I do create my own faculty expectations list that I share with student on the first day of online class. These expectations put students and faculty on the same page and allow for fair and transparent way of conducting the class. Clear communication of expectation is a success factor for an effective online course.

Hello Everyone

As an online facilitator or traditional face-to-face teacher it is imperative to integrate both course expectations and a teacher bio. Within my course expectation I ensure what I expect of students but also what they may expect of myself as the facilitator. Within the course expectation announcement everything from office hours, chat, discussion boards, academic honesty, parameters for papers and discussion boards are covered only to mention a few. My bio always gives an academic and professional overview and establishes my experience within my discipline.

I always post a very detailed course expectations document at the beginning of the course. I review these expectations during my first lecture. Then, I use various online methods to remind my students of deadlines throughout the course. This works well for me.

Jason,

I have also told students many times to not wait until the last minute to complete the assignment or ask a question about the assignment. If the assignment is due at midnight, I usually get one or two that email me at 11:30 pm and tell me they don't understand and ask for help and expect that I am online 30 minutes before the assignment is due. At one point I even put in my syllabus that I won't answer questions about bigger project assignments 24 hours before the assignment is due - if they didn't start the project before then, the reality of them completing it to reasonable expectations is slim. Sometimes it helps, sometimes not, but it at least gets them thinking twice about putting it off.

Herbert Brown III

Maureen ,

Some students need a little more push or encouragement to get that help, just like in traditional on ground courses. Are you also proactive in contacting them individually if they are struggling in their assignments and grades and try to encourage them to work with you to get their issues fixed or do you primarily just rely on them to come to you?

Herbert Brown III

corinne,

You are very detailed and thorough.

Herbert Brown III

Judy,

I also find that it provides a very clear report of a students progress toward the ultimate performance on any assignment or project. Clearly defined expectations allow the student to succeed at the highest level and they clearly understand what that level is. Use of rubrics tend to head off confrontations with students over objective assignments since the objectiveness is quantified.

Herbert Brown III

As an online instructor who teaches the first course in our online program, I find I have to put a lot of emphasis on setting the proper expectations. The majority of our students are new to the online classroom and often have varied expectations on the following three topics:

1. Time they will spend completing work
2. Understanding and reading supplemental material
3. Instructor availability

I spend the first week of class sending emails, making announcements, and speaking on (during our synchronous live chats),the importance of understanding that just because you are in an online environment you should not have the expectation that your workload will be less. I talk about how the onus of learning, time management, and accountability will fall directly on the student. I also preach the importance of utilizing the supplemental material when completing work. I find the students often have the expectation that they can complete the assignment without ever interacting with the course material. I have to also gently remind the student that they should not have the expectation that the instructor will always be available to solve their problem. I tell students about office hours, email lead time, and not waiting until the last minute to ask a question.

I agree, Robert, that the expectations from the instructor must be as explicit as possible so that they can be used as a roadmap by the students. Your information is very explicit.

Maureen

Hello Herbert and Class. I think it would be essential to include in the faculty expectations statement that students must be proactive in getting help from the instructor for any material or assignments they are struggling with. I always email and post announcements advising students to contact me early each week for any assignment they do not understand. I also advise them to send me drafts of any work that I will review and give them feedback on how to revise them or let them know if they are completely off track. I have had students fail courses and state it was because they received no assistance in trying to do the work. I am always stunned by that allegation since there is not basis in fact for it.

Maureen

Here is what it would look like.

Instructor Contact Information and Office Hours:

Dr. Corinne Patrick

Voicemail: 877-221-5800, then option #1 & ext. 64906 or 847-851-5890

E-Mail: Corinne.Patrick@aiuonline.edu

Office Hours: Friday 5:00-7:00 p.m.

Virtual Tools:

Discussion Board

Discussion Board topics are tied to specific course Learning Events for each week of the five-week session.Students should post their individual answers to the Discussion Board prior to reading and responding to others. Students should not attach files to the Discussion Board. If the answers are prepared a file in Word, the student should copy and paste it directly into the Discussion Board. Discussion board participation is required and evaluated qualitatively utilizing the criteria below:

A: Student answered the question fully and intelligently, and used the text as support for response(s). To earn a high A, the student must cite external research sources, reasonable inferences, and/or a real world example. Response was posted within the allotted timeframe and was written at a college-level.

B: Student answered the question and/or responded to other postings. Response was posted within the allotted timeframe and was written at a college-level.

C: Student answered the question briefly or incompletely. Response was posted within the allotted timeframe and was written at a college-level.

