Choose Your Own Learning:

anytime communication with chat

Follow along: http://slides.com/linkletter/clw18/live

By Ian Linkletter

My role in the Faculty of Education is to implement technology to support teaching and learning.

Follow along: http://slides.com/linkletter/clw18/live

Never start with the technology.

**Where did we start?**

The Faculty of Education is a leader in online education. In any given term, we offer dozens of online courses, each with their own needs.

We also support fully online programs, such as the Master of Education in Early Childhood Education.

Chat is not new to us

Screenshot: Arts ISIT

BB IM (formerly Wimba Pronto)

2010-2015

BB IM was “extremely helpful for [students] and it made the course run smoother for me.” “If I can answer a quick question… it makes my life and their life so much easier and they feel as if they are in a face to face class.”

Dr. Marianne McTavish

high cost
low usage
passionate instructors
big opportunity

Picking up where the technology left off.

"The technological landscape has changed significantly since the implementation of BB IM... We may find something more than “just chat” during the course of this project, and that is a very good thing."

- Me kicking off the project

Selection Process

Faculty of Education collaborated with instructors on case studies
Worked with LT Hub to generate primary and secondary requirements
Adapted Tony Bates' SECTIONS framework into an evaluation rubric
Environmental scan, test installation of two finalist candidates, user testing
Final choice: Mattermost
Pilot launched in April 2016

What's Mattermost?

Mattermost is an open source communication tool that facilitates collaboration in a chat-type environment.

What do we think of when we think of "chat"?

Group Activity

Chat is...

distracting or focused
interruptive or just-in-time
real-time or anytime
inclusive or intimidating
a rising flood or a flowing river
casual or intimate
meaningful or shallow
never-ending or always-there

Not "just chat"

Asynchronous and synchronous
Persistent history
Threaded replies
Mobile apps
Custom notifications
Extensible
emoji picker 😎

+ Open Source

+ Hosted at UBC

FIPPA Compliant

Students can direct their own experience

Direct Messages
Online Status
Private Channels

Topic-Specific Channels
Public and Private
Anyone can create
Multiple teams are supported

Search
@ mentions
File/image upload
Typing status
Timestamps
Threads

Used effectively, chat can:

Provide efficient and timely instructor-student communication option
Create opportunities for students to collaborate, provide encouragement, and support each other
Build and foster a sense of community

Evaluation Phase Complete

10 courses (2017W1 + W2)

8 Instructor/TA interviews

202 student survey responses

Couldn't have done it without the LT Hub: IT and CTLT

How did students rate their experience with Mattermost?

From Mattermost evaluation report, prepared by Letitia Englund with assistance from myself and Joe Zerdin

From Mattermost evaluation report

good usability

connection with instructors

connection with students

immediacy of interaction

answers to questions

better discussions

Recommendation from Mattermost evaluation report

poor usability

unwelcome extra technology

communication overload

missed instructor connection

missed student connection

too much content

Pilot Evaluation Report Made 7 Recommendations

How could Mattermost be implemented to maximize perceived benefits and mimimize perceived shortcomings?

Recommendation #1

Set up for smaller groups of students at once

Starting students off in smaller groups may help reduce feelings of being left out or overwhelmed by a large number of posts. It could also help develop community and connection.