academic stages the presentations are.

Bearing what I have so far said in mind please read the following texts:

1. On the concept of distance education, its relation to open learning, its student, ethos and practice read Chapter 1 (pp. 1-17) of my book Theory and practice of distance education. In this context consider a description of the characteristics of distance education given by Desmond Keegan, in my view the best succinct presentation of what the concept means. The characteristics identified by him are

• the quasi-permanent separation of teacher and learner throughout the length of the learning process (this distinguishes it from conventional face-to-face education);
• the influence of an educational organization both in the planning and preparation of learning materials and in the provision of studennt support services (this distinguishes it from private study and teach-yourself programmes);
• the use of technical media - print, audio, video or computer - to unite teacher and learner and carry the content of the course;
• the provision of two-way communication so that the student may benefit from or even initiate dialogue (this distinguishes it from other uses of technology in education; and
• the quasi-permanent absence of the learning group throughout the length of the learning process so that people are usually taught as individuals and not in groups, with the possibility of occasional meetings for both didactic and socialisation purposes.
(Kegan, D. (1990) Foundations of distance education, p. 14, London and New York: Routledge)

2. On the history of distance education read and consider my article ?The evolution of the character and practice of distance education? in Open Learning 10, 2, pp.47-53.
3. For a general orientation look through the list of contents of my book Theory and practice of distance education. This will make it easier for you to get a grasp of what matters are to be considered in our study.

I hope you will enjoy this reading assignment and look forward to you comments and/or questions

Börje Holmberg

Reading Assignment 2: Planning, Course Development, and Interaction

Dear Class Members,

You will now be confronted with quite long texts. Do not regard them as lessons to be learnt! With the exception of some parts which I will point out to you it will be enough that you understand what the texts are about and try to identify what is particularly relevant.

This second reading assignment concerns three subject areas, the planning of distance education, the development of course materials and the interaction between students and tutors.

Planning

It is, of course, perfectly possible to arrange distance education as a spontaneous exchange of questions, answers and arguments between on the one hand one or more students, on the other hand a tutor. Such programmes do occur, for instance as part of contract learning (on which see my Theory and practice pp. 73-74), but in most cases distance learn- ing relies on course materials planned and developed in advance of the learning process.
Planning distance education includes considerations of how students learn, the use of learning objectives as guides to the study and as control and checking instruments, guidelines for course development, student-tutor interaction and other kinds of student support, organisation and administration. In Chapter 3 of Theory and practice (pp. 27-44) you will find a survey of these planning considerations and also a discussion of the so-called systems approach, which engages many distance educators. Just look these pages through so that you get to know what they are about.
The planning is, of course, just the beginning of the distance-education process as seen from the viewpoints of the course developer, tutor, advisor and administrator, all roles a distance educator may have to undertake. Chapter 4-7 of my book (pp. 45-155) deal with these matters. Skim through these pages, try to decide what is particularly relevant on the one hand from the objectives of this course, on the other hand from your own perspective, i.e. from what you find important in relation to your own experiences, job requirements and expectations. It is enough if you orient yourself in this way so that you get to know where to look these matters up when later on you need more exact information.
Below I direct your attention to some thirty pages in my book which require more than cursory reading. Study them carefully.

