Marya Wilson, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Operations & Management Department at UW-Stout.

Interview

Can you give a brief description of how this strategy works in your course? Tell us what students are expected to do when they complete this activity. How are they evaluated and what kind of feedback do they get?

Community building in SMGT 782 is done through discussion boards and speakers. Now, I know we are hitting an age in technology and learning that we are questioning the purpose of discussion boards and do they help. My answer: YES, they do. Our students join our program because it provides flexibility AND interaction. We have a centuries-old mindset that the only way we can build community is through F2F [face-to-face] contact. Personally, I love F2F contact, BUT these discussion boards give people a way to interact with their “course community.” The interactions are in-depth, filled with lived experience, and personal connection (either through a bit of humor or sharing of tools/articles, etc.). Having speakers come to our course also provides a chance for community building. Because this is an asynchronous course, I will not require students to attend extracurricular activities, but we definitely make sure they have access to the speakers when they are able to take time. You can see this in their discussions with each other. It’s so fun!

Can you talk a little more about developing and including this strategy in your course? For example: What appealed to you about the idea? What were you hesitant about?

Hoping the above answered this!

What learning benefits do you think this strategy provides to students?

Each of these students brings a lived experience that is beneficial to all, and that includes me! When we can share our knowledge and also share our questions, we have the ability to help each other learn, grow, and innovate.

How has this strategy impacted student performance or engagement?

I believe both of these approaches have played a huge role in the success of student research in this course. AND, I am so excited to share that professional connections grow with these discussion boards and the chance to interact with professional speakers.

How is this strategy similar to what students might do someday in a future career?

Any community building our students will do will be in all kinds of environments. We are a global economy and that is not turning back. With communication tools, we have the ability to create relationships and grow partnerships through technology. F2F is incredible but to deny the ability to build relationships via online tools is quite defeatist. This course, this program adds to the incredible community-building skills they already have! Now, surrounded by their passion for sustainability. It’s a blast!

What advice would you have for other faculty who may want to try a similar activity in their courses?

This takes a lot of time, but I would suggest setting up short burst one-on-one calls (video or audio) just to introduce yourself to each other. Of course, as instructors, we can create videos and intros and “blah blah blah.” None of that is bad, but how about we actually connect with our students, even for a very short time? I’ve been doing this approach for nearly 17 years…it’s been the difference between average and high-level performance. AND, it has built community in our classrooms…virtual and not.

Please contact your instructional designer if you’d like to try similar activities in your course.