Book Sale

Starting today, my kindle books are on sale for 30 days. In case you’re thinking of holding off for deeper discounts for December, please don’t. I hate when that happens — I get something on sale and then a month later it’s on sale for deeper discounts. I assure you, not happening here. The discount you get now will end the middle of Dec.

Enjoy — there are Online Teaching and Learning books, two novels, and my self defense book.

There are available through Amazon Kindle and if you want a print version, I have PDF files also available for a marginally larger discount.

Amazon

My Bookstore

Formative v. Summative Assessment

Regardless of the type of assessment used, some common criteria need to be included in all. These assessments should all be research-driven; students may use the learning resources and textbook in the course, and/or they may locate outside relevant sources to use as evidence in demonstrating their mastery of the concepts. Other common criteria are academic/professional writing and correct citing of sources within their assessment projects. In all subject matter courses, students need to be held to high academic writing and documentation standards.

 

Students are all different in the way they learn and the way in which they explain concepts to others.  When students produce an assignment for assessment, they are, in effect, explaining concepts to their faculty, who, will grade their attempt at demonstrating mastery of the content. It stands to reason, that assessment projects should be different throughout the course. Taking it a step further, doesn’t it also make sense that each unit of study include multiple choices in types of assessments students may use to show mastery? In my course observations, I have seen those in which there is the traditionally-formatted weekly discussion, homework copied from the textbook chapter, and a short essay every week. Students in classes like this have no opportunity to use their strongest learning and communication skills in demonstrating mastery of the course content. In fact, I would go so far as to say that these types of assessments do not show any understanding whatsoever of the course content.

Find out more about how Creating Communities of Practice can recharge your teaching and ensure students’ success in class

 

Late work? Yes or no?

Grading late work out of sequence takes up an unbelievable amount of time. I found that students will take advantage of liberal late policies so over the past few semesters, my late policy has become more and more strict. I researched hundreds of late policies for online courses and found that 95% of instructors have strict late policies that provide very strong incentive to turn in work on time. So in my classes, unexcused late work more than 4 days out from a due date is not accepted. No late work at all is accepted at any time during the last two weeks of the course. Of course, none of this applies in the case of extenuating circumstances. Technology problems are not considered to be extenuating circumstances in my classes. What’s your late policy?

Online Teaching for Adjunct Faculty: How to Manage Workload, Students, and Multiple Schools 

Getting Students To Read Your Feedback On Their Work

Here’s what I do: 1: on the first returned paper I require them to choose two comments I’ve made, copy those on the next paper, and explain (with resources) how they addressed that in the second paper. 2. I provide an agenda (checklist) for each week with detailed instructions for each assignment. They are to copy that at the end of their assignments and I comment on those. 3. I do leave just comments in the gradebook sometimes. Again they have to address those on the next assignment.

What do you do to ensure that students download the papers with track changes feedback and address issues in their future work?

Are your students too dependent?

When I get a question that has clearly stated answers in the syllabus or lesson or wherever, my response goes something like this — Please check the (syllabus or lesson or dropbox or course info or assignment checklist or whatever) for information about this. There is detailed information and if you need further clarification after reviewing that, please let me know.

Getting lost or clueless or confused is all part of being a new online student. I have no problem answering questions but I won’t copy from the course to answer the question. I direct students where to find the information for themselves. This teaches them how to navigate not only my course, but future online courses as well.

Students will rise to the level of your expectations. And if they learn I will answer questions they should be able to find for themselves, they’ll continue to ask those questions. My goal is to promote self-directed learning, which is essential in online classes. So if the answer to a question is clearly stated and easy to find, they need to figure it out by themselves.

Professors who handhold are doing their students a grave disservice by promoting dependence on the course prof to “help” all the time. Simply put, I do not believe in handholding for college students. I believe in teaching self-directed learning skills to all students who are in my classes.

What kinds of handholding behaviors have you seen going on in online classes? How do you encourage students to be more self-directed in their learning?

Do you give students assignment choices?

Teaching and learning is all about demonstrating mastery of course goals and outcomes. The best way for students to demonstrate mastery is through an activity chosen and produced by each individual student. We should always provide choices for ways in which students can demonstrate what they have learned.

