Important elements of faculty expectations should be based on clear, concise, and informative expectations. In the beginning of a course the instructor should state their name, qualifications, personal and professional experiences. Then they should note to all students in a general area that it is necessary for them to seek the guidance and use their resources as needed to successfully complete the course. As an online learner, it has been a very reputable source for instructors to present all information on day one. It leads to less confusion.
Angela,
Do you hold "live" office hours? I have done that and find that very few students actually use them. I have found that they expect feedback to their issues or questions much sooner than the next office hours, so I try to provide just in time feedback as much as possible and students have responded that they see me as "present" in the course.
Herbert Brown III
Jared, I totally agree, trust is definitely important, in addition to being available and accessible to students for concerns and questions. I always have office hours and allow students to contact me by email, the portal or cell phone. I reach out to students as soon as I feel there is a problem of any sort. I always identify positive things in their submissions before I identify things they might need to work on or improve
Tanya,
These are all great expectations for the students. Do you have any expectations for the instructor....you? What might those look like? Should we be held accountable for our classes' success in any way....what might that be?
Herbert Brown III
Darcel,
All great information to include in your syllabus in expectations. Should students have expectations for you? Are you for yourself? In other words, what should you be held accountable for in the course, anything?
Herbert Brown III
I think it is important to set the stage for students. The class will go smoothly if they get an idea of who you are as a person and what the deadlines and expectations are for the class. I am specific about sources and proper APA style. I also include all of the basics they need to be successful which includes contact information, class policies, school policies, netiquette, and how to avoid plagiarism.
Several items I use in my expectations is getting oriented, a textbook check, how to avoid plagiarism, technical support, and how to reach me during the course.
In my expectations, I utilize a “Getting Oriented†approach since the online environment can be a little overwhelming with all of its buttons and links. It’s important for students to navigate buttons to acclimate themselves. I also ask the student to check their textbooks for the correct additions since International titles may be rearranged in a different order. Also, it is important to have student read what Plagiarism is, and provide them with some fundamental points to keep in mind when writing. If a student is having technical issues provide them with access to the help desk numbers. Last, give them a number of ways of reaching me during the course for example, Email, Telephone, or Skype.
Greg,
Do you believe there should be expectations for both the students and the instructor? What kind of expectations do you include in your courses?
Herbert Brown III
a faculty expectation statement helps set the tone for the class so it's important to be personable so that students feel comfortable asking you questions. If you can touch on this in your statement, it may lessen the fear or apprehensiveness of the students and allow for more participation.
Emmanuel,
Good. I believe it is important that students know what to expect from us. Therefore they are less likely to email you every 10 minutes asking for feedback when you tell them upfront that most grading takes 24-48 hours or more.
Herbert Brown III
Herbert,
That was a good question. Yes, I do include my expectations for students to read and familiarize themselves. I do tell them that the University expects to post their grades on time and respond to their emails within 48 hours. They know and expect that from me.
Emmanuel
The important elements of faculty posting course expectations is to avoid ambiguity from the on set. For the past ten years I have worked at AIU-Online, posting course expectations and constantly reminding students about what is required of them have made teaching easier. Also, I have posting a my response to a student's question about the group project into the announcement board so that all students have access or read the same information from me as to have only one student have my response. This has assisted in alleviating question duplication.
Emmanuel
Billie,
I agree with your statement. I have also found that it helps to alleviate any confusion over what is expected in the course. From a legal standpoint you have also established the clear expectations for the course and therefore it is hard to dispute them later.
Herbert Brown III
I think some important elements of a faculty expectations statements are to truthful about the activities, due dates, Lessons, etc. up front and to express both the school and your expectations for the course. I think you need to be upfront with the students and tell them what is expected from them, but what they can expect from you (and the school). I think when you are open and honest with students they respond better and become more engaged in the process.
Debra,
All of the expectations you mention are great and I have many of those as well. They are primarily student-oriented, what expectations do you list for the instructor?
Herbert Brown III
Mr. Brown
An instructor expectation statement should provide the student with information about what the instructor expects from the student as well as what students can expect from the instructor. In addition to restating some of the policies such as plagiarism and due dates, I always include requirements for submission of assignments such as format; the need to prepare assignments using concepts presented in the text; and other specific instructions for specific particular assignments.
Additionally, I think it is important to include additional information including:
• Instructor availability and preferred method of contact
• Response time for student inquires.
• Conditions under which an extension may granted
• Information on points that will be deducted for late assignments
This information is very important; it will minimize student and instructor frustration.
Debra
Tony,
I like the way you put this. I always try to suggest that there should be expectations in the course for the students as well as the instructor. Both groups are accountable for the learning that will or will not take place in the course.
Herbert Brown III
Empowering students to know that their expected learning experience/achievements are of an utmost concern to the instructor, but the instructor should also set a standard of expected efforts by students. In my opinion, this let's the student feel that the instructor is not about a paycheck, but actually has serious concerns about the results of his/her students upon the conclusion of the course.
I love the 2-way street cliche as the instructor (upon completion of course) should always feel a sense of empowerment as well, knowing that he has taught the student well and he/she now has an insightful grasp of all the material in the structure of the course, to use now and in their future. It is my view that we need continued evidence that we have accomplished our goals as instructors. This builds us profoundly and helps us to exude confidence in which the students can hear in our teaching styles.
Ricardo,
Good point, I like how you are trying to set a positive tone up front. I would still want to make sure that the expectations listed are very clear. I have tried to sound a little too friendly at times just to find that set up too much ambiguity in the expectation and caused confusion later. As with most things it seems you need to find a balance there.
Herbert Brown III
An important element would be the overall tone of expectations. I would make statements with a positive outlook. Many times instructors' statements or expectations have many do's or don't with heavy focus on don'ts. If the expectations have an element of support and of caring for students, they will pick up on that vibe.
