Could you give us some exmples of what those disabtilities might be and the accomodations that they may require?
As an e-learning facilitating novice, I think posting the course's rules, regulations, expectations, and perimeters would be as important as a brick and morter course's outline. Establishing the requirements early and up front would eliminate the "I didn't know" problem, as well as student frustration/attrition. If questions arrise throughout the duration of the course, additional information and clarification can be delivered as needed.
My thoughts on Faculty Expectations
EL102
Facilitator: Herbert Brown III
By Randall Aungst
12/20/2012
Discussion Question:
What do you feel are important elements of a faculty expectations statement that can help set the appropriate expectations for learners in your online course?
Response:
There are several issues that must be contained in the course expectations in order to ensure that students are clear regarding all aspects of the upcoming course. This is to increase the chances that the student has a sense of security regarding the instructor the course and their ability to perform. In my first chat session I outline these course expectations, this is an accompaniment to uploading them to my student accessible instructor files and pasting it to my in class announcement board. There are several issues that are covered in this document and during this initial chat session.
After an introduction of myself, my background and my education I begin by covering the coursework guidelines. These guidelines include procedural, structural and best practice information for the student. One example of each of the aforementioned types of information is;
• Procedural
o For DB tasks include heading (See example provided in first DB forum) at the top, in-text citations and reference list at end of post in APA format if sources are used. **** Also, all DB tasks will require minimum 3 separate posts. 1. Primary Post 2. Peer Responses (at least 2 classmates)
• Structural
o For IP tasks APA format: 12point Times New Roman, Courier new or Arial and double spaced, include a title page.
• Best Practice
o Address ALL issues required of task and abide by minimum length requirements (If addressing all issues and expanding on them, going beyond just answering questions, should be able to meet minimum length).
While there are others located in this section these give you an idea of what I am referring to for each type of information.
The next section I address is regarding defining the general discussion board expectations; specifically what each type of post means. The three types of postings are primary, peer responses and summary responses. This is followed by the section covering research guidelines. This deals with plagiarism, university policy regarding plagiarism, similarity score and examples of unacceptable source material. The remainder of the document consists of the following sections with details and highlights under each section:
• Late policy
• Grades
• Student responsibilities
• Participation
• And finally Communication
Under the final section I clearly instruct the student at the various was of contacting me and communicating with me.
All of these issues lend themselves to the students feeling of security in both the process they are about to undertake and their ability to undertake it successfully.
Just food for thought.
Randall Aungst
Onyema,
Have you ever tried to use some type of assignment or assessment tied to the expectations to ensure the students read them? Quizzes on the material, discussions on them, scavenger hunt assignment to answer questions from the expectations. Something to make sure the students engage the content?
Herbert Brown III
David,
I agree 100%. In fact I find myself tweaking my expectations each semester when I run in to situations of possible misinterpretation. After a couple semesters they become really well defined....or at least until the next unique student interpretation :-) I don't believe they will ever become perfect.
Herbert Brown III
Onyema,
Are your chats "required" or are they optional. Do the students know they are required to participate in these live sessions at the beginning of the course? I have seen backlash from students that expect a more asynchronous approach and are then expected to regularly connect synchronously.
Herbert Brown III
Peter:
Using the live-chat is very effective. I use my live-chat to discuss the course expectations each week. At the beginning of each live-chat session, I remind my students of the basics (office hours, discussion board requirements, live-chat hours, etc). Then, at the end of the live-chat sessions each week, I reiterate my expectations regarding the assignments that are due for that week and solicit any questions.
Onyema
Jocelyn:
I never thought of posting information related to disability. That is a great idea and very important to remember to implement for a diversified group of students. Equally, it is important to discuss any thoughts related to students in the military as AIU Online has a huge military student population.
Well said.
Onyema Anene
I often find that students do not read the expectations, so I like to send out the expectations to the students' school emails, personal emails, and I post them in the Announcements section and Instructor Files section of the classroom.
I find repetition to be effective. The more students see and read a particular subject, the more it is likely to "stick" in their memories.
Onyema Anene
The elements that I feel are important of a faculty expectations statement are:
1. Clarity - it is important that the faculty articulates in details his/her expectations in a language that is straightforward with little ambiguity as possible.
2. Important deadlines - late assignments is a recurring and growing problem in the online environment as many students submit late assignments; therefore, it is important that faculty state clear deadlines early on and periodically throughout the duration of the course.
3. Grading Rubric - each course and each faculty operates his/her class differently and teaches differently. In an online environment where students take several different courses during each session, it can be very confusing and frustrating trying to adjust to each faculty's style; therefore, it is crucial that faculty members clearly list his/her grading rubric to provide a roadmap and guideline for students.
These three elements will help set the appropriate expectations for learners in any online course.
Onyema Anene
Tony,
If you don't go over the rules of the road, how to the students know your expectations? Do you address it in other ways? Any examples?
Herbert Brown III
Faculty Expectations should be very clear and concise and to the point. They should leave no need for interpretation and should make the class expectations clearer for the students. It isn't always best to use template faculty expectations from your University...you can build on them..but you should make sure they fit you and aren't boiler plated.
David Pittman
Thats a good idea...but I need to get a move on with the content ..and sometimes I can't afford to go over the rules of the road.
I agree with these basics very much... I find in accelerated course work if I am still explaining the rules of the road in the 3rd week , the course may be in trouble and I need to go back and re-think the expectations.
I find that providing the key elements I would want to know helps me prepare an expectation statement...the when, what , how , why, and where questions regarding grades, assignments, and technology hurdles everyone needs to know, and get past. So, the simpler I can make those elements known and understood, the quicker I find I can engage the students in learning.
I feel that there are a few important areas to cover in the faculty expectations. These areas include:
1. Communication - the best ways to reach me, how often I check email and voicemail, office hours, and what to expect in communication (like a professional tone, proper spelling and grammar, etc.)
2. Assignments - how to submit assignments, when they're due, and what would qualify for an extension
3. Grades - when grades will be posted, how assignments will be graded
4. Help and resources - what they need to do if they need help and what resources are available through the school
I find that when all of these items are covered, the students have a better understanding of me as an instructor and what to expect of me. Once that is in place, the course goes quite smoothly, but it can be a challenge to get all of the students to read these expectations, even though it is a requirement of the course.
Course Expectations are critical to the success of a student. As you mentioned, there are some variations to what instructors expect with regard to certain aspects of a class. The more detail that can be provided the better for both student and instructor. There are several areas of focus in my Course Expectations, including a reminder of Discussion Board requirements, methods of communication, availability, grading to include grade rubrics, specifics on assignment expectations, and of course, academic honesty. These expectations are not only posted as an Announcement in my classroom, but also sent to students by email. Of course, we can’t make the students review everything we post!
Carol Hannon
Michael,
These are very important in any class. Do you find that students read these expectations at the beginning or do you have some that later say..."I didn't know that...?" How do you address those students and is there a way to ensure they all read and comprehend the course expectations?
Herbert Brown III
Jeffrey,
Can you be more specific? What kinds of things are you doing now and what kind of content are you teaching? Specifically in discussions or assignments. As a general statement I would say that you should "motivate" them with assignments that connect with them. Give enough flexibility in assignments that students can express their individual interests. For example, don't assign everyone the same exact website to create in a web development class. Provide the assignment framework and expectations, but the type of site they create is up to them. Open it up - make sure you are using multiple mediums to connect with the diversity of student learning styles.
Herbert Brown III
What suggestions do you have to help get students more engaged in the learning process?