Course development

On pp. 45-55 I have outlined a general approach to distance education which I regard as essential. It represents what can be called an empathy approach implying that in the interest of student motivation and success it is important that students should be made to feel that they have personal contact with those who represent the teaching, i.e. the supporting organisation, that they belong to a circle of friends (which may just consist of the individual student, the course developer and the tutor, but may also include fellow students). This empathy can be brought about by the style of presentation - I always recommend a conversational style - and the helpfulness and friendliness of tutors showing personal interest in the students and their progress. This thinking has led to the develop- ment of a theory which has been empirically tested. The relevance of the empathy approach to the interaction between students and tutors is examined in Chapter 6 (pp. 125-127) - important, indeed!
The sequencing of learning material is related to the organisation of courses. The division of printed courses into units (lessons, 'letters') is an important concern. Please pay attention to what is said about this at the beginning of Chapter 5 (pp. 68-70). The development and use of self-checking exercises (pp. 76-78) and of assignment tasks are a problematic area. The latter have to be considered in relation to the tutorial support given to students. What is said about this in Chapter 6 is in my view of paramount importance (pp. 104-112).
The media used both in course development and in student-tutor interaction are looked into in Chapters 5 and 6. You are no doubt aware of the potential of new media, particularly as a result of of modern information technology. While on the whole it will be enough for you to read what is said about media cursively to fill in any lacunae in your knowledge there is one aspect you should pay particular attention to and that is the possibility for speeding up communication by the use of e-mail and/or fax for students' assignments and tutors' comments (pp.122-125).

Interaction

Further to Chapter 6 I suggest you read the section called 'Tutoring at a distance' (pp. 106-112) particularly carefully. Also please note that the empathy approach is important also in counselling (p. 132).

Summing up Reading assignment 2

The above is, as you will have seen, nothing but a list of important concerns covered in my book. Apart from the sections you have to read carefully as indicated above you must orientate yourself in these chapters in such a way that it will be easy for you to use the texts as a book of reference.

Your comments will be welcome. All the best,
Börje Holmberg

Reading Assignment 3: Teaching and Learning in Distance Education

Dear Class Members,
We have then come to the final reading assignment belonging to this module.

Apart from the subject areas covered by the texts you have so far read we have touched on several concerns in our discussions which are well worth looking further into. To these belong the theoretical considerations on which thinking and acting are based.

What, for instance, do we mean by teaching?
And what about learning?
How important is assimilation of facts?
What do we mean by problem learning and how can it be brought about?

These and similar questions are discussed in Chapter 2 of Theory and practice of distance education. Look it through and consider what it contains. Have you any objections to what is said?

A few attempts have been made to develop a theory or theories of distance education. These attempts will be discussed in the third module with my colleague, Otto Peters, who will be concerned with the pedagogy of distance education.

As one of those who have attempted theory building in our field I have devoted a chapter to the problems inherent in this endeavour. Read Chapter 9 of Theory and practice of distance education and try to come to conclusions of your own as to the possibility of developing a general theory of distance education, the relevance of the autonomy questions raised and the applicability of general teaching-learning theories to our field of study.

I have, as you will see on pp. 175 - 179, developed a theory of teaching and learning in distance education which has generated a series of testable hypotheses. On its epistomological background see pp. 180 - 181. The problems discussed in Chapter 9 will inevitably reappear from other starting points in the discussion of pedagogy. So consider this reading a preparation for what will follow in the 3rd Module of this course.

Theory and practice also contains chapters on special applications of distance education and on evaluation, which will be relevant to the practical work you may already be engaged in (Chapters 8 and 10). Just cast a glance at them to find out to what extent they concern you or are of general interest. In your future work more than just now you may find it useful to consult these chapters.

As an introduction to what will follow later in this course, you may also - if time allows -find it worth your while looking through Chapter 7 on organisation and administration.

If you work through important issues in distance education as I have done in Theory and practice, it will be natural for you to ask yourself if, or to what extent, this mode of education is separate from other modes and even if the academic study of it can be regarded as a special area of research and teaching. As to its specificity, look again at 161-164. As to its academic standing as a possible discipline of its own, you may find it interesting to look through Chapter 11. If you do not find time for this particular reading now you may feel like reading it after you have finished the course. Then please note that my arguments in favour of describing distance education as a discipline in its own right are by no means universally accepted. As so often in theoretical discussions others are of a different opinion.

After you have finished the texts recommended above you will have come to the end of Module 2 of our course. It has meant quite a lot of reading. I hope you will have found at least part of it interesting and in any case useful just as I hope that you have enjoyed our discussions on the net.

