Using Rubrics to Grade Online Discussions - ELC Support A rubric is a scoring scale used to evaluate a student's work. Rubrics spell out to students exactly what is expected of them, and they list the criteria instructors use to assess students' work. Rubrics also help instructors by providing guidelines for more objective grading. The Value of Rubrics Rubrics are useful for assessing work in any classroom setting, but they are especially helpful in online courses, where all information must be clearly stated in course documents. In some courses, instructors use rubrics for each assignment. Examples Here are some examples of rubrics used to assess online discussions and journal assignments. Rubric for Instructor-Facilitated Online Discussions This example lists expectations for student participation and includes a grading rubric for evaluating the quality of a student's participation in a discussion. Example 2: Student-led Online Discussion Participation Rubric This example assumes that students will lead and guide their own discussion.
7 guidelines for effective teaching online Inside Digital Learning asked four authors of books about online education for their expert advice on how instructors and their institutions can excel in virtual course instruction. The authors agreed that the online classroom is different enough from the traditional one that faculty members and adjuncts need to create courses for digital delivery that are substantially different from those they teach on campus. And they said teaching online requires an even keener focus on student engagement than the face-to-face model does. “Years ago, we used to say the danger of online courses was they were just going to become electronic correspondence courses,” said Rita-Marie Conrad, who along with Judith V. However, institutions and professors should be encouraging residential students to take classes online. More and more, employers are offering professional development courses online, he noted. Here are the authors’ top tips for creating engaging and successful online education: Be Present
can-we-teach-digital-natives-digital-literacy.pdf Online Design & eLearning Faculty Resources » Increase Online Student Engagement and Motivation Using TEC-VARIETY Online instructors at varying levels of experience are constantly challenged by the feat of motivating and engaging students. While most instructors do a fine job at keeping students engaged in a face-to-face course, many stumble when it comes to maintaining the same level of engagement in an online environment. If you are one of those who battle the distance and lack of physical contact in your course, take a look at this research-based resource. Adding Some TEC-VARIETY is a great resource for new and existing online instructors looking to engage and motivate their students. TEC-VARIETY principles are based on four learning theories that provide different perspectives on learner motivation over the decades: Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructivism, and Sociocultural Views. The ten motivational principles of TEC-VARIETY are: T – Tone/Climate: Psychological Safety, Comfort, Sense of Belonging E – Encouragement: Feedback, Responsiveness, Praise, Supports V – Variety: Novelty, Fun, Fantasy
Tools for Interactive Teaching and Learning: IU - Teaching Online It is tempting to fall into the habit of thinking that you have to use a lot of complicated online tools to provide opportunities for meaningful active learning. You can provide meaningful interaction with quite basic tools as long as they are well-structured and clearly support students in reaching learning outcomes. Consider the Experience While there are obviously arguments to be made in favor of some tools over others, it is more effective to first consider the experience you are trying to create for the student. What do you want the student to know and be able to do at the end of this activity? Consider leveraging the tools built into Canvas such as Discussions (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. Other Interactive Tools If you find that Canvas-native tools are not sufficient to create a robust active learning experience for your students, you can explore third-party tools. You'll see mention of lack of LTI support as a drawback on several tools listed.
Constructive Alignment - and why it is important to the learning process | Higher Education Academy Engineering Subject Centre What is Constructive Alignment? Constructive Alignment, a term coined by John Biggs (Biggs, 1999) is one of the most influential ideas in higher education. It is the underpinning concept behind the current requirements for programme specification, declarations of Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) and assessment criteria, and the use of criterion based assessment. There are two parts to constructive alignment: Students construct meaning from what they do to learn. The teacher aligns the planned learning activities with the learning outcomes. The basic premise of the whole system is that the curriculum is designed so that the learning activities and assessment tasks are aligned with the learning outcomes that are intended in the course. Figure 1. Alignment is about getting students to take responsibility for their own learning, and establishing trust between student and teacher. Achieving Constructive Alignment Figure 2. Define the learning outcomes. Setting the Learning Outcomes Source
UDL: The UDL Guidelines The Use of Web Instructional Tools By Online Instructors (Study) Note: This article was originally published in The Technology Source ( as: Lucio Teles "The Use of Web Instructional Tools By Online Instructors" The Technology Source, May/June 2002. Available online at In studies comparing instructional tools and how they support online teaching, educators have stressed the importance of tools that support specific tasks, and thus allow more flexible teaching, facilitate access to resources and peers, and promote collaborative learning (Britain & Liber, 1999; Harasim, 1999; Bonk, 2001). To investigate how online instructors use instructional tools designed for the Web, we conducted a study with a group of 32 online instructors to address the following questions: (1) What tools are most commonly used by online instructors? Questionnaire respondents Participants in the study are instructors who teach in either mixed mode or entirely online mode. Results The Selected Tools References
Wikis – ION Professional eLearning Programs - University of Illinois Springfield - UIS Description of Lesson: Although the idea is simple and the name evolved from a slang term for quick, wikis have quickly become a standard method of collaborative creation. A wiki represents a tool whereby users can jointly work on the same document that is stored externally on a wiki server. In a wiki-based lesson, students work to collaboratively construct a document designed to meet some educational objective. Appropriate Content Areas: All Examples: Annotated Bibliography construction For more examples of how to use Wikis in education, see the additional readings below. The Flat Classroom Project, Award winning educational wiki use, Goals & Objectives: Generally, the goal of a wiki activity is to allow students to learn and demonstrate that learning through the collaborative creation of some document artifact. During and after active participation in the wiki activity, students will… …as determined by successfully attending to 80% of rubric items.
