I think it’s critical for a an instructor to provide a roadmap to students. Students often times feel like they have different experiences across online programs given the fact not all instructors have the same expectations. I include my expectations in the course syllabus as well as in an FAQ document and an “at a glance†document. I like to provide students with a variety of documents with consistent information so they will what’s expected of them. In addition to the expectations document I also require the students to prepare a statement including the following information:
• They have read the syllabus.
• They understand the participation requirements and have the time in your schedule to meet the participation requirements
• They understand the policy for late assignments
• They have access to a computer and have a backup plan if you do not have access to your main computer. Describe your backup plan if you do not have access to your computer, experience internet connectivity problems, or have to travel during the class
• They have the technical skills or will continue to develop your technical skills to be successful in an online learning environment
Angie,
One thing you can try is to have all the students complete a simple quiz on the syllabus or the faculty expectations. Then at least the students have to read the expectations to answer the quiz questions. Another method would be to have the students submit a reflection assignment on the expectations. The key is to obtain some verification that they read the expectations.
Herbert Brown III
Herbert,
I am post faculty expectations in all of my online classes. However, I don't always get the impression students read them. I have tried posting a discussion thread that tells students to respond after they have read the expectations. Typically the first students read the expectations and respond. However, after a day or two, there are still students that have not responded, or there are students that respond because their classmates did. Do you have any suggestions on how to get the students to read the expectations?
Angie