I wish you success and enjoyment.
Yours sincerely,
Börje Holmberg

Module 2b: Conference with Prof. Holmberg

Module 2 Seminar

Dear Class Members,

We shall now have a week at our disposal for a seminar discussion. It will be an a-synchronous seminar, i.e. you will be able to make your contributions at any time , day or night, from 21st to 28th September.

I will be as prompt as I possibly can in answering your questions and reacting to your comments, but I am afraid that some delays will be unavoidable, not only because of my work situation but also because of the different time zones.

Here are the seminar themes:

1. What methodological conclusions can we draw from the history of distance education?
2. Is Keegan's definition of distance education complete and incontestable?
3. What should above all characterise the two constituent elements of distance education?
4. How can knowledge about target groups influence distance-education courses, subject-matter presentation and interaction?

I very much look forward to our exchange of views in this computer seminar.

Börje Holmberg

Getting the discussion started

Dear all,

what Boerje proposes here is not just to answer questions. He intents to enter into a debate with you about the indicated topics. That means that you are invited to express your thoughts even if you disagree with some of Boerje's positions.

The discussion is also not just between each of you as an individual and Boerje Holmberg as the professor (as it is in the first part of this module where each enters his/her question concerning Boerje's book). Now we start a seminar where you may well address other participants to take up their ideas and develop them further. As far as it seems appropriate, Boerje will comment on the issues raised making his position clear.

Let me get the ball rolling: How would I comment on the 'methodological conclusions to be drawn from the history of DE'? Let me give you an example: I think DE developed because there was a problem to be addressed: there were people willing to learn but could not enter in the traditional settings of the classroom or the university. (The problem could be one of geographical distance, time or discrimination.) When Pitman started to teach shorthand by writing on postcards it was clear that this form of DE was aform of 'coping' rather than a serious competitor in the field of teaching. But limitations provide focus which lead distance educators to develop their own specialist approach to what can be called instructional design. Let me illustrate this point: earlier, book dealers hesitated to enter joint publishing ventures with the British Open University because they thought that textbooks reflecting the didactic approach of OU course material would not be acceptable for a wider public. This turned out not to be true. Such textbooks attracted much interest also from other universities and their instructional stye was widely emulated. The methodological conclusion to be drawn: that was first seem to be a limitation, can be turned into a strength.

The second topic ('On Keegan's definition of DE') is for you quite simple to enter since you have worked in groups on it. You may, however, compare notes and look to which extent your definition coincides with the definition of Keegan and where you disagree. There is traditionally a battleline between the protagonists of the asynchronous and the synchronous camp. The latter argue that modern technology allows us to have the traditional classroom at the distance with all its interactive functions and that this renders classical distance education obsolete. What is, for example, your position on this issue?

The next topic asks for the 'constitutive elements of DE'. Also here is movement in this day and age: as an impressive range of issues can be taught using WBTs or CBTs, is the dialogue with a teacher or with other students really important? Or, is it possible to develop an impressive range of self-instructional material including automated testing which allows to to without a teacher and peers?

For whom is DE? Is it for higher education only, or can it be used in basic education? Is it for adult learners only or can it be effectively used in schools? Topic 4 'Knowing the target group' that distance education has considerable scope and that this is likely to have consequences for how you go about course development or learner support.

These are only a few, 'off-the-cuff-questions' to start of our discussion.

PS: try to post your comment to the proper main topic: this means for instance do NOT just read this message and click on respond here. Ask yourself on which topic you want to comment and post your message there. You may also find that my propositions of indexing the header helpful.

Regards
Thomas

TOPIC 1: Methodological conclusions from the history of DE

From 02/12 onwards you may post here your contributions to the first topic Boerje suggests for the seminar discussion:
"What methodological comclusions can we draw from the history of distance education?"

