Student-Defined Questions in Large Courses (online)

• To have students practice identifying important features of course content,
• To formulate questions and answers, review responses given by others, or
• To give students a chance to rehearse responses to questions and examine sample responses outside of a formal testing environment.

• Laptop, tablet, or mobile phone
• Classroom with campus wireless connection
• Resources for student access to computers

The following workflow is meant as guidance for how you can facilitate Student-Defined Questions learning activity in large courses within an online learning environment.

Pre-Class

• Formulating a good question is a difficult task and one with which students are often unfamiliar. This activity will work best when you have spent some time teaching students how to formulate valid questions and answers.
• Prepare guidelines, sample questions, and responses that model the level of complexity and depth you expect.
• Create an online assignment that asks students to reflect on a learning activity (e.g., reading an article, listening to a lecture, watching a film), formulate an essay question and model a response to the question, and submit it to the instructor.
• Create a Canvas Group Set for the activity. Create groups so they have between 10-15 students in each group.
• Create a Canvas Group Discussion topic. Add the guidelines, and your sample question/response in the discussion description.
• Create a Canvas Group Assignment in which the final question will be submitted.

Creating a Group Set in Canvas

• Select People from the course navigation.
• Select + Group Set for the assignment(s) you will create.
• Provide a descriptive name in the Group Set Name box (ex. Student-Created Questions).
• In the Group Structure section, select the Split students into ___ groups option. Enter a number that ensures there will be between 10-15 students per group. (ex. 200 student class 18-20 groups). 
• Select Save.

Creating group discussion activities in Canvas

• Select Discussions from the course navigation.
• Select + Discussion.
• Provide a title for the activity (ex. Student-Created Questions).
• Provide a description and directions for the activity. Include an example question/answer. Provide guidelines for reviewing and selecting a question to be submitted by the group.
• Under Post to, select which section(s) the activity is to be released.
• Under Options, select Allow threaded replies, Users must post before seeing replies, and Allow liking. Under Allow liking, select Sort by likes.
• Under Group Discussion, select the This is a Group Discussion box.
• Provide a start date and time for the assignment under the Available From box
• Provide an end date and time for the assignment under the Until box.
• Select Save & Publish.

Creating a group assignment in Canvas

• Select Assignments from the course navigation.
• Select + Assignment.
• Provide a title for the activity (ex. Student-Created Question Submission).
• Provide a description and directions for the assignment.
• Specify the points to be assigned in the Points box.
• Specify the way students will submit the assignment (ex. Online and Text Entry) in the Submission Type box.
• Specify Unlimited in the Allowed Attempts box.
• Select This is a Group Assignment from the Group Assignment section. Select the Group Set that you created for the assignment (ex. Student-Created Questions).
• Provide a start date and time for the assignment under the Available From box
• Provide an end date and time for the assignment under the Until box.
• Select Save & Publish.

Online (Synchronous)

• Direct students to the group discussion.
• Students post their questions/answers. Provide a deadline for submissions. 
• After submissions, group members review and rate the questions/answers using the Like option.
• The group confirms the accuracy of the answers and selects one to represent the group.
• The selected question/answer is submitted through the Assignments tool.

Post-Class

• Review the submissions and provide feedback on the quality and accuracy of questions/answers. 
• Select one or more questions from the submission for inclusion in a quiz or exam.

• Be aware that some students might not have the bandwidth to participate in synchronous sessions. Make sure students turn off their cameras to reduce bandwidth. Students can also use the dial-in phone connection for audio, instead of their network connection.
• The technologies recommended here should meet most campus accessibility requirements. However, you should check with the McBurney Disability Resources Center for guidance on any specific accommodations for your students.

• None

Barkley, Elizabeth F. et al. Collaborative Learning Techniques A Handbook For College Faculty. Wiley, 2014. pp. 302-306.