D: Student answered the learning event incompletely and/or outside the allotted timeframe.

F: Student did not answer the question at all.

Since the discussion board is meant to be interactive, students must comment on other student postings, share a personal experience, and/or quote an outside reference to receive full credit. For additional clarification on grading policies, please review the section titled, “Grades” below.

Chat Sessions

Although the real-time chat sessions held at 7:00 PM CST on Tuesday and 7:00 PM CST Thursday are not mandatory, this interactive forum will focus on the unit topic for each week. This fun and interactive forum provides students with the opportunity to ask questions about the current and applicable unit, share ideas with other students and faculty, and augment the AIU curriculum. The chat sessions are highly encouraged for a successful completion of the course. Sidebar conversations or off-task questions will not be allowed in this forum.

E-Mail and Voicemail

All e-mails and voicemails will be responded to within 24 hours. Please feel free to utilize either of these vehicles of communication for any questions, comments and inquiries. Should the student have any technical-related questions, please contact Technical Support at 877-221-5800, option 2.

Office Hours Chat

During office hours 5:00 PM CST Friday, students have the opportunity to conduct an interactive, real-time chat with the instructor. This forum enables students to “discuss” a topic or question and obtain an immediate response.

DropBox

The “DropBox” should be used to submit all individual and group assignments. To submit electronic files to the DropBox, students should click on “DropBox,” then click on "Add File," at the top right, then click "Browse." Upon clicking, “Browse,” all of the students’ files will appear. The student should click on the document to be submitted and click "Upload File." This file will then be placed in the "Dropbox." Students should save their work with a title that indicates their name and assignment. For example, the format: “Corinne Patrick Individual Assignment 2” is ideal.

Other Resources and Tools

Should you require any additional assistance with tools such as the AIU Cybrary, Course Glossary, Course Evaluation and Student Self-Assessment, please contact your instructor.

Grades

The minimal expectation is for all of the required questions and requirements within an assignment to be completed and submitted within the specified deadline. Incomplete or missing assignments will be submitted to the Dean of Students for review. Grades will be assigned in the following manner:

Grade

% Of Total Points

Description

A

90-100%

Superior performance and exceeds course objectives. The superior level (this is the high A range) assumes that the student justified responses with text and other research resources.

B

80-89%

Above average performance and exceeds acceptable course objectives. Requires the student to take a position beyond merely a literal answer for the question, with a moderate explanation of why the recommendations were made.

C

70-79%

Average performance and meets acceptable course objectives. Requires the student to complete the required questions and requirements within an assignment to be completed and submitted within the specified deadline.

D

60-69%

Below average performance and does not meet course objectives. Did not answer the question or did not provide the appropriate answers within the specified deadline.

F

Below 60%

Failure to meet course objectives.

Simply copying data from an outside resource is meaningless if that information serves as your primary response/answer. Any information gathered from an external resource must serve as supporting documentation to your answers.

All sources must be cited using APA style. (This format may be found on the AIU Cybrary) Failure to do so will result in an immediate 10% reduction off of the total potential points for the assignment. Since all of the assignments require research, it is necessary to cite references on every individual assignment. Occasionally, students may require outside references on discussion board and group assignments as well.

Although punctuation, grammar, spelling and style are not as important as content on assignments, proper communication is necessary in the real world. As a result, any assignment with more than one spelling or grammatical error will be deducted by 10%. An assignment should not be written in a casual tone. The professional tone of your paper should mock the tone of a textbook, not a discussion with your best friend. An assignment should not contain contractions (such as can’t and don’t) or any slang comments or words. Written assignments should follow the following format: 1” margins on all Word Documents
All assignments should have a cover page that includes:

iYour Name

ii.Assignment Title

iii.Date
Font should be Times New Roman, Arial, or similar font in an 12 point size
Spacing should be 2 spaced or double spaced

4.AIU Online considers academic honesty and academic dishonesty a serious offense. Academic Integrity is key to learning and personal growth. The Student Handbook, Course Catalog, and each course syllabus define academic honesty and explain it. Please refer to the policies set forth in those publications

5.Late work will be accepted please notify me by e-mail prior to the assignment’s due date. All late work will be penalized. Late work will not be accepted on group assignments due to the critical nature of group participation. Should a student turn in the final assignment past the due date, please contact the instructor before due date.

Students must follow the assignment list to determine how an assignment should be submitted. (Via the drop box, discussion board, etc.) Assignments must be posted in the drop box on or before the dates specified below. Please do not send assignments as an e-mail attachment or as an attachment in the course discussion board unless otherwise specified.

