Kurt Bauer

Most of the courses I teach have a subjective element to them (viscomm, for those I much prefer a very loose rubric. Perhaps splitting the total points into 3 or 4 sections with the overall assignment parameters, allowing quite a bit of subjectivity and preventing students 'checking the boxes'. On the flip side though, for scripting/programming or IT related courses, rubrics are great and the more detailed the better; in those cases, 1+1 doesn't equal blue, like in viscomm, but 1+1 equals 2 and the rubrics speed grading where subjectivity doesn't come into play. That said, I've been in both… >>>

I do similar things, but to be honest, I don't bother with the syllabi or other prepared areas. I incorporate them into discussion posts, announcements, live sessions. 9-5 I run an IT support team for a college, one thing I've learned in the last 10 years, you could put "e-mail me and I'll send you $100" in every syllabus at a school and still only be out a couple hundred bucks at the end of the term. Sad, but true in my experience. Related, but OT, EULAs are the same. I put a line similar to above in a EULA… >>>

Just reviewing presentations for the upcoming term, one of my first items, before anything else, in the first live session of the term I lay out who I am, what I've done, who my students have been (generic demographics) and then what they can expect of me. I also lay out what I expect of them. I don't talk about normal course things, those are posted, what I DO talk about are my basic expectations: 1. Review everything early in the week, make notes of things you may see as obstacles. 2. TRY to do it. "you'll be surprised how… >>>

Thanks Karen, the insight from areas other than where I teach is indeed helpful, also nice to know I'm not alone :) One thing I didn't mention, other than 2012, I've been an online student myself since 2002, some degrees, but quite a bit just because I love the learning process in all forms and one should never stop learning. I bring this up and try to relate to my students in that aspect, but it's a slippery slope and one has to maintain that even though I'm also a student and can understand, in THIS case, I am the… >>>

I've been teaching online courses for the last 5 years, but I've taught a great variety of subject matters over the last few decades. One thing I've noticed and have yet to find a truly effective way to overcome, is the overwhelmed feeling some students get right out of the gate. They'll look at the projects, look at the complexity (I teach in areas involving design as well as scripting and coding) and they just shut down. The material isn't a skip through the tulip fields, but it IS broken down into small manageable bites, and I am very active… >>>