"Open-Mike for Students"

As I continue to learn and adjust to the online learning environment, I have found one particular practice useful as an instructor, and, I hope, empowering for the students.(**This is not my original idea, but unfortunately, I cannot find the source offhand)

I create one discussion forum topic, entitled WGAD, or "Who Gives a Darn?," where students might anonymously ask any question or make any comment (using proper net manners, of course) about the course. I will then do my best to answer their question in an affirming way-if I set up the course in a particular way, my students are certainly deserving of knowing why I did so.

In my class, I may have assigned certain readings (or number of readings), assignments, papers, analysis or thought pieces, that may seem irrelevant or "busy work" to one or more students. This discussion topic, then, gives the student the opportunity to freely ask about the issue in question, or offer constructive criticism, etc., anonymously; otherwise, they may believe their grade will suffer for asking impertinent questions or daring to question the instructor's judgment. For example, one student has asked me why we spend so much time on the founding period (I teach American Government). This is a legitimate question, and I hope that I was able to give this student a legitimate answer.

Furthermore, this forum offers a special, non-threatening discussion space about the course and online learning in general. It may alert me, as an instructor, to something that must be changed or modified. For example, one student suggested that I include a review after each section covered (e.g. the legislative branch, the executive, etc.) in order for him, as a student, to better able focus on certain important concepts that may otherwise remain hidden amongst the mountain of information, required and supplementary, presented in an online class. A good suggestion; I believe that it will be helpful to other students as well.

Finally, such a forum serves an open-mike for the students. I have yet to have students use it as a "whining board" or as a means to criticze meanly or unfairly my course's content. Instead, it empowers the student in that the student knows that he or she truly has the option to anonymously voice their concerns.