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Message Boards: Using the Internet as an Inter-Active Medium
to Enhance Student Learning
For the APSA Teaching and Learning Conference
Washington, DC, March 18-21, 2004.
Robert H. Trudeau
Political Science Department
Providence College
1.
Introduction
This paper is a supplement to my presentation at the first APSA Teaching and Learning
Conference, held in Washington in February of 2004.
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The topic of my presentation is the use of
Internet message boards as an integral part of a pedagogical strategy to improve learning in traditional
face to face undergraduate education. At the APSA conference, my presentation will illustrate the use
of this technique inter-actively – assuming my co-participants have cooperated by participating in the
message board set up for the occasion.
In this paper, I describe my basic approach to pedagogy; my structuring of the message board
assignment; the practical impact of this assignment on my day to day activities as an Instructor, both in
class and in terms of class preparation; some data on student reactions to this assignment; and some
concluding thoughts about the rewards and costs of adopting this assignment as a foundation for one’s
teaching. The Appendix includes the complete text of the message board assignment as currently
configured.
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Pedagogy
I am committed to a pedagogy centering on “active learning,” and see learning as a life-long
activity. My role, therefore, includes helping students develop learning skills as well as imparting
information, the two traditional axes around which we rotate in these discussions. When I think about
pedagogy, then, I think first in terms of two broad categories: substantive content and
process/methodology. A third aspect of pedagogical planning is the nature of the “raw material”:
because teaching is a student-oriented, if not student-centered, activity, I continually try to incorporate
my thinking about the “nature” of students into my pedagogy. The following paragraphs elaborate on
these thoughts.
In terms of substantive content, I think of course material as either primary or secondary.
Primary material might consist of reading, viewing, or otherwise having students receive information
or material for the first time. It refers to their first exposure to course materials. Secondary material
involves analysis, critical thinking, etc., the “higher order” academic skills we seek to impart. It is
generally my goal to use scarce classroom time for secondary analysis of material, and I construct
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In preparing this paper, I am in debt not only to the many students who have participated in my message board
experiment, but also to Julie Holstrom, class of 2003, and more recently and particularly to Kate Davey, class of 2004,
undergraduates at Providence College who helped with processing and interpreting data.
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