Best Practices in Online Teaching

and Learning

BEST PRACTICES IN ONLINE TEACHING AND LEARNING

THURSDAY, MARCH 19, - 2:00-3:00 p.m.

BEST PRACTICES IN ONLINE LEARNING (OPTIONAL) -- THURSDAY, MARCH 19- 2:00-3:00 p.m. EST - Dr. Helen Bond, Associate Professor in Department of Curriculum and Teaching, School of Education

Q&A AFTERWARDS This training is designed to help faculty maintain high instructional continuity, while finishing the

semester strong. We will begin with best practices on how to work effectively with students online and how to achieve teaching and learning outcomes in the online classroom. Faculty will be introduced to the review standards from the Quality Matters (QM) Higher Education (HE) Rubric.

Meeting ID: 684 181 273 One tap mobile: +16465588656, ,684181273# US (New York)

+13126266799, 684181273# US (Chicago)

Begin by Taking Stock

Review your syllabus. What

have I done so far in the semester and what else needs to

be done?

Set students up for success by orienting them to their

new “classroom” – this may include collecting links for technology help, setting communication policies,

drafting an explanation of what's different, and revising

the schedule.

Address the key questions students

might have and help allay any immediate

concerns in moving to remote instruction.

Basics To Do:

1. Post a weekly announcement to provide an overview of the coming week’s topic or a recap of the previous week’s work.

2. Respond to questions posted in an online question-and-answer discussion forum.

3. Hold online office hours.4. Post a quick video to clarify misconceptions about a class topic or

assignment.5. Grade and return students’ work in a timely fashion.6. Interact with students in online discussions.

Address Communication and InteractionExpectations: Post this under INFORMATION in Blackboard

1. Explain to students how they should contact you (email, via online office hours, through the LMS, etc.)

2. How often they should log into the class site. (Best practices suggest that students should log into class at least 4-5 times a week.)

3. Suggest guidelines for communicating with peers (e.g., professional communication, “Netiquette”, etc.).

4. Tell students when they will receive an answer to an emailed question (e.g., 24 hours, 48 hours, etc.)

Netiquette Guidelines Every Online Student Needs to Know

1. NO YELLING, PLEASE: IN MOST SITUATIONS TYPING IN ALL CAPS IS INAPPROPRIATE. Most readers tend to perceive it as shouting.

2. There is a Real Person Behind the Screen: Remember that there is a person behind the written post, who has feelings and can be hurt by what and how you interact with him or her. It is easier to say something online when you do not have to look the person in the eye, so never post anything that you would not say to the person face-to-face.

3. Respect other people’s time and bandwidth a) Take time to understand the requirements of the discussion. b) Do not waste people’s time by asking questions that are not relevant to the discussion or questions whose answers can be readily

be found in the course with a little effort. c) Refrain from disagreements that lead to personal attacks.

4. Make yourself look good online: a) Take time to check your spelling and grammar. b) Refrain from inappropriate language and remarks.

Require students to update their email addresses in Blackboard

MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT IN BLACKBOARD! Dear Students, Important! Please update your email address in Blackboard. You can do this by accessing

Personal Information in the Tools panel on the My Institution tab. Instructions on how to update your password in Blackboard: Click on the My Institutions Tab Click on > Personal Information Click on > Edit Personal Information Update your email address. Click Submit.

P. S. Respond to me at the following (email address) when you receive this email. Thank you.

Organize Course Contentin Weekly Folders

Students should be able to find the instructions and materials that they need.

Organize your content in weekly folders or some other organizational format.

Put the required work (readings, discussion board, assignments and directions required in each of those folders.

Common Discussion Board Rules For Students

1. Read all other comments before posting. Students should contribute by adding to the discussion, not by repeating in their own words what others have already posted.

2. Be credible. Do not mislead other students by providing information that might not be accurate. If your response is a guess, state that clearly. Be sure to give credit where it is due by citing sources, providing links, or crediting the ideas of other classmates.

3. Respect diversity. Online courses bring students together from all over the world. Recognize that others may have different cultural backgrounds and skill levels with writing in English.

Feedback

Explain to students how they will receive grades, how to view grades online, etc.

Depending on how long you will be remote teaching, you may want to set up an online gradebook so that students can determine their current course grade as well.

Let students know immediately if there are changes to due dates/times for assignments.

Provide lower stakes, formative assessments

In the online environment, much of your interaction with learners can be through robust and timely feedback.

Additionally, when teaching at a distance, it may be crucial to provide lower stakes, formative assessments so both you and your students can proactively address any confusion before higher stakes assessments, like final exams.

The use of smaller, formative assessments, like quizzes or discussions, can replace some of the planned in-class interaction and can also give you timely insights into how students are learning.

Decide what you’re going to do about any high-stakes assessments, particularly exams.

There are no easy answers here, especially if you planned to have a good chunk of a student’s grade hinge on what would have been a proctored, in-person test.

Perhaps you could take another route, such as replacing a supervised test with some type of project that is easier to personalize and less dependent on proctoring.

SafeAssign!

SafeAssign: Check submitted assignments for originality.

Use SafeAssign in Your Assignments Access a content area, click on the Assessments

button and select Assignment.

On the Create Assignment page, expand Submission Details.

Select Check submissions for plagiarism using SafeAssign.

Optionally, select one or both options: ...

Complete the Create Assignment page.

Learn More: https://help.blackboard.com/SafeAssign/Student

Specific Review Standards from the QMThe Higher Ed Rubric is intended for use with

courses that are delivered fully online or have a significant online component (hybrid and blended courses).

QUALITY MATTERS:

QM HE Rubric

The Eight General Standards of This Rubric Are

Course Overview and Introduction Learning Objectives (Competencies) Assessment and Measurement Instructional Materials Learning Activities and Learner

Interaction Course Technology Learner Support Accessibility and Usability*

The QM Standards have been examined for consistency with the conclusions of the educational research literature regarding factors that improve student learning and retention rates, as well as activities that increase learning and engagement.

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Access CETLA’S Resources!

Website: http://www.cetla.howard.eduEmail: cetla@howard.eduPhone: 202-806-0870

BLACKBOARD VIDEOS CETLA’s Website

BLACKBOARD VIDEOSYou can find 3-5 minute videos to help you

learn or review specific Blackboard skills. http://www.cetla.howard.edu/teaching_reso

urces/blackboard/bb8_tutorials.html

OFFICE HOURS Monday - Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST

Friday - 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST.

COLLOBORATE ULTRA AND BLACKBOARD GRADE CENTER (OPTIONAL) – FRIDAY, MARCH 20

– 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Mr. Carl Brown, M.Ed., Ed.S., Director of Academic Support Services, Howard University College of Dentistry

This optional training will take place over Zoom and is designed to help faculty use Blackboard Grade Center and conduct real-time lectures using Blackboard Collaborate Ultra.

Join Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/841384396

Meeting ID: 841 384 396

One tap mobile

+13126266799,,841384396# US (Chicago)

+16465588656,,841384396# US (New York)

Thank you!