UT Snapshot: Discussions Reduce Conflict
It is tempting to think that you have to use a lot of complicated online tools to provide opportunities for meaningful interactions. You can provide meaningful interaction with quite basic tools as long as they are well-structured and clearly support students in reaching learning outcomes. For example, in her online Conflict & Mediation course, Madeline Maxwell
Links to an external site. (Communication Studies
Links to an external site.) uses Canvas' Discussions to offer weekly opportunities for students to apply what they are learning to real life situations.
Madeline has two primary learning outcomes in her course:
- Demonstrate use of the assigned lectures and reading to understand conflict messages in public and intimate contexts
- Skillfully analyze conflict communication events
Madeline crafted an interactive assignment Links to an external site. (complete with a sample modeling for the students her expectations) where students have to discuss authentic instances of real-world conflicts, and analyze them in a way that demonstrates comprehension of course material. First, she provides students with a prompt and some stimulus material (advice column, video clip). Second, students write one letter in response to the prompt where they attempt to use the theory and methodology they learned to analyze the example of conflict. Finally, students are required to analyze the response of another student's response.
"How Do UT Instructors Build Connections and Community?"