From 02/12 onwards you may post here your contributions to the first topic Boerje suggests for the seminar discussion:
"Is Keegan's definition of distance education complete and incontestable? "

From 02/12 onwards you may post here your contributions to the first topic Boerje suggests for the seminar discussion:
"What should above all characterise the two constituent elements of distance education?"

From 02/12 onwards you may post here your contributions to the first topic Boerje suggests for the seminar discussion:
"How can knowledge about target groups influence distance-education courses, subject-matter presentation and interaction?"

Thanks to Boerje

Dear class members,
the conferencing week is coming to an end. It was difficult to follow all the different discussions. The sheer size of the discussion is reflected in the conference statistics. In both courses about 30000 words were exchanged about a quarter of it was posted as answer to your questions and contributions to the discussion by Boerje (about 7000). Evidently the sheer volume of communication would say little if it had not been you yourself who had experienced and contributed to the quality of the discussion.

We will have time to reflect on the discussions, summarize and draw conclusions, after the assignment has been written. Here it is the time and the place to thank Boerje.

Boerje is a great believer in personal communication and the 'empathy' approach and we believe that you all would agree that he lived up to his theoretical tenets. His theory was developed from the experience of correspondence teaching and it was interesting to realize that it yielded a message for our concrete situation because it implies guidelines on how to deal the many messages in an online classroom. On his side he tried to respond to any of you in the personal one-to-one interaction, which he believes to be the distinct quality of distance education. On the side of the participants it means to not forget, and indeed focus on, the essentials of DE: engagement with the content (here the readings) and finding the way to the teacher for clarifying your ideas. In principle Boerje has demonstrated that these core elements and distinguishing features of distance education can be preserved in an online seminar.

Also Boerje always has emphasized the importance of quick responses. He readily admits that this is an enhancing feature of online learning. However, the quick response is not just a matter of technology. Since the technology links human beings for communication, we need to acclaim Boerje's tenacity with which he worked through all your messages so that you get your answer quickly.

Thanks to Boerje!

Module 2c: Assignment and Evaluation

Formatting and uploading

Dear all,

Please, submit your essays to the "Submit Assignment" area of WebTycho not later than by Midnight on Monday 5th of March (EST). Please be sure to use the "Submit for Grading" button. It is wise to always save a copy for yourself before submitting.

With respect to the easy to handle file formats on our side we recommend the following alternatives:

1. Rich Text Format (*.rtf)
   The Rich Text Format is our preferred file format to avoid virus infections. Try to save your essay as (*.rtf) in your office software before attaching it to the WebTycho Submit Assignments area.

2. plain text in WebTycho or plain text created with a text editor (*.txt)

Please note the following:

1. If you use attachments do NOT use for the two topics two separate attachments or upload two separate essay.
2. Load up as 'Assignment 1'. Do not invent other headers.
3. For reasons of consistency we suggest the following header on top of your essay:
   [Your Name]
   [OMDE 601]
   [your section: 9040 or 9041]
   [Date]
   [Title of your essay; first line being "Assignment 1"]
4. If you use attachments include the message both into the attachment itself as well as into the assignment window.
   

In case you face technical problems with WebTycho, you may also send your essays as E-mail before the specified deadlineto: huelsmann@zef.uni-oldenburg.de

Please note that if you use Microsoft Word or a similar word processor, you MUST run a virus checker on the file before you submit it. If you do not use a virus checker (e.g. Norton, McAfee, etc) then you need to buy and install one on your machine.

Please, direct any questions regarding the assignment also to: huelsmann@zef.uni-oldenburg.de

Kind regards,
Thomas Hülsmann

Assignment 1

Dear Class Member,

Please write two short essays, each of about 300 words (+ or -100), on two of the following five themes:

1. The pervasive characteristics of distance education.
   What traits characterise distance education not only now but throughout its history?

2. Periods in the history of distance education.
   If you were to divide the historical development of distance education into three or more characteristic periods, which would they be and what would be typical of each of them?

