Faculty Expectations
One important element is to request that students be vigilant about checking for announcements pertaining to the next class session. I ask them to check 48 hours before the class session, to see if any items have been added, deleted, or adjusted from the course syllabus.
Often, due to holidays and the pace of a particular class, the course syllabus is modified throughout the term... by checking on announcements the class participants can keep pace and avoid feeling like the instructor has "surprised them" by adding or deleting class content.
This is a very important one. Sometimes online students don't recognize their responsibility to read class updates. This is most certainly an excellent heads up for the students.
Do you have a recommended frequency for the students to repeat the 'check-in' within your classes?
Dr. V,
I think posting a faculty expectation is one of the most important items to the success of either an on-line or on-ground course. Clear expectations are the basis of clear and accurate communications between faculty and students, which in turn leads to an enriching course with higher learning outcomes.
Important elements are how and when the facilitator wishes the students to communicate, expectations and evaluations methods, and deadlines for assignments. These should be followed up with weekly "newsletters" or emails from the instructor, detailing the deliverables to close the current week and listing the expectations for the coming week. This keeps the group - faculty and students - current with expectations and on track for a succesful completion of course requirements.
Just my thoughts.
John F.
John,
Your statements are 'spot on' for all points. Communicating clear expectations can significantly ehnance so-so curriculum, and vice versa. The follow through you identify is excellent. One step further...In your experience,what is the best proactive way to determine the expectations are clear?
Dr. V,
In my experience, the best measures for determining if the facilitator and course expectations are clear are, the number of questions raised by the class, the measurment of the learning outcomes against a standard (historical, perhaps), and tracking student progress through later courses to determine if they learned the necesssary prerequisites.
I track my fundamentals of math students through their upper division math course and evaluate their grades in the higher level course to determine if my teaching methods are correct and students are realizing the objectives in my fundamentals course.
Thanks,
John F.
Excellent, John.
Long term planning and monitoring of instructional behaviors and their impact on student outcome attainment. Thank you.
Hello Dr.V
Faculty Expectations helps the students to know
1.Course overview and available course materials
2.Research expectation
3.Discussion Board (requirements, deadlines,and late policies)
4.Individual Projects and Group Projects Guidelines
5.Type of assignments
6.Due dates and late policies
7.Grading Criteria and Grading Rubric
8.Student Code of Contact
9.Academic Honesty Policies
I hope making the students to understand the minimum expectations of the course at the begining of the class will help them to have a smooth flow.
Hello Dr.V
Faculty Expectations helps the students to know
1.Course overview and available course materials
2.Research expectation
3.Discussion Board (requirements, deadlines,and late policies)
4.Individual Projects and Group Projects Guidelines
5.Type of assignments
6.Due dates and late policies
7.Grading Criteria and Grading Rubric
8.Student Code of Contact
9.Academic Honesty Policies
I hope making the students to understand the minimum expectations of the course at the begining of the class will help them to have a smooth flow.
Mohan,
These are excellent overall expectations. Including late policies and parameters for consequences of unmet expectations is a key component feature.
Food for thought:
What are some appropriate, specific consequences for individual unmet expectations? (e.g.lack of participation in group work, missing deadlines repeatedly, etc.)
Dr. Vaillancourt,
I think we can all agree that it is important to post these expectations. The difficult part is ensuring that students read and understand them. I have a colleague that embeds a comment into the expectation list that tells the students to send an acknowledgment email to him. If they send the email the students get bonus points added to their overall score.
I have not tried this yet. What do you think of this idea to get the students to actually read the expectations list which can be long and daunting?
Steve Gaa
Steve,
I have seen several instructors us the "acknowledgement approach" and have stuck with it because it works for them. The positive recognition of the student is very powerful for many - catching them doing something right! It is a good idea, when implemented with care.
I would be careful in the assignment of 'extra points' to be sure you follow the institution's policies. Reinforcing ppositive behavior is good, but if it impacts the grade indicating a student's academic performance is more than it actually is there could be a problem.
Also, many LMSs provide the option for 'pop up' of new announcements. Many online instructors leverage this option to get a higher read rate.
Craetivity is a strong ally to any teacher. Check with instructors at your institution to see if there are other remedies implemented within that system.
