
It is important for the instructor to be the guide for the course, however give other students an opportunity to comment first. I will implement this going forward.
Rubrics allow for more consistency in grading and help the students understand expectations
Participation in the communication is enhance by the instructor having clear guidelines for participating. Instructions must be clear but not too rigid, It must also allows for socialization if it involved discussions between their peers. Central to the tasks it must be on cue and less digress from the topic at hand. The use of rubic allows for continuity in grading process.
As an instructor we are tasked with the responsibility of monitoring, guiding and motivation student participation and community involvement.
It's important to use rubics to grade outcomes utlizing a scale approach. Rubics are not used for better communication.
Students responding with clear and thought out responses prove to have a great grasp about the class and what they are learning.
Communication and collaboration are essential elements in an online course to create a sense of community.
Establishing and promoting Community Values. The two components to establishing a successful online Community: Communication and Collaboration.
A Code of Conduct and modeling should be utilized to shape online communication and interaction
I found the use of rubrics to evaluate discussions very useful. Currently we have a rubric that evaluates students knowledge of the topic, critical thinking skills, and grammar...however it is missing the piece on netiquette. I currently have a student who is very rude and unprofessional in her tone in discussions. I think setting the tone in the beginning of the course "code of conduct" and have this reflected into the rubric would help redirect students with this behavior.
Netiquette is a delicate subject and difficult thing to implement with a strong-worded student. Some students treat their online courses like a social media wall and have absolutely no problems 'blasting' their peers when they 'disagree' or even 'agree' with their posts. I've had to play online referee several times, and it was not fun!
I learned that Rubrics are necessary to communicate to students the course assessment criteria and aid myself as the instructor in being consistent in the way a course is being assessed.
Having and using a Rubric allows instructors to analyze and be consistent in grading assignments. It also allows students to refer to it to ensure they submit the assignment that meets the requirements as detailed in the Rubric.
I enjoyed learning about how to engage students and set up expectations for discussions. They're always so daunting, but the steps provided in this module are encouraging. Being able to engage students and have them actively pursue their own learning is so important, and these are great methods for doing so in online courses.
The online instructor must work to guide the responsiveness of students. Giving prompt, constructive feedback is essential to keeping the students engaged and to help prevent the simplistic response to discussion posts.
The use of rubrics for communication. The need to refrain from posting immediate answers to the discussion boards and stating immediately if something is right or wrong but share ideas and opinions.
Communication, collaboration, organization and the use of the rubric will help the students feel that they are a part of an online community where they can engage with one another and be successful at reaching their goals.
It is important to be consistent, promote class discussions and student learning from each other.