3. Students' independence.
   To what extent does distance education expect students to be independent and to what extent does it promote students' independence? Discuss.

4. The role of technology.
   How would you describe the role of technology in today's distance education and its potential in the future?

5. Facilitating distance learning.
   What are in your view the most important measures to be taken to facilitate students' learning? Include course development, communication and administration in your considerations.

The deadline for the submission of your two essays is midnight EST, Monday, the 5th of March .

Yours sincerely,
Börje Holmberg and Thomas Hülsmann

PS: For technical details on uploading your assignment consult the main topic 'Format and uploading of the assignment'. The main topic 'A good example' provides you with a benchmark essay.

A benchmark example of an essay

Dear all,

There has been (and maybe is) some anxiety about the examination. Some of you asked me to post in advance the exact assignment question. This I had to decline. However, I attach part of a previous exam paper which was graded A+ for you to have a benchmark.

Especially I would like to draw your attention to the style of quotation. Given the size of the essay you should avoid long quotes within the text but include references where appropriate. In case of exact quoted passages, please, include page numbers in the reference. Within the text use an abbreviated form of referencing and include the detailed references at the end.

If you quote web references follow the APA style which includes a reference of your access time to the web source.

Regards
Thomas

The new task

Dear all,

before you decide to sit back and relax, I want to propose a further exercise which I consider as of great importance. I want again invite you to do a little (voluntary) group exercise.

1. Based on the evidence of ONE topic (TOPIC I, II, III or IV) of the conference with Boerje Holmberg discuss the following motion: "Does the analysis of the chosen topic provides sufficient evidence to support the motion that online conferences can produce equal or superior outcomes than discussions in traditional (i.e. face to face) seminars?"
2. Criteria for a good discussion incclude: (a) there are substantial contributions; (b) participants link to each others argument; (c) there is evidence that a participant modified his/her initial position in the light of the arguments exchanged.
3. The discussion should be conducted as a collaborative task in groups but this time with distributed roles. The group should assign the role of a proposer of the motion, an opposer, a moderator and a rapporteur. A group leader will be nominated whose only task is to get the process and the discussion started. (If the group leader is not acting because he or she is not available this week, the group is asked to make some self-organizing efforts.) He/she may then take up one of the indicated roles.
4. For this exercise you should use the conference space as main form of communication. If, in addition, chat sessions are organized, please make sure that you can download the transcript.

The objective of this task is a double one: first, it makes you step back and look at one discussion thread in some detail, concentrating not primarily on the arguments itself but on the structure of the discussion. This includes looking at participation level, correct headers; evidence that postings are put into context rather than answered without awareness of the other messages in the respective thread.

Second, by connecting this task with a role play, you may experience a new tool of moderating online discussions. The idea of conducting a discussion with prescribed roles comes from the British (?) debating club tradition. One objective of the debating club is to give the proposer and the opposer of the motion a clear role which obliges him/her to sharpen up the debate (always within the limits of academic civility). An interesting reference to the use of roles in an asynchronous online discussion is found in Collaboration, Writing, Assessment - 'Sites of Tension' in the Virtual Learning Community .

You will find your group under "Study groups". You may start immediately with the proceedings of selecting a topic and delegating the roles. Please post your results to the classroom not much later than March, 13.

I hope you will enjoy this form of debate. But I want you also to know that I think that asynchronous conferencing is a new and developing form, not yet completely understood. In this online debate you could experiment and assess a new (or less tried) moderating tool for online collaboration.

Regards,
Thomas

A final comment on the assignment

Dear all,

I have now posted the grades for the assignments and want to post a final comment.

What is the benchmark

Some of you may have asked themselves why they did receive a B while being convinced of the quality of their essay. Note therefore that if we have given you a B we also are convinced of the quality of your essay. To underline that let me remind you to the guidelines we have to adhere to:

The emphasis is mine. But the guidelines are very clear about what is to be considered as the benchmark of a "clear grap of the full range of course material and concepts". The adherence to the grading guidelines also protects you. It distinguishes your school from the so called 'diploma mills' where it is easy not only to pass but to receive high grades.

