Using Piazza and Slack to improve student retention and engagement
I have been using two technology tools to complement my face-to-face classes that meet twice a week.
The first of these, Piazza, is an asynchronous online peer-to-peer Q&A platform, while Slack is highly effective as a synchronous communication tool that allows for real-time video conference and office hours.
The two tools have proven to be quite effective in tailoring course content delivery to each major type of learning styles and personality profiles of students, and in the process increasing student motivation and engagement, and hence performance. Student participation rates have been meaningfully higher on these platforms. In addition, students’ questions and comments on these platforms have proven to be effective predictors of the likelihood of their retention and levels of understanding as measured by their final grade in the course.
Both are free of charge for academic use.
Technologies
Piazza is a peer-to-peer Q&A platform where students can post questions, comments, and polls any time 24-7 during the semester. It has a functionality that allows students to remain anonymous, which has encouraged the more introverted students to engage and participate in meaningful ways. Most of the questions and answers are provided by students, with the instructor stepping in occasionally to confirm a student’s response or provide a more direct answer to a student’s question. For the instructors, it has a rich suite of features that track student participation rates in terms of questions asked, answered, amount of time spent logged in, and time series trends and metrics in student engagement by student and class. It also allows instructors to upload course materials in a variety of formats to make available for students.
Slack is a real-time team communication tool that allows students to meet virtually. It offers a wide array of ways for students to mete for study groups and Q&A sessions, including video, voice, and text chats. It is robust and scalable in a sense that students can create their own study rooms called “channels”, to discuss whatever topic, homework, or exam they would like to discuss. I have use it to hold weekly office hours for students that were not available during my regularly scheduled office hours on campus.
Explain project results
The frequency, length, and word choice of questions and comments of students on these platforms have proven to be significant predictors of the likelihood of not only their retention in the course, but also their academic performance. Of particular importance was a student’s frequency and length of engagement on one or both platforms. For the Hispanic student population in my courses, the two tools were particularly useful since many have traveled to their home countries for a variety of reasons, but were able to stay engaged with the course through these virtual tools.
Why it should be considered best practice?
Compared to other sections of the same course, regardless of mode of instruction or time of day when the class is taught, the sections with one or both tools generally showed higher student engagement and performance.
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