How do I use the Chat room widget?
What purpose does the new Chat room widget serve?
The Chat room widget is a collaboration and presenting tool, encouraging learners to engage in active discussion on designated topics. It allows course creators to create breakaway groups of learners at key points in the course so that they can share ideas in real-time, work on common projects, and build an open environment of collaboration and co-creation.
A good example of a context of use comes from Institution Partner High Resolves, as part of their Just Society course:
Learners get into groups to play a game and debrief with the class afterwards. They “adopt” a family and play the game of life, to try and get their family the best life and opportunities possible. As a group, they have to acquire a number of points. Then they have to decide what to spend the points on in order to maximise their family’s quality of life.
Facilitators are able to see the discussion threads for a deeper insight into the process that the learners went through in order to get consensus, whilst also enabling the ability to share the artifact with the rest of the class. Part of the functionality included is the ability to curate the content prior to it being shared.
How do I add a Chat room to a course page?
Step 1
Go to the page in your course where you'd like to add this widget.
Step 2
Select Edit mode.
Step 3
In the lefthand widget menu, select Social Tools.
Step 4
Click on the Chat Room widget icon to add it to the page. (or you can hold and drag it wherever you'd like on the page).
How do I set up the Chat room widget?
After adding the widget to your page, you can set it up by following the instructions below:
- Click on the Setup tab at the top of the widget.
- Edit the widget settings.
Add new chat room: Click here to create a new chat. You will be prompted to add a title for the chat's discussion topic. Click Save and Insert to finalize.
Manage existing chat rooms: All chat rooms you have created within one course will appear here.
Chat rooms already configured and deployed have the ability to be reused on other pages of the same course. For example, let’s say you have the learners discuss a certain topic in Week 1 (Module 1), and then in Week 3 (Module 3), they continue the discussion.
Here’s how you can re-use the chat room:
Step 1
Add the Chat room widget onto the new page.
Step 2
Click on Chat room Setup tab and select the desired pre-configured chat room from the “Manage existing chat rooms” table by clicking Insert.
What does the Chat room look like for learners?
When a learner enters the Chat room, they will see:
Activity name
Course & Class name
People in the current group
Previous discussion in the chat (if any)
Learners Can
- Enter their own messages into the chat (along with emoticons) via a text box.
- Edit or delete any message they have previously entered into the chat.
How do I create a transcript of the conversation?
Both learners and course staff have the ability to create a transcript of the chat by following these instructions:
Step 1
Choose Create transcript from the Actions menu in the top right corner of the chat container.
Step 2
The learner is presented with the ability to select messages of their choice using a checkbox against the messages or to use the Select all button to select all messages.
Step 3
Clicking Next will allow learners to share the transcript with the class as a post.
Pro tip: Add a Gallery Widget to this section so that learners will be able to view and download any transcripts that are shared.