DE Oracle @ UMUC

Constructing and Managing Courses that Incorporate the "Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education"

Phyllis Medina

Faculty - Okinawa Area

UMUC Asian Division

Published: July-August 2005

Category: » Online-pedagogy » Classroom-management

Working within the online classroom requires students to feel confident about their learning environment.  I continually strive to instill confidence in my students by constructing and managing courses that incorporate Chickering and Gamson (1991)"Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education." 

• Encourage student-faculty contact,
• Encourage reciprocity and cooperation among students,
• Communicate high expectations,
• Emphasize time on task,
• Provide prompt feedback,
• Encourage active learning, and
• Respect diverse talents and ways of learning.

The following outline shares the "building standards" I utilize when constructing my online classrooms.

Breaking Ground

Encouraging Student-Faculty Contact

Success begins early: Contact students via e-mail, one week prior to enrollment closing. At this time 

• welcome students,
• provide textbook and technical support information,
• remind students to complete the enrollment process, and
• encourage students to e-mail if they have concerns or questions.

This initial contact opens a dialog between students and yourself.  Maintain the connectivity by e-mailing students one week before class begins.  At this time

• remind students when class begins, and
• express you're availability to field questions

Continued vigilance:  Students succeed when you make your presence known.

• Motivate students by participating in online discussions. I participate in two ways:
  
  1. as instructor— facilitating discussion, clarifying misunderstood concepts, and fielding questions
  2. as a co-learner—students thrive when I collaborate

• Monitor class participation. I periodically view student portfolios.  During Weeks 8 and 15 I post participation grades. Posting mid-term grades makes students conscientious of their participation. 

Encouraging Reciprocity and Cooperation Among Students

An online learning community is a living, dynamic force in which students come together to exchange thoughts, ideas, resources, and social support.  When establishing a sense of community online, encouraging student-to-student feedback is a must! 

Establishing Community:    

• Icebreakers
• Conferences (addressed under Laying the Foundation).

During Week 1, students and I participate in a Read/Write style conference entitled: "Getting to Know Each Other: Building a Sense of Community."  The conference demonstrates to students what they have in common, where they are different, and eases initial apprehensions about communicating online.  Within the conference, students and I introduce ourselves.  The one requirement is that we each share about four topics self-selected from a list of 13.  Topics range from "Favorite movie" to "What is your greatest concern about online classes?"

Why do I use a topic list? The list serves two purposes.  First, it creates focus. Second, students may not wish to divulge personal information regarding place of birth, employment history, etc.  The topics offered protect students' rights to privacy while establishing a common playing ground.

Laying the Foundation

• Communicate High Expectations
• Emphasize Time on Task
• Provide Prompt Feedback

The Syllabus:  Clearly communicate your expectations of students including:  learning outcomes, assignments, activities, due dates, grading scales, class policies, and UMUC policies. 

Assignments:  Provide structure and clearly communicate your expectations.  I set due dates, but not lockout dates for assignments. I accept late assignments, but do not advertise this fact. I make available all homework and paper assignments, but I do not post exams or conferences until the assigned week. I apply these policies because the population I serve requires flexibility (many deployed military personnel). 

Access:Offer alternatives, allowing students to successfully meet course requirements. Students with connectivity issues tend to withdraw or request extensions. I offset this by a) basing homework and exams on course assigned textbooks, and b) allowing students—when course appropriate—to present a 5-page psychological analysis of a movie in substitution for the traditional research paper.

Feedback:  Timely feedback reinforces good study habits.

• Assignments—be consistent.
• Conferences and E-mail—Answer questions within 48-hours.

Structuring the Course

• Encouraging Active Learning
• Respecting Diverse Talents and Ways of Learning

Announcements: Submit weekly announcements.  Students are looking for guidance.  Each week I introduce the week's topic and post class progress reports.

Course Content:  Post important materials for easy access.  I post class rules, quizzes, and project instructions.

Conferences:  My courses are based on a weekly schedule.  You may prefer a modularized schedule. 

Main Topics:  Each week I post 4-5 Main Topics and use the same prefixes each week. This practice creates continuity.

• "Summary of Activities for Week …"
  • Students like checklists outlining weekly outcomes.
• "Supplemental Materials"
  • Chapter outlines, internet links, etc
• "Discussion Topic: …"
  • A well-guided, open-ended topic works well.  (For example, my Introductory Psychology students enjoy debating the virtues of Freud's work.)  Such topics feed enthusiasm and allow for an ongoing dialog.
  • Set response minimums.  Within my classes, students respond to discussion topics in 5+ sentences.  They are also required to respond (in 3+ sentences) to one classmate's entry.  These requirements alleviate the classic "I agree with everyone else" entry.
• "Activity to Post:…"
  • It's not all about dialog.  Offer opportunities for sharing research experiences.  My students enjoy "Class Contributions to Learning" activities.  Here students research an assigned, or self-selected, topic (depending on my whims) and post their findings in the classroom.  This activity takes students beyond the textbook, highlighting current issues.
• "Class Café"
  • Offer students a space to chat and field each other's questions—reinforcing a sense of community.

Design considerations: Students are diverse.  Therefore, seek out technology and pedagogical techniques that improve your students' online experiences and learning outcomes.

•  Audio:  Offer sound bites from newscasts, historical speeches, etc.
• Visual:  Provide links to relevant images or video. 
• Hands-on:  Incorporate activities requiring practical experience with course materials.
   
  • Interactive web sites offer fun ways to explore topics otherwise considered a bit dry.
  • Fieldwork requires students to step away from the computer and encourages critical thinking.  For example, my students enjoy discovering where on their tongues they are sensitive to various tastes (salty, sweet, etc.).

Closing Thoughts

The above suggestions reflect the building standards I use.  Over time, I have also developed several tricks that make life easier when classes are running full-throttle (e.g., using AutoCorrect to insert frequently used phrases when I am grading papers).  I do not exhaust myself responding to every conference entry.  Simply being consistent in how often I participate motivates students.  Therefore, keep in mind as you develop a new course—it's work, but it is fun work. Your student's success and enthusiasm will keep you coming back for more. 

References

Chickering, A. W., and Gamson, Z. F. (1991), Applying the Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 47. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.