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Manuals
and Guides: Networking
The
Electronic Forum Handbook,
continued
Study
Circles in Cyberspace
Manual
Index
Introduction
Organizing an Electronic Discussion Group
Moderator Guidelines for an Electronic Discussion
Group
Participant Guidelines
for an Electronic Discussion Group
Lessons Learned
Appendices
a. Dialogue versus Debate
b. Netiquette
c. Emoticons
d. Moderator Technology Checklist
e. Ground Rules
f. Evaluating the Experience
Contents
Organizing an Electronic Study Circle/Forum
Moderator Guidelines
Organizing
an Electronic Study Circle/Forum
Organizing
an electronic forum and study circle requires advance planning
whether it is to be face-to-face or electronic. We have compiled
a list of the major steps and have included our experience in
planning for the electronic forum in italics following each step.
We suggest that you adapt our examples to meet your needs.
The
Planning Steps for an Electronic Forum
1.
Decide who will organize the electronic discussion.
Who will
sponsor it? Who will participate? What is the optimum number of
participants? Who will moderate?
We had three
organizers who determined all of these factors. Because it was
used as an instructional strategy in our classrooms, we sponsored
it as teachers. We also took moderating responsibilities. Jill
and Pam were co-moderators with Jill posting questions and harvesting
voices while Pam tried to manage the technical aspects. But co-moderating
can be arranged with shared responsibilities in various ways.
Margaret was the silent moderator which meant that she observed
what was happening and "coached" us when she perceived that we
might make changes in what we were doing.
2.
Set up the electronic discussion group by creating a listserv.
In most cases
because of limited resources, a listserv will serve the technical
function of an electronic mail discussion group. Jim Morrison,
Horizon Digest 100, October 30, 1994, explains,
"A listserv
is a means of discussion through computer networks, most commonly
now the Internet. In most LISTSERVs individuals are enabled to
attach their own electronic mail addresses to a common list. Every
message sent to the electronic mail address associated with the
list can be sent to every electronic mail address on it. The MODERATOR,
if there is one,...tries to stimulate discussion of sufficient
interest to provoke at least some messages each week." Listservs
can be public or private. If it is public, anyone can join in
the discussion. If it is a private listserv, membership is controlled
by the moderator. Our experience is with a private listserv. Just
as in a face-to-face study circle, an electronic study circle
that is private can be opened to anyone."
Only one
individual must have access to the technological assistance required
to set up a listserv in order to have everyone use it. Anyone
who has access to technological assistance with the Internet through
an organization such as a school, workplace, or library, can investigate
using one.
Two of us
with the University of Georgia checked with our computer support
network. We were told we could have a listserv. We were also asked
the purpose of the list and we were both officially listed as
co-owners with a technical person who helped us manage problems.
We found that when error messages came to us rather than panic,
if we forwarded them to our co-owner, he would learn the problem
by reading the message and would advise about remedies. We never
learned how to read those error messages, but we did learn to
take his advice!
3.
Use listserv for planning.
Once we had
the listserv, we discovered that we could use the listserv for
planning. Jill, Margaret, and I began to send messages directly
to NIF-L at the Internet address and we would get the mail and
respond in a planning/discussion group. This allowed us to become
familiar with the technology while also providing an advantage
of group communication.
4.
Decide on topic of discussion and a time.
What issue
will be discussed, when and for how long?
We planned
a pilot electronic forum to take place over a two week period.
We chose "freedom of speech" as a topic because of the broad appeal.
We then carried out a six week forum on People and Politics. The
first week was introductions and netiquette. The second through
fifth weeks we introduced choices by posting discussion questions
on each Sunday night and moderating the discussion each week.
In some cases, the threads of the conversations from previous
weeks with those choices continued at the same time new choices
were being discussed. The sixth and final week we harvested the
voices.
5.
Select related reading material that will provide common reference
for participants.
We used the
same material we used for this topic in face-to-face discussion.
Kettering Foundation and Study Circles Resource Center have materials
to guide moderators in typical forums and study circles. We ordered
issue booklets for all participants and sent them out as soon
as participants signed on.
6.
