In a field like Communication Studies, it is essential to build a community in the classroom in which communication and support flows freely.  I do my best to create a comfortable on-site community with exercises in class that are designed to have students get to know one another and trust one another.  I will be teaching two courses in the fall of 2006 in which the relationship between students is essential. The first is Public Speaking (Communication Studies 105) and the second is Group Communication (Communication Studies 223). 

My goal is to utilize Blackboard discussion group technology in order to increase the effectiveness of the relationships and communication we are already establishing in the classroom.  The project I have designed is two-fold; it is my desire to implement Blackboard in both of the aforementioned courses for very different purposes. 

To begin, Public Speaking is a class students take with dread. It is essential, because of their inherent fear of the subject matter, that they feel that they are speaking to an audience who support and encourage their best work.  I ask students to evaluate each other both orally and in writing after every speech that they complete. These peer evaluations help the students get feedback on the nature of their problem areas and strengths in addition to the comments I give them. I think that the feedback a:) helps the speaker hear criticism from those other than myself to know how their delivery affects an audience and b) gets students used to being critics.  The problem with the criticism is twofold.  Students get nervous about giving oral criticism; they are awkward about being asked to critique the work of another.  As a result of their reluctance to be honest, sometimes the comments are not as helpful as they could be. Additionally, many times quieter students have to be called upon by myself or they won’t give feedback at all. In terms of written peer evaluations by students, which are performed later in the semester, I often find that students cannot keep up with the questions to respond to during a 4-7 minute speech, and perhaps would do better to simply take some notes and submit the evaluation in writing later. 

I believe that the use of Blackboard could serve to both effectively solve these problems and generate a cohesive classroom environment. I would introduce students to the technology in the first week of class, and from that point on, after a speech has been performed, the speaker would post their name online as a new thread and ask for feedback. Respondents would then reply to the thread with a minimum of three detailed comments praising what the speaker did well, and three specific comments for improvement on future speeches.  In doing this, each speaker will receive a critique from at least two of their classmates.  As speeches continue to increase in length and the criteria become more demanding over the course of the semester, so do the nature of the evaluations. Thus, these lab assignments, for which the evaluators receive credit, could be answered in great detail online and the result for a speaker would be instantaneous.

In addition to the primary focus, which is to allow room for constructive feedback, I mentioned the importance of the flow of communication. Because audience analysis is a central component to a speech’s success, speakers could conduct their polls online, appeal to classmates for help with topic selection, and post outlines for peer review. 

This would be done by opening a discussion group for each assignment.  It also helps when a student e-mails me a question of particular use to the class, as all students could then benefit from the answer.  I find that the students typically support one another well in this class environment and are proud when they see a classmate improve drastically. I expect that incorporating Blackboard will be an extension of the support and community that we’re already generating in the classroom.


The second course that would benefit greatly from the implementation of Blackboard technology is Group Communication.  I have long wanted to use an online discussion group in this class, but prior to taking ED:088 I was unsure as to how to do so.  In this class, students work on various group projects over the course of the semester.  Although this is the goal of the course, it is often problematic for students to arrange off-site time to meet, and I cannot devote as much class time as I’d like for them to work with each other on their projects. 

Blackboard would be an effective means of communicating as a group when face-to-face meeting time is not possible. I often receive e-mails from students complaining about the accessibility of their peers.  An online discussion group would allow students to post the work they’ve completed to their teams, voice concerns, and allow them even to ‘meet’ online for these sessions as opposed to trying to find similar and suitable schedules.  While these online postings do not replace interactions in person, they supplement them well, giving students an opportunity to demonstrate work in progress to the entire team and keeping every member on schedule. 

Participants in this course receive group grades for all assignments, and as is the nature with teamwork, there are inevitably those who don’t participate to the same degree as others.  This chance for online discussion allows even the busiest of students to contribute at a time convenient for them, and will alleviate the fears of other group members that this individual’s work is not being done.  As a result, I can easily discern who is doing what level of work by monitoring the discussion boards for each group, as opposed to responding to e-mails or after-class complaints from disgruntled students who believe that they’ve carried more than their share of the burden.  Blackboard is a means of leveling the playing field, in essence, giving all students a forum to share their contributions and ‘check in’ with other members during even the most hectic of times during the semester. 

Each project would have its own discussion board, thus, this would be a semester-long use of the technology that is not graded, but is an extension of the communication occurring in class.  The merits cannot be stressed enough in a course of this nature, where the most frequent complaint is students finding time to work in teams.  Essentially, almost all work can be done by individuals on their own time, and blackboard can be used to check progress prior to real-time meetings.  Using Blackboard essentially gives students extra time to communicate with one another and the instructor the chance to witness the communication interactions for the purpose of grading. 

In my Public Speaking courses, I expect to see more constructive, thoughtful, and thorough feedback of peer presentations.  At the end of the semester, I have students fill out an anonymous questionnaire about course content, assignments, and my methodology.  Included in future evaluations will be several questions as to the merit of the online discussion for speech building, community building, and peer reviewing.  I will also measure the progress of each individual and ultimately, the success of my class as a whole as reflected in grades and criteria met, attributing at least some of the changes, should there be any, to the use of Blackboard. 

