When creating a rubric, I would share my expectations for quality work in the area of content when giving assignments by sharing the rubric with my students from the beginning of class. I would also post any rubrics that are going to be needed in the class the day before the class starts. I would encourage students to ask any questions that they have regarding the assignment and the rubric before starting their assignment. Disclosure of expectations benefits me and my students because it gives my students the ability to know what I am looking for in the content of their paper and how I am going to judge that particular area of their paper. Reviewing the content of the paper is where the facilitator of the course is given the chance to ensure that the student is meeting the learning goals of the course. When grading the content of the paper, a facilitator is able to use the content of the paper as proof of whether or not the student has completed the reading assignments. By checking for exceptional work in the content area, the facilitator is able to ensure that their students are able to demonstrate their knowledge of the subject matter. If the content is deemed to be satisfactory, I would let him know exactly why I graded each part of his paper and scored it the way that I did. I would let the student know what they should have done in order to receive a higher score on each part of the paper. I would also suggest that the student re-read the assignments. If the content falls under the category of "Needs Improvement", then it is the responsibility of the facilitator to reinforce the need for students to read the assignments. This helps promote the learning team purpose of building team competence. The facilitator needs to reinforce learning in the content area in order to ensure that the student will be a successful team member. I would respond to a student who questions the purpose of a given assignment by reminding them of the connection between the assignment, what they have read, and how the knowledge gained from the assignment will help them in their work place. In my experience, and according to basic theory regarding andragogy, adult students are more motivated to learn if the learning task is going to be of some use to them in their work or home. I could avoid that situation by creating a "learner-centered environment" from day one of the class. I would do this by establishing the proper adult-to-adult rapport from the beginning of the class. In my experience, this would help gain trust between me and my students. This trust would help me create a "participatory environment" where the students would become self-motivated to complete a given assignment. Another method that I would use in order to avoid that situation is to provide background information in order to help link the assignment to a real world situation that they may face at their place of employment. I would also make sure that the objectives of the assignment are clearly written out for the student in the course syllabus.

How many levels of assessment are necessary for optimal evaluation? Does beyond a certain number make the rubric either overly burdensome or less effective as a tool for student evaluation?

I teach accounting and in my accounting discussion forums I find that when I do not respond immediately my students feel they have the incorrect answer. Does how timely we answer our students depend on the type of course?

Would it be beneficial to try and group students together based on their generations? Could I, as an online instructor, encourage my students to seek out communication with other students from the same generation or would it be beneficial to encourage my students to "mingle" with those from other generations?

How can we, as instructors, encourage our students to participate in our discussion forums with substantive posts? Also, how can we get students to understand the importance of the discussion forums and how these forums will create a sense of a "real class"?

How important is it to understand who we are teaching to and what generation they are from when we embrace technology within our online courses?

I find that one way to build online community in a online learning environment is to have group/team assignments. It also helps to assist the more quiet individuals to become more engaging in the discussion process.

I require my students to communicate with me frequently through technology. This activity prepares them to deveop their communication skills through these methods and developing proper writing skills and avoiding texting language.

i often find when blending technology or using technology in an acadmic setting it is important to ensure that students are comfortable with the use of that specific technology through an orientation prior to the class. many of my students, even the younger ones find online learning a difficult process without it.

In my online courses I tend to shock the students. I ask them to critique their peers content. This of course is met with shock and silence until I explain the importance of peer evaluation, being able to take a critique as well as learning how to communicate with each other online. The first and most important rule is always critique the content not the contributor - I show them examples of that as I grade their essays. I never write "your thesis lacks an argument" it's always "THE thesis lacks argument" or "The essay did not meet word count". Critical assessment is a tough skill to learn and students need all practice they can get. I often guide them as much as possible to ask these questions in discussion boards- usually toward the end of the course most are applying this new strategy of communication. Has anyone else tried something like this?

As an English teacher where posts are very important, I find it is a significant part of my job to manage that element. It is so easy to cut-off student writing, especially when another student wants to use discussions to assess other students. Chris

I still think the standard telephone helps many online students feel a bit better about the class, the instructor, and what they are doing. Chris

This may make sense in other disciplines, however in math I do not believe this is a good idea. In math students are very nervous and would like encouragement. I like to check into my DB daily to make sure that everyone is on the right track. The risk you run by letting an error go unaddressed is that the other students might follow this bad example. Are there other subject matters which not responding right away could cause some trouble?

In my program we pride ourselves on a primarily asynchronous program. By doing so it provides more flexibility. However there is a lack of connection wit Asynchronous programs. What do you believe is the best? Synchronous, Asynchronous, or a blend.? Some educators are quick to suggest Synchronous learning without taking into account the very real limitation of student’s, home, work, and personal schedules. I am open to hearing my classmates’ thoughts on the matter.

Hello, A rubric's role is to make clear for the student the expectations of the an assignment. Secondly, it allows for structured grading by a teacher, as they are to compare a student's work to the rubric and assess whether the work is satisfactory.

How many of you use the same rubric guideline for each assignment?

How do you go about setting up guidelines for group work?

How many of you have established rules regarding this?

Should a teacher give out their private home number to students?

When assessing the use of technology communication tools in a virtual learning environment, one of the most important things to consider is how much and what type(s) of experiential equity a student has. Some students may communicate effectively through one medium, such as email, while other students work better through multiple mediums.