Recruit participants.
Strategies
for recruiting participants include inviting friends, neighbors,
club members and relevant listservs. We decided to invite friends
and colleagues who had expressed an interest in our electronic
discussion experiment to participate in a pilot discussion. In
most cases, we already had e-mail contact with them so we sent
an invitation via e-mail with specific instructions about when
it would be held and how to join. Specific instructions as to
how to "subscribe" were given to us by the technical support person.
We gave all who were invited very specific commands to subscribe.
In addition to a number of people we knew and had specifically
invited, we also has some people who were told about it and asked
if they could participate. Finally, students enrolled in our seminars
during Fall 1994 were asked to participate.
7.
Signing up participants.
People who
are invited to join should send e-mail messages to the listserv
address asking to subscribe. A listserv automatically subscribes
and unsubscribes people to the listserv with very specific commands.
A list of those commands is listed in Appendix D. These simple
commands are automatically sent to people who subscribe and should
be kept on file while participating.
Send message
to: LISTSERV@NODE
Subject line: Subscribe new listserv and your real name
We used
one of the first class sessions to schedule a synchronous time
for our classes to introduce themselves. Unfortunately, some participants
had erroneous e-mail addresses and our computer support system
developed some unexpected idiosyncracies. In addition, those participants
who were used to their own computers and found the system in the
classroom different, were slowed down somewhat. These factors
frustrated the early communications.
8.
Begin posting information.
What information
will you need to introduce the issue? Will participants introduce
themselves? Do you have some ground rules each participant should
read first? (See Appendix).
We began
posting information reminding participants to send for their reading
materials and to note start dates for electronic discussion on
their calendars. As soon as everyone successfully subscribed,
we posted the first official introductory information about the
issue, who the moderators would be, the structure, time frame,
and information relating to research which we were conducting.
Next we posted netiquette and ground rules for participation.
Samples are included in Appendices B and E.
Moderator
Guidelines
The moderator's
role is very important in the electronic forum or study circle.
There is more than enough for one person to do, so if it is possible
to have co-moderators, we recommend it. There are a number of
ways to divide the tasks. In our electronic forum we had a co-moderator
in charge of discussion and harvesting, a moderator in charge
of the technology issues and problems, and a silent moderator
who assisted with formative and summative evaluations.
1.
Provide a range of views on the issue.
The material you provide participants to read in preparation for
the discussion should offer various perspectives on the issue.
(See Appendix A for information on dialogue versus debate.) National
Issues Forums often use issue booklets published by Kendall-Hunt
to structure the discussion. This background information that
is shared with all participants can be posted on the Internet
to be downloaded by participants or it can be mailed in advance.
Because downloading is a complicated function for some computer
mail systems and may require considerably more time on-line at
potential cost, at this point in time, snail mail is preferable.
Include instructions for subscribing to the listserv.
2.
Welcome everyone and communicate the purpose and goals of the
electronic forum or study circle to the group.
Post the following:
- Timetable
(beginning and ending dates and times)
- Format
(schedule for each new discussion question)
- Expectations
(if a certain amount of time or frequency is crucial to the
discussion, it should be stated in the beginning)
- Netiquette
(general for any communication on the Internet. See Appendix
B.)
- Ground
rules (specific for interaction in your forum discussion. See
Appendix E )
- Emoticons
(See Appendix C.)
- Dialogue
versus Debate (See Appendix A.)
Please note that in order to encourage broad participation and
discourage domination, it may be useful to explain to participants
at the start that domination on the Internet can occur with quantity,
length, and frequency of messages.
3.
Introduce moderators and then participants.
Consider some ways to break the ice. It is particularly important
to do this in electronic forums due to the lack of non-verbal
cues and visuals. If photos or video tapes can be exchanged through
the mail prior to the discussion, this helps participants establish
identities and contributes to development of a sense of community.
Participants can also be paired first for introductions and then
introduce the other participant to the entire discussion group.
Each participant should be asked to develop a signature which
includes personal e-mail address and to use it for every message
sent.
4.
Ask participants to share a personal connection or interest in
the issue.
