Carlos Crocker

I try to create syllabi that are clear and thorough.  The more crystal-clear the verbiage is in the syllabus, the less time I usually have to spend 'clearing up' student misunderstandings about the course.  Honestly though, most of those misunderstanding arise because many students don't actually read the syllabus. But I have recently initiated online formative assessments regarding the syllabus that students must complete at the beginning of each course :)

Effective communication is they 'key" to short-circuiting some classroom/syllabus issues - instructions/expectations must be written clearly and convincingly. 

I have learned that I am very far behind using technology (apps etc.) for communicating with friends and acquaintances, let alone using the technology in the classroom for instructional purposes. 

Perhaps I am a dinosaur, but I don't believe I would have fared well as an 'online student".  However, as I learn about ways/methods/tools that can be utilized to maintain reciprocal engagement, I am getting more comfortable with this remote learning reality. 

The onset of inactive learning in student(s) might be short-circuited if the course learning objectives/activities are provocative and engaging.  Of course, the passive learning component(s) should be relevant and predicably linked to the subsequent material. 

I can't imagine an online course that does not contain passive and active learning components- The trick seems to be getting the fractional percentages just right.

I have engaged with students who have reported that their daily work/life responsibilities are frequently overwhelming - thus leading to 'last minute' online discussion posts.  The discussion rubric clearly indicates that multiple, same day, 'last minute' contributions to the discussion board shall/may be interpreted as 'low value" primarily because such posts don't really represent substantive additions to the discussion.  I sometimes struggle with the subjectiveness of my grading (esp. in this context, mostly because it is difficult to accurately gauge who benefits from 'last minute posts")- but don't want to eliminate the implied impetus for timely discussion posts from the… >>>

The main ingredient in active learning is effort - and as an educator I need to ensure that the online courses that I create are engaging, informative, realistically rigorous, and require each student to exhaust effort in learning the material.