I agree teaching a five week session can be quite challenging because it is not enough time for the average student to learn and retain so much information.  The major concepts need to be taught and the students need to understand how to find and use the formulas. This would be good to do via a test or quiz, which will help you to know if the student has the skill set.

Hi Sarah,

I do see your point.  I think bringing social media into the course can be somewhat of a distraction and can possibly bring in other people who are outside of the course, which may not necessarily enhance the learing experience.

I think a common issue with students who take courses online is the ability to manage their time.  They probably see the need to engage or meet with instructors, but don't plan time to meet.  If we could get them to committ to participate in chats and other synchronized activities they would see that a lot of their questions could be answered and that they could learn from the experiences of their classmates.