Communicating a Code of Conduct will help to establish a good online community of learners. Listing and providing examples of expected behaviors and the consequences of actions outside of the expected behaviors is a good idea.
I learned of the importance of having a rubric established for assessing the contributions to class discussions. I hope to create rubrics for my class that will help me encourage effective communication and collaboration to help establish positive interdependence amongst the participants.
One of the big take-aways from this module is the idea of the instructor as the facilitator of online learning. The idea of an instructor as a facilitator is not new, but thinking through the lens of what facilitating in the F2F environment looks like compared to a virtual classroom might require some modifications and additional structures in place to ensure a productive learning environment. The theme of clear communication regarding expectations comes out in this module as well. Much like communication was referenced as a vehicle for engagement, rubrics similarly serve as a vehicle for delivering specific expecations for students.
In the Online Language: Communicating with Students course, module four I learned the importance of setting policies and procedures as related to communication between instructor and students and student and students. Students need to be informed of these policies/procedures via a code of conduct or through the syllabus. Also, the instructor must be a “guide on the side” to allow students to work together by communicating and collaborating with little intervention by the instructor unless needed. The importance of participation within a discussion was also stressed which will help create a conducive learning environment. Rubrics are also key to objective grading of projects.
I have learned that the instructor should not provide correct answers for discussion questions promptly, but they should let students think about the answers for a little while. I have also realized how rubrics can be used for grading online courses. I found it interesting that students go thru several steps as they become an online community. Students may go from just replying to questions to discussing more personal matters.
Communication and collaboration should always be included in rubrics.
Criteria must be used as the basis of a framework for measuring growth in the learning process. To effectively complete assessments, rubrics are a key component.
The onus to succsess falls on the instructor and his ability to communicate what he wants to the students at the outset .
It is important to create a class community and keep discussion boards organized as a way to set a framework of the discussion- This keeps discussions more on track and prevents an overly long feed. Students need to be provided with rubrics if they are going to be assessed on their discussion posts so they understand the expectation of the content specfic discussion forums.
Online teachers must maintain an active role in the discussion boards.
I have learned that when evaluating student posts a rubric can make the task easier and more consistent. The instructor should set guidelines for posts and student interaction.
Communication between all groups/individuals involved, along with rubrics and collaboration are all keys to measuring good communciation with students.
As an instructor, it is important to encourage and monitor communication during the course.
Rubrics help both teacher and student know what expectations are and fairly assess whether or not those expectations have been met.
In addition to providing a rubric for online communication within our community, I think I will have to actually teach this skill, using one of our earliest units, and building a model discussion with students over the course of a few days. This would at first be ungraded until students know what I expect, then with the (now familiar) rubric.
Guidelines create a structure for the student and instructor to follow. In order to measure how the student is communicating, a rubric should be used to provide the expectations of their online discussions. The teacher becomes the Guide on the Side as students create a community where communication and collaboration exist together so that students develop strong relationships with each other and can share/discuss openly in these forums.
"Effective online facilitation should engage, guide, and motivate learners, and provide a safe and conducive environment for learning." I couldn't agree with this statement more. This statement is the challenge of e-learning! We want the space to be a safe space, that will motivate and guide our learners. This section also really brought home the importance of using a rubric to share guidelines and expectations and then to provide feedback with evaluation.
Communication guidelines should be discussed so that students take responsibility for learning. Ultimate goal for online programs should be to facilitate learning while building community.
It is critical to have guidelines/rules for any online group. Students must understand what is expected of them and what types of behaviors are discouraged or prohibited. An expectations statement offers a set of rules and regulations which serves as the value statement. The value statement should be clearly communicated within the community through the syllabus or handbook and subtly through modeling, and using discussion board moderation. Also learned that rubrics provides consistency when grading/rating assignments. Students will have a clear understanding of how their work will be graded and then can choose how to perform.
I will be taking advantage of Rubistar for developing by online rubrics!
A rubric is an effective tool. It ensures and guides students through their performance in an assessment or project.