Students are all different in the way they learn and the way in which they explain concepts to others. When students produce an assignment for assessment, they are, in effect, explaining concepts to their faculty, who, will grade their attempt at demonstrating mastery of the content. It stands to reason, that assessment projects should be different throughout the course.

Faculty complain about grading papers and yet they continue to assign multiple papers in every class. Frankly, I stopped doing that a long time ago. Only in pre-designed classes where I cannot change assignments, do my students write papers. They write a lot in the discussions every week and so they get plenty of writing practice, review, and revision without having to write one or more papers during the class term.

There are many ways to demonstrate mastery that are more effective as well as more interesting to produce and assess. Instead of assigning textbook homework and written essays, try some of these ideas. I guarantee your students will enjoy the diversity and you will find grading much more interesting too.

What different types of activities are in your online courses? If you could provide choices, which ones would provide the most learning for students?

Are C students successful?

This is an interesting concept — what makes a student successful? Some students seem to be leaders and others seem quite ordinary. Do all students in your class have to make A’s for YOU to feel successful?

I guess the questions are:

• What’s wrong with ordinary?
• Is the student unhappy with being ordinary?

Motivation comes from the student. If a student is unhappy with academic performance, then it’s my job to find out why and provide individualized instruction and guidance.

If a student is happy enough with being ordinary (whether it’s just in a particular course or overall across the board) then so be it. For example, I was perfectly happy to be “less than ordinary” in math, chemistry, and physics classes, but I was seriously unhappy with anything less than complete perfection in “soft sciences” and writing.

The point is that students decide what is ordinary and whether they will accept that or not. I can’t make the decision for them. But if they need or want help to excel past ordinary — I’m already on it every time.

What do you think about student success re: grades in your class? Do you push C students to do better? Why or why not?

Mistakes online students make

From an online instructor’s perspective, what do you see as the top five mistakes online students make? Here are mine:

1. Students should log in to their classes well before the start date. Most schools open online classes 3-5 days before the official beginning of the term. GOOD students log in early and begin reading the syllabus, resources, course policies, and many even start on the first week’s assignments.

2. Students should always log in to their classes at least 4 times a week to read announcements, new postings in the discussions, check their grades and review feedback, and contribute to the discussions.

3. Students need to review all feedback on graded work. This means studying this feedback, asking questions when clarification is needed, and then implementing these in all new work.

4. Students need a 3-tiered time management system. (1) course calendar and monthly calendar; (2) weekly calendar; (3) daily to-do list.

5. Students need to avoid procrastination and keep ahead of the class due dates. Students who begin class early can stay ahead of the game throughout. It’s always better to get work done early than to fall behind and try to play catch-up.

What are your recommendations for online students for what NOT to do?

Planning for Spring

Spring!! It’s almost here!! So who else has time off between classes? And who is overwhelmed with too many classes going on at the same time? I used to belong to the “too-many” club and now it’s the former. I can’t complain though because I really need and plan to enjoy the time off till the next class starts.

Here’s what I’ve got planned so far:

• Blogging (I haven’t blogged in about 3 years so this will be fun)
• Update all my websites (long overdue)
• Update my discussions and schedule for when my next scheduled online class.
• Work on my writing boot camp online course
• Write another book – this one is about grouping in online classes
• Pack up and leave for the campground where we have a year-round onsite 40-ft trailer with a deck and fenced yard.

I usually stay at the trailer from April through June with the pups. Hubby spends time there on weekends, sometimes during the week working (although his workspace there is a bit cramped so he likes to work from home most of the week), and he takes a lot of vacation days.

So even though I’m not teaching for the next term, I’ve still got lots to do. I love the spring because I can do all my work outside on the deck, which is another perk to 100% telecommuting. Who wouldn’t prefer to work outside?

What are your plans for the Spring??

LinkedIn for my students

This is the last day of class. Congratulations to my students for a great class. Don’t forget to set up a LinkedIn profile, visit my profile, and set up a connection with me and with all your classmates.

Professor B’s LinkedIn profile