User Feedback

Students say:

• “I felt like this made class arguments more real.”
• “There were several different types of people commenting from around the world and I could feel myself thinking about possible responses to others’ arguments while I was writing.”
• “I liked how we got to respond with our own thoughts and not go from different perspectives like in the papers.”
• “Having others and Dr. Anette comment on my thoughts was a cool experience.”
• “I like how quick she [Dr. Anette] responded, allowing me to comment back. It helped because she points out flaws in your ideas that I didn’t think about.”
• “It not only got me to think about the different topics, but I also liked that I could voice my opinion.”
• “I thought there was sort of an intrinsic pressure that forced me to really think about my response, because this was something that the public could view and criticize.”
• “Doing face the question forced me to format what I have learned in a way that is not purely academic; was able to think how I would if I were talking causally with someone about the issues.”
• “They [the questions] made us think out of the box and expand our thoughts.”
• “I felt like I learned new ideas through reading some of the questions and posts that Dr. Anette made.”
• “I loved her feedback – it was so positive and friendly!”

Professors say:

• “I wasn’t sure if my students would really “get” Face the Question, but they did. They got it even better than I did — they started commenting, and asking questions of their own, with a fluidity that surprised me.”
• “Dr. Anette stepped in and engaged my students in dialogue instead of me being the one to do it. I was able to simply observe the conversation as it unfolded.”
• “The students benefited from receiving feedback from her [Dr. Anette], and from the other commenters on her site. They got a rest from listening to me do the talking. And I got to watch them learn. Delightful!”
• “Today the students presented their final papers. A number of them voiced their concerns that the technology of communication has led their generation away from friendship and substantive relationships and towards cheap online substitutes. More than once, however, people mentioned your website as a place of genuine and important conversation using new media.”
• “Thanks for being a part of my class this semester!”
• “I was also surprised to see what a different kind of voice the students have when they are using an anonymous online forum. Many of them were articulate, brave, and insightful in ways I hadn’t expected.”