The human element is very important in any discussion. Because
electronic discussions tend to feel somewhat less personal without
faces and warm bodies, it is particularly important to help the
participants relate to the issue personally through relating experiences.
5.
Post discussion question(s) according to timetable.
One or two questions is adequate to begin the discussion of the
issue. Participants can be overwhelmed by a barrage of questions.
Suggest that participants use the subject heading to keep messages
organized.
6.
Encourage participants to give feedback to one another.
The moderator can effectively model this behavior by using names
and quotes from comments to thread the discussion. It is also
helpful to send private notes occasionally to participants who
are not contributing or to those whose messages are misunderstood.
7.
Summarize the comments.
Include points of common ground and disagreement at the conclusion
of each segment of the discussion and before moving on to a new
discussion question.
8.
Encourage participant evaluation.
Ask them to communicate privately to you at your own e-mail address
if they have comments or suggestions about how the forum or study
circle is operating. At the conclusion of the harvesting, an evaluation
can be conducted on-line or off-line (See Appendix F).
Tips
for Moderation of an Electronic Discussion Group
1.
Be familiar with all the reading materials which will be distributed
to the participants.
While you do not have to be an expert on the topic, it is
important that you are conversant with the various aspects of
the topic for discussion. You may want to collect some recent
news clippings from common media sources to bring into the discussion.
2.
Write
the discussion questions to stimulate dialogue in advance so you
can concentrate on HEARING during discussions and more effectively
moderate.
3.
Be prepared to take an active role as moderator.
Because there is no non-verbal feedback to be used in the electronic
mode, your messages to individuals and the group are critically
important to the health of the discussion. If you want to make
a suggestion for how an individual might improve communication,
send a personal note rather than a "public" one to the entire
group. In addition, you should be prepared for "threading" the
discussion. This technique is similar to that of summarizing.
This function is particularly important in an electronic discussion
since it will take place over a period of time with participants
coming in and out of the conversation. You will bring in various
aspects of what people have said and left unsaid that have a bearing
on the topic in general and the choice in particular.
4.
Set the tone of the discussion by posting netiquette and specific
ground rules at the beginning.
A short list of emoticons can also assist in humanizing the interaction.
5.
Be prepared to assist with various technical problems.
Each discussion group, depending on the listserv set-up and participants'
computer set-ups, may have different capabilities and limitations.
We have developed a checklist for discussions with the technical
support person who will configure your listserv. (See Appendix
D.)
6.
Don't be afraid to take a break.
Just let the participants know that you will be away from your
role for a specified period of time and what they should do during
that time. Leadership often emerges in interesting ways in an
electronic discussion. A short departure of the moderator can
encourage leadership from participants. You will be able to read
the messages from the discussion when you were unavailable and
assess any problems that might need attention when you return.
7.
Stay aware of and assist the group process.
The group dynamics in cyberspace are different from face-to-face
groups. Time is a factor since people come and go in cyberspace
at different times. Also discussions are mostly limited to text
and lack nonverbal cues. Moderators can do a great deal to facilitate
group process on-line.
8.
Help the group grapple with the content.
Participants have more time to reflect before responding to the
discussion questions or to particular messages that have been
posted. This aspect can be an advantage in dealing thoughtfully
with the content. Moderators can ask questions and probe without
putting someone on the spot.
9.
Use questions to help the discussion progress.
While one or two questions may be all that a group can tend to
when the issue is introduced, more specific questions related
to the on-going discussion can focus thinking and keep the discussion
productive.
10.
Save an adequate amount of time for closing the discussion.
In order to harvest the voices and summarize common and divergent
points of the discussion, it is important to allow for further
participant input. Because participants may not be on-line everyday,
it is important to leave enough time that everyone who wants to
can have a final comment.
Manual
Index
Introduction
Organizing an Electronic Discussion Group
Moderator Guidelines for an Electronic Discussion
Group
Participant Guidelines
for an Electronic Discussion Group
Lessons Learned
Appendices
a. Dialogue versus Debate
b. Netiquette
c. Emoticons
d. Moderator Technology Checklist
e. Ground Rules
f. Evaluating the Experience
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