How the marking was done and by whom?

The marking has been done both by Börje Holmberg and myself. This is the reason why it has taken quite some time since we sent the papers to Sweden where Börje was staying over the University holidays. We marked independently and then discussed the grades and agreed on the grades posted. Generally the disagreement was marginal and we could decide the cases quickly. Especially with respect to the very good assignments there was a high level of agreement.

A major problems: missing the topic

In some cases where we had to go below the range of B the major problem was that in this cases the theme was not addressed. Let me remind you what we have written in the assignment: "We hope you will enjoy developing your thinking in writing on the two themes you choose. They are, as you will have seen, closely related to your reading and to what has been discussed in Module 2 of our course. This should be clearly reflected in your treatment of the topic."

You may have had the impression that the assignment question was too easy. But nevertheless this was what we asked an we clearly defined the frame of reference for answering them. It is a bit like in figure skating: you have first to demonstrate that you master the standards before you may proceed to demonstrate in the free program your personal style.

How to improve?

In order to improve you should get a better idea what we consider the A standard. We thereforwe will ask some of you we graded with an A to allow us to publish their essays in the main conference. This hopefully helps to understand what we regard as a good essay.

Regards
Thomas

Introduction for the Study Groups

Dear Kjrsten, Susan, Richard ( Lascelles), Angela, Michael, Consuelo I Massey, Richard (May), Joseph, Donna,

Here are the steps to take

1. The group leader (Donna) should immediately signal his/her presence. If not available she/he should ask the group to do without her/him and invite self-organization.
2. The group should select one topic (TOPIC1,2,3, or 4) of the debate with Boerje Holmberg..
3. The roles should be distributed. However, two persons may opt for the same role.
4. The moderator invites all group members to print out the selected topic, read it through. He/she conducts the identification of the discussed issues and their treatment and invites the proposer.
5. The proposers presents their case: "The analysis of the chosen topic shows that online conferences can produce equal or superior outcomes than discussions in traditional (i.e. face to face) seminars."
6. The opposers present their case: "The analysis of the chosen topic shows that online conferences is likely to produce inferior outcomes than discussions in traditional (i.e. face to face) seminars."
7. The moderator comes in now and again to possibly insist on issues one of the parties tries to dodge. The moderator also may ask for clarification etc.
8. Finally the rapporteur summarizes the arguments of both parties. His/her summary is loadet up to the main conference of this module as (for instance) GROUP II: Analysis of Discussion of TOPIC 3.
9. At the end, as usual in debating clubs, the performance of the two parties is judged by the audience, i.e. in our case the whole class.

It is important to understand that you should not engage in a general discussion of the topic by just expressing one view on the other. The discussion should be closely based on the thread under investigation as supporting or contradicting evidence. You may include the following steps in your discussion:

Step 1: Decide about some benchmark criteria of what is a good discussion.

Step 2: Get a first impression of the debate:
Print out the respective topic. (Click on "View Thread" then print.)

Step 3: Undertake a quick quantitative survey of the debate:
Make a list of who contributed and how often, when.

Step 4: Undertake some formal analysis of the debate:
Are header used correctly; is there evidence for awareness of the context of an argument (i.e. the contributions osted earlier in the same thread)?

Step 5: Undertake some qualitative analysis of the debate:
To which extent are the postings directed to the expert?
Is there evidence that someone has modified his/her thoughts as a result of the discussion? (The intention is not to pass judgements neither on contribution nor the quality of the discussion as a whole but trying to get a 'holistic picture' of an asynchronous discussion. This may help us to play our role better.

Load up the results of your group work to the conference 3c as a main topic not much later than March 13.
I hope you will enjoy the debate.

Regards
Thomas