Extending Learning
An MIS professor in the College of Business and Public Administration has used instructional blogging in undergraduate courses and he recommends blogging as a way to extend learning beyond classroom meetings.
From his experience with discussion forums, he believes that 90 percent of his students read forum posts but only 10 percent contribute to discussions in a meaningful way. He replaced forums with blogs and discovered that more students participated and that the quality of their contributions improved markedly. He attributes this to students taking an increased ownership of their ideas and that with their own blogs, students cannot lurk as they can on forums.
In terms of instructional applications, this professor prefers to use classroom time to address more complex concepts and finds that blogs afford his students the opportunity to master the simpler concepts outside the classroom.
In the following example, a student raises a question/issue that the professor can then reply to through a blog comment or via email. If the professor decides that it is too complex or that others in the class will benefit from a classroom review, then this entry has alerted the professor to content that should be reviewed during the next class meeting.
If the professor's response is generic and something the professor would like each student to read, the blog's comment feature may be used. If there is any concern that the student may take the response as a criticism, then using email to the individual student is recommended.
By addressing a student's needs through the blog before class meetings, blogging supports a "just-in-time" instructional model.
