Overview
Communication with students is a key part of Managing Your Online Course; this post has email and announcement templates and examples to aid with that communication.
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Effective Communication in Online Courses
Overview
Asynchronous communication in online courses takes place via a variety of tools, such as announcements, rubrics, email, discussions, audio feedback, video feedback, etc. The learning benefits of regular communication with students in an online course are often overlooked by faculty. Effective and regular messaging is essential for an inclusive, motivated and engaged learning community. This post reviews guidelines for communicating with your students online.
Continue readingSpecifications Grading: A Method to Improve Student Performance
Overview
Are you looking to increase student motivation and the quality of their academic work? If yes, consider specifications grading. According to Linda B. Nilson, Ph.D., the traditional higher education grading method is broken and specifications grading offers a solution with benefits for both students and faculty. Nilson published her seminal work, Specifications Grading: Restoring Rigor, Motivating Students and Saving Faculty Time, in 2015. Since then, faculty have adopted her method, including some at UConn.
Continue readingAn Overview of VoiceThread
Overview
VoiceThread is an asynchronous discussion and presentation tool that is integrated into HuskyCT (Blackboard). A VoiceThread is a collaborative multimedia slide-based presentation that can include materials such as PowerPoint slides, images, documents, videos, audio files, and other audio-visual content. Users can engage with the content and each other using video-, audio-, and text-based interactions. Online instructors can leverage VoiceThread to create asynchronous discussions, deliver interactive lectures, or facilitate group projects. Its flexibility supports diverse learning styles and encourages participation, making it an ideal tool for building community in online courses.
Continue readingAuthentication of Students in Online Courses
Overview
The purpose of this article is to guide the University community as faculty seek methods of verifying student identity in distance learning and online courses. These guidelines were designed to meet NECHE accreditation standard 4.48 and federal requirements under Sec. 602.17(g)of the Higher Education Act of 1965. Additionally, these guidelines are designed to meet Department of Homeland Security requirements for international students in online and remote learning environments.
Promoting Student Engagement in Your Online Course
Overview
Student engagement is essential to effective teaching, but it can feel more elusive in online environments. Instructors often wonder how to foster interaction, ensure students engage with course materials and build a vibrant learning community. This article provides practical, actionable strategies for increasing student engagement in online course modalities.
An Overview of Perusall
Overview
Perusall is a free “social annotation” tool that helps students engage with course material in class groups. When integrated with HuskyCT, instructors can create reading or viewing assignments in which students create & share their own annotations and respond to each other’s comments and questions. Perusall informs instructors of the concepts that generate the most student questions & discussion, and Perusall can assist instructors score assignments quickly and efficiently. Perusall also reminds students of incomplete assignments, prompting higher rates of completion and preparedness.
Continue readingSyllabus Template for Online Courses
Overview
eCampus offers a syllabus template for instructors teaching online, which meets accessibility requirements for online courses. This article describes how to download and use the template to create your syllabus.
Continue readingWriting Effective Multiple Choice Questions
Overview
This article provides guidelines for constructing multiple choice assessment questions. While multiple choice questions can be used to measure a number of different learning outcomes, the validity of these assessments is greatly influenced by how well the questions are constructed. Use this guide to write multiple choice questions for both lower and higher level learning outcomes.
Continue readingCommunication with Online Students Prior to Classes
Overview
To prepare online enrolled students for success, eCampus provides them with information prior to the start date of classes.