I take every effort to reach the student who is staying behind, to remind him/her to be on task. This includes discussion posts,emails, phone call, and text messages to remind the due dates of the assignments and the penalties for the late assignments. From the past experience 90% of the students somewhat reached their deadlines. After all our effort, if a student is not willing to meet the institution's expectation, then we need to strictly enforce the grading and other policies mentioned in the syllabus.
Mohan,
Your approach is excellent! The students must be able to count on us to enforce policy in a fair and equitable manner. Setting those expectations up front is critical. Encouragement and reminders are very helpful to many students. Follow through on policy confirms integrity and a secure learning environment. Therefore, policy should be written to provide for exceptions when they are warranted. Very good points, Mohan.
This is an important topic for me. I find that articulating expectations at the beginning of the course and throughout the course in various manners really sets the stage for the students. I go over the syllabus on the very first day, even if no one is attending the CHAT session. I then follow the chat session up with a post in the announcements regarding the recorded CHAT and the key take always (IE: meeting key time lines, OV score requirements and repurposing, communication expectations and Discussion Board posting requirements.) I then send an e-mail to all of the students copying and pasting the Announcement to ensure I get 100 % of my student audience.
Each time I have a CHAT session, I go over at least three assignments ahead, and discuss specific deliverable expectations and grading rubrics. I find this to increase my CHAT participation rate because the students understand that their perception of what needs to be accomplished to be successful, may not match up with what I articulated in the CHAT session. I provide feedback in the grade that reminds each student to attend or review each chat session to get a better understanding of what is expected. If there are still questions, they can contact me.
Dr. M
I feel in setting faculty and course expectations you need to include that the instructor has an obligation to the student to facilitate setting academic, personal and professional goals and to provide an atmosphere that encourages professional preparedness and growth. The instructor needs to address the student as an individual and provide a nurturing and supportive environment that fosters self-esteem and confidence. Also, to provide an environment that maximizes learning by interacting with both the instructors and their peers. Most of all keep the course work challenging and exciting so they can't wait to see what's next!
Dr. M,
These are great examples of effectively using the LMS chat feature to set online classroom expectations. Setting the expectations up front and consistently reinforcing them at appropriate times, though various access means (posted announcements, email, live chat, recorded chat, feedback in the grade) is a very comprehensive approach. Nice job!
Donna,
The philisophical approach you identify is well aligned with pedagogical theory and much research. Well stated!
Please share any specific goals, activities and/or statements that you use (and have found work particularly well) to implement this approach in your online classroom.
Dr. V,
Communicating clear expectations regarding deadlines, proper formatting, participation in class, just to name a few. Posting attendance policy in the news forum as well as the grading rubric allows the student to take responsibility of his or her actions. We all know that students do not always read the syllabus. Reminding the student in your lectures and correspondence of upcoming events and due dates. Sending personal emails or a friendly phone call at the beginning of the term welcoming students gives a personalized feel to the online environment. Most important, is setting boundaries and making sure the student understands those boundaries (policies) and being aware of the consequences of stepping outside those boundaries. I accomplish this by sending a group email to my students, stating (whatever the issue may be) e.g. no late assignments will be accepted past the deadline on (date). No exceptions. Sticking to your policies is a must. It can be difficult communicating with the online student when there is no face to face contact and reaching them via telephone is not always an option, so setting clear expectations at the very beginning is paramount to a successful term for both the student and the instructor.
Donna,
Your procedure and rationale are clearly well thought out and very sound. I expect you have a high level of student success with this approach, as well as high performing graduates. Your statement of "Sticking to your policies is a must" indicates a high level of integrity being modeled for the students, which is an important component in creating an outstanding learning environment.
While I may agree with your 'no exceptions' approach for most classes and situations, there may be circumstances where teachers are required to build flexibility into their deadlines because of institutional policy. Nevertheless, even when flexibility is required as part of the policy, the firm establishment of clear expectations is an essential cornerstone for any effective educational setting.
Faculty Expectations is a crucial element to set the student up for success. In my Expectation Announcement I discuss the importance of READING everything; especially my posts to other students AND the question threads. Often times they learn additional points to the topic as well as obtain vital information from their peers questions (often times they were wondering the same thing but were afraid to ask).
In addition, I facilitate for a college that requires online live & recorded lectures. The very first lecture I go over my expectations regarding reading all material, disccussion forum requirements must be substansive and on topic, late policy, and assignment expectations.
By doing this twice (in the Announcements & lecture) my hope is that they will heed my warnings to maximize their points and enhance their overall learning experience.
