by Abir Qasem, Chronicle of Higher Ed
In my introductory programming courses, my pedagogy relies heavily on collaborative problem solving during class time. A big challenge for me, until recently, had been getting the “quiet” students in my class to participate in class discussions. (Judging by the ProfHacker archives, I am not alone!) Piazza is a Web 2.0 tool that allows students to ask questions and engage in dialogue on the Internet with the professor and with each other. One of the most interesting aspects of Piazza is that the students can be anonymous in their participation. I found the interface to be a great deal “flatter” (less hierarchical) and more interactive than the forum facilities of traditional Content Management Systems like Moodle and Blackboard.
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