Maria Natividad

The various tools that are available to students now, such as multiple mobile connections, will make it easier for students to access course material anywhere at anytime that they want to. Instructors should be facilitators and help students on their coursework. There are also diversities among student populations, and instructors should be aware of those different learning styles, and apply the various online tools that are available to everyone.

Dynamic instruction occurs in hybrid classes, because it gives a chance for interaction between students and instructors, students and students, and can give students the freedom to find their way by having choices on how to progress in the learning process. They can do this through blogs, e-portfolios, wikis, etc.

Value-added assessment is important in the ongoing revision of online courses, so that these courses can evaluate if the online course meets the goals and outcomes of the course. Using rubrics for assessments also help both the students and instructor in creating a fair and easy way of assessing students' work, as long as the criteria are not too complicated and easily understood by the students.

There are difference ways of creating objective and subjective assessments. The goal for this assessments, though is to make sure that the questions will cover the outcomes/objectives of the course. Providing rubrics to students when doing subjective assessments can help in grading them.

There are different ways in assessing how students grasped the lecture of the day. I liked the muddiest question after the class, because it gives the instructor an idea on what the students did not understand, and points can be clarified the next day, before a new topic is discussed. I like using Bloom's  levels of learning, too.

There are different technology tools that instructors can use to assess that students have learned something from the class. The effective use of these tools can be done in a LMS that the school uses. It is important to get the feedback from students about the different technology tools that were used during the course of the semester, so that whatever tools worked can be used for the next semester, and whatever did not work can be replaced by another technology tool.

It is important to establish guidelines for participation to encourage students to participate in an online environment. Also useful to use a rubric when grading student responses to online discussions. It is also important to encourage a sense of community among the students.

Instructors need to be good role models for communication. Instructors also should establish guidelines for the communication process online, and these guidelines must be patterned according to the different generations of students that we deal with. Instructors should establish communication guidelines in the course syllabus. If there are questions from students, prompt feedback should be given by the instructor.

Very important to establish how you will communicate to the students at the beginning of class. Establishing a pattern of communication will help students communicate effectively with the instructor and other students. 

I have learned that instructors should make use of the different technology tools that are available. Constant evaluation of these tools are important throughout the course, so that it can help the instructor to make some changes if necessary.