Dayna Doskocil

Student feedback is just one form of feedback to help improve a course.  You should also look at quantitative data as well as qualitative data from multiple sources 

Rubrics can be powerful tools to help both instructors and students know the expectation of the assignment.  They can also help students self-evaluate and peer-evaluate their assignments.  Rubrics can be used as a feedback tool as well.

Online classes should have multiple ways for students to communicate and engage with each other.  Discussion boards but also video calls, email, and chat can help students and faculty create an online community.  We do this by having video calls, offering Teams office hours, and encouraging students to email with questions.

Having modules helps students organize their weeks.  We use this chemistry to help scaffold the topics so that each week builds on each other.

Online learning can be successful if students and instructors are working together.  Students need to communicate their needs or questions and instructors needs to respond in a timely manner.  Students need to understand their roadblocks, such as time management or schedule while instructors need to respect the time students have available. 

Assessing technical skills is just as important as assessing other skills.  Students should have access to how-to documents and guides to ensure their success with technology.

Online students need to be part of a community just like in-person students.  Encourage students to form study groups, to work together, and to ask questions.  Give tips for things like reading skills and listening skills.

Online classes should follow a specific structure that meets students needs as well as fosters discussion and learning.  This can be created by understanding where students are both comfort and technology wise at the beginning of a class.  Scaling the class to the students' strengths and allowing them to build their weakness will give them more opportunities to be successful.

The biggest hurdle I have found to this type of teaching method is what to do with students who don't complete the work outside of class?  I have tried to implement this strategy into a class before and 1/2 to 1/3 of students either don't have the time or the means to access work outside of class.  This leaves a good chunk of students behind.

Critical thinking skills are difficult for students who are used to the "sit and get" method of teaching.  Having students work together or by themselves on tasks and projects give students more opportunities to think critically and use their knowledge in new ways.  I have give my students models to analysis in small groups and provided some guiding questions to help them better understand the concepts being learned,  Students much discuss their findings and understandings before they move on to the next model or question.  This gives them practice with analyzing and thinking about their results and ideas in a… >>>