Faculty Expectations
Class
I like to have my name, email address and office hours. Also I include my cell number, resolving technical issues, course overview, chat sessions, assignments info, discussion board, group projects, late policy, grading, and plagiarism. In addition I include the top ten reasons for success. Course exp[actions is a good way to understand policies and procedures.
Thanks
Fred K
Kevin,
I agree students need to know clear expectations. What are some types of expectations you provide to students? Should there be expectations for faculty as well?
Herbert Brown III
I feel that you need to let them know what your expectations are of them. That way they can live up to those expectations.
sharon,
I would suggest that we should be providing our course content in multiple formats as a start (text, recordings, live discussion sessions, etc.). We should also be designing our activities in such a way that students can research elements based on their own interests or designing projects based on their interests instead of pre-canned activities where all students create the same assignment the same exact way. Add diversity to all aspects of the online course.
Herbert Brown III
What are the best ways for us to deal with the ddifferent learning styles when teaching online. I had never thought much about them until I took one of the other MaxKnowledge courses. Should we be making some accomodations for the auditory or tactile learner?
Dawn,
Detail, detail, detail, it is all in the details. The more detail the clearer the expectations and the less frustrated the students. I also use the 24 hour turn-around. I think that is a very reasonable timeframe. Students are then less likely to e-mail you 10 times in 30 minutes for a response. Or expect a response at 2am when they are working.
Herbert Brown III
Making the expectations known and clear from the first day of class is vital in preventing frustrated students. I always let my students know how to get in contact with me and when to expect a response on emails and on grading assignments. By letting everyone know that I promise a 24 hour turnaround time on answering questions, I feel it helps to avoid frustration and anxiety.
I also feel it's important to make the expectations on all assignments clear by providing requirement checklists. Additionally, no the first assignments, I always provide explanations of how the student did and if he/she needs improvement for future assignments.
Communication is always key in establishing a good relationship between educator and student, however, it becomes a vital source of learning within an online environment.
An issue that I have found in teaching online is learners who have different expectations for the online course and instructor. To keep learners from becoming frustrated with their expectations not being met, we have created a faculty expectation statement that all faculty post at the beginning of the ocurse to ensure that learners understand what they can expect from the course and the instructor.
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?
I agree with you. I consider the expectations a primary way to set the tone for the course and I list both my expectations as well as the expectations that student's should have of me - such as quality feedback and timely communication. I take this opportunity to explain my expectations concerning discussion responses and also to reinforce the reasons why certain elements in the course are important for the student's learning and success.
Amber,
I would continue to inform and share this information with students just as you are doing. What I would then to is a mini-review of this information as it pertains to that class, the current grading period or any other time frame that students are working within that has a deadline. Yes, they do miss some of the information when given in volume but by reviewing and repeating the short term requirements the students will have their memories refreshed and will focus on the upcoming due dates.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Martha,
Well said. Knowing support and expertise is available readily is so important for online students to realize and utilize. They need this type of support if they are to become engaged.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Emily,
Good point. We use the grading rubric with associated point value for each area.
Patricia
I require is that students use the eBook provided for the class. I place this information in each of my announcements. I add the statement every time I give feedback to students either in the discussion or in the grade book to every student who needs the reminder. I model the use of the eBook in my announcements and notes.
I repeat this information in every live chat session as it is a slide on my PPT presentation! I still have students who use online sources even after multiple times repeating this
Remember that I require that you use our eBook on all deliverables. Please come to one of our Live Chat Sessions or review it in the archive for more information. When you use material from the eBook add the in-text citation exactly like this one at the end of the sentence with the information (Editorial Board, 2011). The reference must look like this at the bottom of your work:
References
Editorial Board. (2011). Introduction to business. Schaumburg, IL: Words of Wisdom. Retrieved from https://mycampus.aiu-online.com/Pages/eBook
Greetings,
My class expectations include my contact information, office hours, live chat information, clarification of the late policy, assignment submissions, and a frequently asked questions post with questions and answers. I compiled my FAQS after several years of instruction and this really helps to ease students in the beginning of the course. In fact, many students have emailed me to express their relief that they were able to locate their answer quickly without having to ask me or their advisor.
With that said, do you think there can be too MUCh information presented at the beginning of a course. I often fel that my students are overwhelmed with so much information at the start of class that they tend to overlook important elements... such as the required assignments for the week, due dates, and late policy.
Thoughts?
Best regards,
Amber Tunget
Presence, presence and presence is the major element for a successful online course. Being availble via email and personal phone enables the students to have their questions answered in a timely manner. I give all students my personal phone number.
Jon,
So true and so important to get the class off to a good start. The more you can do to reduce student anxiety the greater the level of engagement there is going to be.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Gary and All:
The course expectations should be posted in the announcements prior to class commencing. Anxiety already exists in most students when taking an online course. The course expectations provides the students greater comfort and less fear of the unknown. Every instructor handles their classes differently students can adjust by providing clear cut expectations for the course. JMH
I agree that this is important. First and foremost I post information about myself including my phone number, email address etc. That way students with questions can get ahold of me. I also post an introductory course expectations document with information about grading, posting requirements, participation requirements etc. to ensure students are aware of my expectations and how I will be grading. I reiterate this information the first couple of times they should post and also when I post midterm and final exams. Each time I also resend my contact information in case they need it. Finally, for papers or projects I often post a grading rhubric so students know how they will be graded and my expectations.
Tom,
I like the way you set up your class structure, especially at the beginning because you are letting your students know how the course is going to operate as well as to how they can contact and interact with you beyond the typical posts. This is so important in online courses.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
It is good that you are asking for information on their online learning experience. New students to online will need a little extra attention.
Have you found that you can place too much information in your expectation statement?
