Poetry can and should be utilized as a pedagogical tool in online university courses. I propose two interrelated claims: the first is that discussion boards are a type of inter-subjective space where new ideas and interpretations are created, mediated and expanded on by members of a course. Second, poetry can be a rich medium and pedagogical tool for professors to harness, which would allow their students to share insights in this inter-subjective sphere in new and creative ways. Indeed, discussion boards also have a civic component due to their ability to connect people and allow for idea sharing across time and space.
But what is inter-subjective space? First, we need to examine the notion of objective and subjective. The objective world is the world outside of our heads, the world “out there,” whereas the subjective world is the world inside our heads (of course, the boundary might be more permeable; nothing is ever so rigid). Inter-subjective space is the meeting point between objective and subjective, it is a shared space between people, and a place where experiences, ideas, language, and knowledge exist (Gerber & Myers-Coffman, 2019; Van Manen, 2018). A large component of many synchronous and asynchronous courses are discussion boards (Hamadi, et al., 2023; Martin, et al., 2020). Students usually post written work to an online discussion board where their classmates and instructors can leave comments and generate a conversation. Engagement with discussion boards can have a major impact on student learning experiences (Hamadi, et al., 2023; Martin, et al., 2020). In the widest sense, discussion boards as inter-subjective space is now part of the fabric of our republic and civic discourse. In this online space, subjectivity is broadened outwards and shared, and new insights emerge, are debated and sometimes adopted, and all people (students and instructors) can leave with changed views and apply them to their future endeavors.
Professional academic language does not have to be the only medium in which students share their ideas. Videos, artwork, and poetry can also be utilized. Poetry is a rich medium to express ideas and thoughts; it can also be a personal and emotive medium, where an interplay of professional and personal insights can emerge in the inter-subjective sphere. And this does not have to be solely for English professors or those who teach literature. Rather, anyone can integrate the use of poetry into their discussion boards. For instance, professors could have students write a poem about a topic using the vocabulary of a specific discipline instead of a traditional academic response. (Of course, proper scaffolding is needed.) By doing so, discussion board exchanges may become richer and more complex and help students leave the course with new insights rooted not only in academic language, but a much wider realm of human experience and civic behavior.
References
Gerber, N. & Myers-Coffman, K. (2019). Translation in arts-based research. In P. Leavy (Ed.), Handbook of arts-based research (pp. 587-607). Gulliford.
Hamadi, H., Tafili, A., Kates, F.R., Larson, S., Ellison, C. & Song., J. (2023) et al. Exploring an
Innovative Approach to Enhance Discussion Board Engagement. TechTrends 67,
741–751. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-023-00850-0.
Martin, R., Polly, D. & Ritzhaupt, A. (2020, September 8th). Bichronous Online Learning:
Blending Asynchronous and Synchronous Online Learning. Educase.
https://er.educause.edu/articles/2020/9/bichronous-online-learning-blending-
asynchronous-and-synchronous-online-learning
Van Manen, M. (2018). Researching lived experience: Human science for an action sensitive
pedagogy. (2nd ed). Routledge.
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Angelo J. Letizia’s research interests include civic education, leadership, and arts-based research. Letizia has written numerous books and articles. His most recent book is Poetic Inquiry and arts-based research for the maintenance of the Republic and what comes after: A Vision for Metamodernity, published by Routledge.