Discussions about Discussions

By Shelby Copeland on January 30, 2014

Photo courtesy of transparencymag.com

 

In today’s technological state, it is nearly effortless to send a tweet on Twitter or to like a picture of Facebook. Yet, while in my colloquium class this week, I discovered something: For some, it may be easier than actually talking in class.

Discussion courses are a normal component of college life. In these sections, one gets to freely communicate with others in the class. While some students are ready and willing to voice their opinions, others are not such keen sharers.

Remember that kid in class who was a bit too shy to speak up in class? Well, we explored ways to better accommodate that kid so that they still earn participation credit.

Some people in class believed that it was not anyone else’s responsibility to make changes for another’s participation grade. Yet, other students were more sympathetic and did not think it was right to base participation on something that made someone else uncomfortable.

Since this was a discussion-based class focused on media, the opinions went and on and on. Ideas and opinions were thrown out to test the various ways to make up for discussion, or if there should be a different way at all.

Here were some of the top ideas:

  1. Send Tweets with #CPSP222 (our class name) to circulate discussions on topics relating to the class
  2. Set up a discussion board on our university’s class system website
  3. Make a Facebook page that are open to discussion

There were many pros and cons to setting up an alternative discussion base, and it was difficult to identify what aspects were most bothersome to more shy people. The ultimate question was: Should students be forced to talk in class?

Many of the students in my class seemed comfortable with having a twitter hash tag or to set up a discussion blog rather than just speaking in class. Specifically in my class, there are many pressing subjects that sometimes get heated and not everyone is comfortable in that situation, although diverse opinions are encouraged.

Should students be penalized for not speaking in class? Or should they be forced into communicating verbally with others?

Our class seemed to have mixed opinions, but of course participation grades are generally significant in college, and whether it’s through intense debates, blog posts, or a tweet, it has to be fulfilled somehow!

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