Christopher Brown

Communication and motivation are the two main non-technical skills that should be encouraged. Communication not just with instructors but with other students and understanding that they are a part of this community. Create that sense of doing things together and it will make them more motivated to come to classes.

Time management seems to be the big issue these days along with a lack of self-motivation. Students see this, especially in the summer, as a large block of free time and may tend to take more leisurely activities instead of schoolwork. Granted, not all, but some. It was asked many times of me that if they just do the discussions does that count as attendance. I had to tell them that I require attendance to the online sessions because we discuss a wide variety of topics related to the material that may not show up in discussions. I have had… >>>

If I am understanding this correctly, it is a way to not so much measure their retention and memorization, but rather progress along the scale of understanding the material. 

No matter what type of assessment, if it isn't accurately representing real world application of the material or a realistic understanding of the material, then it is pointless and needs to be redone. It must also, of course, be geared towards their current level of understanding. I like to use practical applications whenever possible for the assessments.

Linking any of these to real life examples and how they can apply it is the key to it all. I came into a department and the assessments seemed random. Like they were just slapped together to make a project longer. I said to myself that they were nothing like reality and I went about revising them to more accurately reflect real-world examples. Now when students ask why they are doing this assessment, I can say that it is exactly like a scenario encountered in real life and give an example. Makes it more desireable and more informative.

The most difficult thing that I have found is that I am a person who likes to work in hand with students. It is hard for me to do that online. See, when a student used to have trouble with a program or web page or something similar, I could walk over, point to a line or two and say that the error is there or in that general area. Now, I can't. Especially if I use Canvas to communicate. So with my tools, I have to have them post a screenshot or share their screen for me to do… >>>

Communication can be difficult for some, so I try and make it more of an activity than a "lesson". For instance, teaching the NEC book, I try and get students to not only come up with the answer to a code question, but then tell me in a PM so that others don't see the answer. Then I encourage the students to discuss how the found it, give small hints, and just generally improve everyones understanding of the material.

The only real issues I have had with online communication is the motivation to interact. The students I typically have (IT students) enjoy the isolation and prefer to work alone. Getting them to interact with discussions and group projects has helped in this. I like the use of Packet Tracer and creating a multi-networked group project or using Visual Studio and having them create different modules and discussing how to get them to work together. The same can be done for any group project and what is nice is that the LMS allows for grading individually or as a group.

In online communications it is made clear early on that any form of harassment will not be tolerated. I have also given them a clear set of guidelines that they must not only post, but also respond to 2 others for their discussions to count as completed. And they must be meaningful and not just "Yep, I agree" type of responses.

With the online courses, students need to understand that there are boundaries. I had students upset that because they posted a question at midnight or even 10pm that I didn't respond immediately. I have been clearly stating my "Office Hours" from the beginning of every term so that students know that I will answer in those times and, if I happen to get on and check messages later in the evening, I will respond then as well. They sometimes seem to feel that just because they're on, we should be here waiting for them like an AI bot.