This will be my first time teaching as an online instructor. So, I don't have any experience yet. But, from my on-ground teaching, I can tell that I am going to include:
1. My office hours
2. When they can expect to hear from me
3. How they can contact me.
4. I am their facilitator and not instructor
5. Grading policies and rubric
6. Academic Dishonesty
7. Hard work and learn
In my introduction to students, I clearly list all the due dates and my policies on late work. I also include a brief biography of myself.
You should let your students know what course objectives they will be exposed to. I would tell them the turnaround time for all assignments. I would give them my contact information and when they can expect to hear back from me (how long it might take for me to respond). I would let them know that I am available to them for any questions.
Hi Tammy, this is great information to include in your expectations. I think it's also important to discuss time away from the course and late assignments. I also include in my expectations how I will interact in the discussions and my turn around time for grading assignments and responding to emails. Lastly, I include a statement about plagiarism and the outcome if plagiarism is found. Tina
Hi Mark, do you discuss any expectations for learners if they are away from the classroom for an extended period of time or if they post their assignments late? You may also want to consider discussing expectations for posting students own work and using appropriate citations if they take information from another source. At my institution with the easy access to information on the Internet, we are constantly dealing with plagiarism and learners sharing information across different sections and semesters of a course. Tina
Relavence, depth of subject knowledge, time requirements, technology requirements and outcomes
Hi Tammy, do you set expectations regarding how you will engage in the course and your turn around time for answering questions/emails and grading assignments? This is one of the expectations that I have found to differ greatly amongst learners and can create a sense of unmet expectations if they are not addressed early. Tina
For my online course, I send out an introduction to all of my students participating in the course. I let them know when I am available to them, how they can reach me (through Skype, email, and by calling their school), and I also let them know what I expect from them as far as how soon they must respond to their first discussion post for that lesson and when their other assignments, tests and quizzes will be due. I also think it is important for them to know that technical support is available to them 24/7 especially since computers and the problems sometimes associated with the software can happen at any time and interrupt their progress in the course.
Hi Kim, we also include information about policies regarding time away from the classroom and making up assignments and include information on how the instructor will engage in the course. Tina
Hi Kim, what information do you include in your faculty expectations? Tina
This is a great post. I do the same thing. I like to let the students know what to expect right up front. I feel like this gets the semester and them off to a great start.
I post a welcome letter at the start of each class. In this letter is what I expect for the semester, grading policy, contact information and well as school policies on cheating and so forth. I think this is a good place to start and lets them know what is important in one area.
I don't have an expectations statement, but I think it's a great concept. I've been telling students lately that I was once a student and that I know what was important to me from an instructor (timely feedback, communication, lively discussions). They seem to be really surprised that I "get it".
Hi Stacy, I write about this in my book. There are four stages of self directedness, and it is important for the instructor to put in place strategies to move learners to becoming more self-directed in order to be successful! Tina
Dr Tina I totally agree with you. And I hasve found that online courses are not for everyone. An expectation that I feel needs to be in the statement is that You must be very self disciplined. I have students who have left traditional classrooms to take the online courses and what I have seen is most of these students end up returning to original traditional classrooms. What is your opinion on this?
Hi Aisling, you have done an excellent job of setting expectations for your students! Tina
I set clear expectations for my students telling them exactly what I expect from them.
1. I set out the grading policies and let my students know that they will be graded by the rubrics under the instructor files and the rubrics that are emailed to them at the start of class.
2. I inform my students that I will reply to all their emails within 24 hours. I go through all of the expectations in our first live chat and use video camera so that students get to see me as we go through all the expectations as I think it is more personal.
3. I go through all the policies. I discuss APA format and have help sheets for students under the instructor files.
4. We cover some of the system requirements as well as the book and tools that are needed to be successful in the class.
5. I clearly set out the deadline in relation to central time and also give those times in other time zones as well so that students are very clear on the deadlines.
6. During the live chats I also go through what I expect for each assignment so that students know what they need to do in order to get a good grade. I give examples of what is needed and what is regarded as scholar resources and give a list of good creditable websites that can be helpful in their research.
Aisling Kane
Hi Elizabeth, these are expectations. I also include information on how I will participate in the course discussions and specific expectations for how many days they need to be in the oourse each week, the number of interactions they need to have in discussions with other learners and when they have to post their initial discussions to be able to extend the dialog. Tina
Hi Emily, are there specific expectations that you feel are important to set at the beginning of the course? Tina
I feel letting students know these expectations very explicitly is important right from the beginning.
I send out an email to each student listing expectations like reading and understanding the syllabus, deadlines and penalties for late submission, approximate time required each week for this class, question anything that is not clear. In a forum I also ask them to write what they expect to gain from my class and me.