Unit

Assignment Type

Possible Points

Due Date

Unit 1

Discussion Board
50
06/16/2013

Unit 1

Individual Project

75

06/16/2013

Unit 2

Individual Project

250

06/23/2013

Unit 2

Discussion Board

50

06/23/2013

Unit 3

Discussion Board

50

06/30/2013

Unit 3

Individual Project
100
06/30/2013

Unit 4

Discussion Board

50

07/07/2013

Unit 4

Individual Project

200

07/07/2013

Unit 5

Discussion Board

50

07/14/2013

Unit 5

Individual Project

125

07/14/2013

Total

1000

Both as an instructor and as a student, I love a rubric... it gives guidance for both in posting and in evaluation

corinne,

I agree with these student-centered expectations. It is important to articulate the structure and design of the course to the students. Should there also be expectations for the instructor of the course? What might those look like?

Herbert Brown III

My views of important elements of a faculty expectations should be the following:

Instructor Contact Information and Office Hours:

Virtual Tools: Such as Discussion Board & Submitted assignments.

Chat Sessions

DropBox

Other Resources and Tools

Should you require any additional assistance with tools such as the AIU Cybrary, Course Glossary, Course Evaluation and Student Self-Assessment, please contact your instructor.

Grade Scale

Rubrics

Course objectives.

Academic Integrity

I totally agree, a course is nothing but in a constant state of change and revision. Courses should evolve with time, otherwise the course does not remain current.

Robert,

I like to hear that. I think it is extremely important for all instructors to be reflective practitioners. As you noted there is so much we learn also if we are just open to it.

Herbert Brown III

I have found that faculty expectations are an important part of online learning, and they need to be communicated on the first day of the course. The expectations should represent what you expect of the students and what they can expect from you. If the students know what you expect from them they will try their best to achieve the expectations.

I believe that it is more than just setting due dates and timelines, students need to know that both of those elements are important but also know that you will live up to the promises that you make to them. An example is returning emails with accurate responses to their concerns and questions. If you follow your expectations they will follow theirs. Students want to succeed and they have a feeling of responsibility to not disappoint their instructors.

I feel that important elements of a faculty expectations statement is to be clear about what you expect from the student and what they can expect from you. I would include the following:
1- tell the student a little bit about yourself and how and when you can be reached, including preferred method of communication. Also let them know how long it will take to get a reply (within 24 hrs)
2-announce your live lab hours and what will be covered to encourage participation.
3-let students know when weekly grading will be completed.
4- instruct students that participation is very important and when assignments are expected to be turned in by.
5-Encourage communicating with me to let me know right away if they are having any problems or need help.
6-Review what assignments are due weekly and when the deadline is for submission. Include a grading ruberic for late assignments.
7-Review the discussion posting criteria.
I would then end with words of encouragement and maybe an inspirational quote.

Initially the course outline is discussed the very first day in the traditional classroom environment. So initially starting with reading the course syllabus and downloading the student handbook would be a great start. Expectations of the instructor must adhere to the school policy regardless of the environment(traditional or non-traditional). Listing instructor contact information and availability. Technical support information should be reaffirmed by the instructor. Students should be addressed as if the course is for a first-time user so information should be clear and concise. I also include a personal photo of myself which allows my students to see that I am actually a person and to post with a photo of themselves in the intro discussion. This helps to break the ice.

I think it's extremely important to communicate class expectations up front and reiterate these expectations at key points throughout the course. Within the statement, I feel it is especially important to highlight grading and posting expectations as well as how students can reach you for support or tap into additional support systems if necessary. This way, you are providing your students with the information most pertinent to their success in the course from the outset.

In the online environment, I also find it especially important to try and "humanize" yourself as an instructor as without the immediate face-to-face interaction students have in a traditional on-site classroom, it is easy for a student to forget that they are working with an actual human being and therefore, their commitment could potentially falter. Reinforcing that there is a person on the other end of their responses who is not only there to hold them to a particular standard, but is also willing to support and help them goes a long way to establishing a presence in the classroom as well as building that trust and rapport with students that is necessary for student success in any venue.

I also feel it's important to not overwhlem students with too much information at once, so breaking up these expectation statements into smaller, more focused announcements can also minimize student frustration - instead of having one very long announcement with copious amounnts of information in it to review and digest which could be quite intimidating for a student, especially one new to online, having a few smaller, more targeted announcements that are easier to digest may be a more effective way to communicate class expectations to students without overwhelming or frustrating them. Breaking things down in this manner also makes it easier for students to find the information quickly for reference as they progress through the course, which also minimizes frustration.