Active Learning | Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning Examples and Recommendations Active learning includes techniques for large lecture courses in auditoriums with fixed seating, as well as for small classes with students seated in seminar-style rooms. 1.) Activities to supplement lectures without major modifications to course structure Clarification pauses and collaborative note-taking - The instructor pauses during lecture and asks students to take a few minutes to summarize in writing what they have just learned and/or consolidate their notes. Retrieval practice / one-minute papers - At the start of class, students write down major points they can remember from the previous class. Think-pair-share activities - Students work individually on an active learning assignment or formative assessment activity (such as one-minute papers or an example problem). Demonstrations - Students predict the outcomes of a demonstration. Polls - Utilizing PollEverywhere or some other audience response system, the instructor poses a multiple-choice question.
Creating the Foundation for a Warm Classroom Climate Although the course syllabus is often overlooked or undervalued as the first form of communication between students and their instructors, it plays an important role for both. For students, the syllabus communicates information about the course that they require throughout the semester. For instructors, it assists with planning and demonstrates to students the instructor’s concerns for the course and for them (Hammons & Shock, 1994). Importantly, the syllabus creates a first impression about the instructor and his or her attitudes toward teaching (Grunert, 1997). In this column, we identify six characteristics that contribute to a warm syllabus tone, whereby instructors create a classroom environment in which they are seen as approachable and in which students become engaged. We also provide concrete examples of syllabi sections using “cold” language and improved versions using a “warm” tone. Much has been written about how to create an effective syllabus. (3) Self-Disclosure. Table 1
Writing Intended Learning Outcomes | Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning Learning outcomes can be defined as the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities that an instructor intends for students to learn or develop. Outcomes are more specific than learning goals, which take a 10,000-foot view of what an instructor desires for students to gain from a course. Research suggests that when they are well written, clear, and measurable, learning outcomes can improve learning and motivate student engagement. Research shows that learning outcomes improve learning when they describe specific, measurable takeaways (Richmond et. al, 2016). Examples Learning goals and outcomes can be written for entire courses as well as for individual classes. Recommendations Follow the A-B-C-D Guide - A-B-C-D stands for Audience, Behavior, Condition, and Degree, and describes the major components of an intended learning outcome. Monitor Student Progression in Achieving Outcomes - Develop ways to assess whether students are working towards particular outcomes. References Downloads
Social Media in the Classroom: Opportunities, Challenges & Recommendations | IT Connect Overview The EDUCAUSE Center for Analysis and Research (ECAR) conducts an annual survey of over 250 institutions of higher education, including the University of Washington, examining the technology experiences of undergraduates and faculty. A recent ECAR survey included questions exploring faculty and student perceptions of and experiences with social media as an academic resource. While the ECAR findings raise more questions than they answer, there is significant evidence that UW faculty and students are interested in the potential utility of social media as a learning tool. Opportunities & Challenges with Social Media View/Download a PDF version Recommendations for Using Social Media in the Classroom Considering both the potential opportunities and challenges in using social media as an educational tool, UW instructors should take steps to ensure successful adoption in the classroom. View/Download a PDF version Social Media FAQ What is social media? Do I need to be concerned about privacy?
Ideas for Creating an Effective Syllabus for Online Learning Online students need to feel an instructor presence in their classes. Thorough explanations and effective communication help fulfill this need and can transform a mediocre online course into a great one—and it all starts with the syllabus. Structure and communication. Now that I’ve been teaching Spanish online for five years, experience has taught me some excellent ways to both connect with my students and provide much-needed structure. Pertinent Announcements – After the course and instructor information, I present the most pertinent announcements concerning the course. Autonomy and Self-Motivation – I take a moment to explicitly describe the amount of self-discipline and motivation required to be successful in an online foreign language course (See PART B). Tech Support – In PART C, I go on to differentiate my role from that of tech support. Academic Integrity – It’s always good to outline some kind of honor code for your course. Download the sample syllabus and chapter checklist. Dr.