Tena Crews

Martin, Your points are well taken. Course outcomes, good communication and feedback in a consistent manner is essential. It is important that online instructors see how these are all connected. I always tell new online instructors. . .If you want BAD teaching evaluations, don't communicate. That will do it! ;-) Thanks!

Martin, Good addition. These all tie together. . . you must know your course objectives (and the students must know them as well so they know what/why they are learning), the course has to be designed to enhance learning and then the feedback is key. The feedback can be provided through self-assessment, peer assessment and through formative and summative feedback from the instructor. Nice job! Thanks!

Chris, Good to know. Consistency is key as well. Being consistent in how often and when you provide feedback is helpful. Thanks!

Sherry, You bring up a good point. Knowing what your students already know and what they need to know is an excellent place to start. Of course, as you noted, it must be tied to the content/concepts to be taught. And, evaluating the delivery is an ongoing process and is an excellent way to continually update the course delivery to make your course the best it can be. Nice job. Thanks!

Chris, You bring up a good point. . .when asked by someone they trust. . .it is essential to build that trust and develop a good working relationship. Student input/feedback is essential. Nice job.

Chris, Assessment is not somee we do "to" our students, but "with" our students. It should encourage them to learn more not to quit learning. When teaching online time is of the essence, but take my word on this - if you give feedback immediately, they will expect it immediately all the time. Set rules in your syllabus about how often feedback will be provided. My rule of thumb is within 24 or 48 hours, depending on the course and course content. Thank you for your input.

Robin, Your #3 reminds me. . .always give the rubric when you give the assignment. Students should know what is expected of them. There should be no surprises. Thanks for the reminder!

John , I lvoe "teachable moments!" The way you describe the feedback in these three statements provide insight on how important feedback it. Nice job. Thank you.

David, Everything you have listed will help establish and build the online community. They are all interconnected. Nice job. Thank you.

Chris, It is hard to pick three so your fourth one adds to the conversation. Thank you for adding the information in parentheses. This helps the discussion as well. Good job.