I have stated this in previous posts, but rubrics are key here. The students need to know how they are being evaluated and a rubric can provide that. Not only will it give the students the information that they are needing, but it gives the instructor a consistent way to assess each of the students and provide them with meaningful feedback. 

I have found that self motivation for students is super important in an online setting. It is very easy for a student to get distracted. Best practices can be to assign mini-due dates, give students roles to facilitate communication, etc.

Communication is key in online instruction. It needs to be continuous and consistent. It is also a great idea to set up guidelines for communication. Rubrics are also a good way to promote clear and concise communication to students about expectations, especially on graded assignments. 

I think that it is important to consider the platform in which you communicating. It needs to be the right tool for the communication that you have in mind. While social media may be a great way to communicate with your students, I have to consider what my students have available. Our school is fortunate to have every student a chromebook. Unfortunely, our district blocks social media platforms from it. It may be a great way to communicate one on one, or to make an announcement, but not for learning, for my district. 

Once you pick a layout that works for your online class, keep it. Consistency is key. You have to maintain a great level of communication and a level of trust with your students. Get to know your students!

Students need meaningful feedback. However, it is important to make sure that the communication that you send out is not overly joking, sarcastic, etc. There are no non-verbal cues in online learning, so communication is taken literally. 

Communication is key in online learning. I feel that it is important to have multiple modalities of learning. You have to get to know your students, know your strengths, etc. 

It is very important to assess the tools that we are using to make sure that they are relevant to what and how we are teaching. For example, a blog is not the best outlet for students to turn in work. It should be used to disberse information and provide clickable links for the students. 

Using multiple forms of feedback is key in evaluating your course. 

Rubrics are something that I will utilize more often. I had a way of grading items, and was always consistent, but rubrics are helpful so that everyone is on the same page and there is no room for a lot of bias.