In Group Communication, students have an ongoing semester-long journal project in which they individually record their experiences being part of a team. These are organic, stream-of-consciousness writings that mark their frustrations and successes. I expect upon collecting these to read fewer comments about team members who were unavailable or did not do their work. I expect, also, to have fewer e-mails and discussions about problematic team members, which is an every day occurrence in a class of this nature.  Lastly, the easiest benchmark to measure learning and success is the participation of students in these online discussion groups.  As an instructor, it is my obligation to monitor the efforts of my students, and now I have a means of doing so beyond the hearsay of other group members.  I can now discern who is not present, who is not communicating, and who is not pulling their weight, whereas I previously had no means of doing so.

The primary goal of my project is to increase the flow of communication among students in any Communication Studies courses I teach.  Blackboard allows for discussion, evaluation, progress reports, and questions to be communicated outside of what we are able to achieve in a three hour a week semester long course.  While there is a definite sense of a classroom community on-site, this is an extension of that whose merits can’t be argued. 

There are other important goals, however, that need to be mentioned. In Public Speaking, it is my hope that the use of an online discussion group will allow for students to improve their speaking skills by getting legitimate and specific constructive criticism from their peers.  Additionally, I hope to see an improvement in the quality of their written work, as outlines and topics can be peer reviewed/critiqued.  All facets of the speech building process, from audience analysis, topic selection, outlining, and delivery can be developed and reviewed online in addition to the course. I expect that students will appreciate the extra resource and that their work will be more thorough as a result.

In Group Communication, the objective for the project is to improve the ease and frequency at which students can communicate by allowing them room to complete work when they aren’t together, but to continue working as a team. Even with advancements in e-mail and cellular phone technology, students report that group work and group communication is still problematic and incohesive.  I believe that Blackboard will alleviate the problems of students trying to keep track of one another’s progress.  It is my goal then, that students will be less frustrated and increasing satisfied with the quality of their work and that they will have fewer concerns regarding presentations.  Lastly, I believe that ideas relating to Group Communication such as leadership, roles, and cohesion will be evident in an online setting as well.  They can again witness the emerging elements of a group process with their use of Blackboard.

In EDU: 088 I was introduced to the specifics and benefits of online instruction. I had always seen the potential benefits of online discussion groups but was perhaps intimidated by the technology in terms of using it myself.  EDU: 088 allowed me an opportunity to become comfortable with Blackboard to the degree that I am now certain it will become a staple in future courses.  It is my personal goal to continue the learning by enrolling in one of the Blackboard workshops prior to the fall semester.

Ron and Kathy stressed Blackboard as a means of stimulating discussion with thoughtful questions, continuing discussions when class time doesn’t allow, sharing and critiquing student work, and being a presence for students beyond the three hours a week they’re in your company. 

In an article by C.J. Clark, which I was introduced to during my EDU: 088 class, the author touts the merits of online use in community building. He suggests tips for building online communities that I will use when developing my upcoming courses.  First, Clark suggests that online communities are grown, not built.  By this, he means that the purposes of using the technology must be stressed in order for this ‘entity’ to grow.  Additionally, he suggests that the criteria for success must be mentioned to the participants. I find this useful in writing my syllabi for these courses, as we cannot simply offer Blackboard as an option, but must encourage its use, tout its benefits, and require to some degree participation in/on it for students to use it.  Guidance must be provided for new members. I will keep in mind that this online community is not easily established, but must evolve just as the in-class community does.

Next, Clark mentions that teachers or leaders need to set examples and be present for students by posting themselves, popping in, and regulating their messages. This is essential to what I’m trying to accomplish, which is to make students accessible to one another, but also, to make myself a presence outside of the classroom. This can be done in several ways.  First, Clark suggests a “What’s going on?” area where students can vent or informally discuss any course concepts or related ideas.  The author even goes so far as to suggest simply sharing our week with one another. He offers that teachers or leaders should establish their own presence with humor or quick musings, changes in assignments or updates, so that students are aware of the teacher’s continued presence and concern for the well being of the community. 

The article by C.J. Clark (Clark, C.J. Let Your Online Learning Community Grow: 3 Design Principles for Growing Successful Email Listservs and Online Forums in Educational Settings, 2000) and my newfound knowledge as a result of EDU: 088 have given me the tools I need to make using Blackboard a success.   At the end of my coursework, I now I know the tone I’d like to create, the amount of participation I will commit to, the benefits of the additional medium in fostering communication, and the results I expect to see.  Most importantly, however, I know how to use the technology in myriad ways for multiple purposes to support student learning.  

The first benefit I hope to gain from incorporating Blackboard in my courses is to be rewarding by seeing my students becoming increasingly successful and confident in both Public Speaking and Group Communication.  I hope to learn that the online community does foster improved communication and quality of work in these courses.   There is nothing more important to me as a teacher than to see the benefits of using new methodologies evidenced in the increased performance and understanding of my students.  Quite simply, I hope to learn whether or not Blackboard works to do just that. 

Secondary to the goals I have for my students are my own personal goals. As an instructor who has been at times “techno-phobic” I hope to become increasingly confident and competent at using the technology. This being my introduction to anything beyond basic computer literacy, I hope to continue on my path of incorporating new and exciting methods of teaching and learning into my classrooms. I believe that should my Blackboard experience be successful, I will continue to learn about emerging technology and will be less afraid to take risks in using said technology in my courses.  The fact is that students are often more competent at utilizing computers, Powerpoint, Blackboard, etc. than their instructors. I hope to place myself on par with my students so that we can learn together and find success both individually and as a group