Thanks Gary! 

I like your idea of a specific document that addresses grades, a major issue for students. No doubt that gets their attention.

A technique I use early in the class is to include an "action item" in my welcome announcement. The action item asks them to acknowledge they've read the announcement AND that they've looked at the "Classroom Policies and Course Guidelines" doc. (I also include the Classroom Policies doc in Instructor Add-Ons.)

Then I post a reminder in the Discussion Forum (for both DQs) to increase the chances they'll read the welcome announcement. 

I try to be very specific and to over-communicate, especially in the first few days of class.

Thoughts, colleagues?

Taylor 

Colleagues,

Excellent points that I am reading and I echo many of them. One item that has worked for me is to provide consistent, extremely-detailed feedback to all students. I do this in many ways regularly through weekly announcements, discussion board posts, and assignment feedback. I use Microsoft Track Changes to reinforce the expectations of APA, content, grammatical issues, and overall organization to a paper. 

Do any of you find yourself doing different things when it comes to adult students?

HI Taylor and Colleagues-

First, thank you for an excellent webinar!  One way that has truly provided a great springboard for me is to be very proactive with Student Reinforcement and Expectations. While grading timely is a large part of this, I find making the personal connection with each student in their "Individual Forum" also makes a great difference in inviting them to truly be part of the learning experience. This creates a strong mechanism for them to be part of the accountability team in owning the great work that they do.  Proud to be part of GCU!  :))

Thanks Betsy and Gina!

I agree with Betsy that detailed feedback is important and means a lot to students. I sometimes hear from them that feedback is lacking in some of their classes, so it makes an impression.  Regarding doing things different with adult students, I'll try to think of some specifics. But the principles around reinforcing expectations are the same for sure. 

And I love Gina's point about connecting in the Individual Forum. The more personal we make our classes the better.

Other thoughts?

Taylor

Hello all!

With traditional fall classes about to start, I'm reminded of a habit I picked up from a respected colleague a few years ago, When she started a class she made sure the students were aware of her background and understood that she brought real expertise to the classroom. And she made sure to use personal stories when she talked of her past teaching and professional achievements. (As educators, we know the power of stories, and that the more personal the story the more memorable and effective it is.)

I mention this in our discussion of reinforcing expectations because students want /need to know of our experience and qualifications. Sometimes we assume that the teacher-student relationship carries all the authority we need, but it's important to explain how our background adds to their experience.  

And I think this applies equally in the online classroom. I try to get these points across both in my Class Wall intro and in the first few discussion questions.

Thoughts?

Taylor

Hello colleagues,

Let's talk about the Class Wall for a moment. In your experience, what is the key to making the most of your interactions on the Class Wall? And how can we help students get engaged in a discussion there? (I think a positive exchange on the Class Wall  can set the tone for providing clear expectations.)

Taylor

Hello GCU colleagues,

Do you have unique documents you've created to help set expectations? I'll share something I've used for a few years; it's Page 2 of my Classroom Policies document, and at the beginning of each course I ask students to specifically affirm that they've read it. For whatever it's worth, most students seem to appreciate the clarity. See attachment.

Taylor

Hello Colleagues!

Thank you for all these outstanding comments, thoughts, and ideas.  As a new GCU adjunct faculty member transitioning  from the world of elementary students, I certainly appreciate them.  All your suggestions are welcome.  I am thrilled to be a part of the GCU community! 

Debbie

Thanks for all the great tips everyone! This discussion has been quite helpful....

Taylor, I particularly appreciate you're sharing the second page of your welcome announcement. I would like to borrow parts of it to include in my own announcement if you don't mind?

Your announcement speaks succinctly to two of my "pet peeves" - papers that do not answer the questions and papers that are difficult to read because they are written as one solid block of text. I personally address the block text issue in the DQ's with my students quite often as it has been a consistent problem as well.

Thanks again!

Hi Wanda,

Could you provide a bit more info on the Zoom conferences that you schedule?....I absolutely agree that many adult learners particularly are more visual than auditory so I would like to incorporate these into my classes as well.

Thanks!

Hi All,

Taylor, you asked ". . . what is the key to making the most of your interactions on the Class Wall?" which is a great question. As part of GCU Policies and Procedures in setting up Online classes each faculty member posts a brief bio to help introduce himself/herself to the students, but I am not always sure how much attention students pay to what is presented. I have found it beneficial to find a point of reference between the student's bio and my own life/life experience. The connection could be a  sporting activity the student enjoys, a movie, a type of music, where they are from, someplace they have visited, or an interest they have. I then personalize my response to their bio by linking my life/experiences to those they mention. This acts as a bridge in establishing a relationship between a virtual instructor and the student.

Many have mentioned the need to provide students with a solid understanding of what is required in the class and of providing helps for successful completion of writing assignments, as well as the other aspects of the classroom. I would like to add two things I do to the excellent suggestions already mentioned. I have developed a FAQ's post that explains how GCU Classroom Policies are applied in specific situations in the classroom - such as earning participation points, earning points on DQ's, late assignment submission, and so forth. I have also developed a Writing Helps document with some basic suggestions in academic writing and links to websites/youtube videos that explain and demonstrate APA citation methods, formatting, and so forth. I place both of these documents in the Course Syllabus, attached a link at the bottom of the Welcome Announcement, and email each student a "Welcome to Class" with links to the documents at bottom of the email.

I think these practices establish rapport with the individual students, lets them know what is required in the classroom, and communicates that the instructor cares about them individually and their success in the classroom.

Blessings,

Ron S.

Hi Taylor,

For specific assignments, I like to outline how the assignment can be written using the 5 paragraph essay format (which can be expanded), based on the rubric requirements.  While the students still have to do the research and writing, many students print out my weekly announcement on the assignment and use it as a guide. 

I will use CATs to assess and student learning issues and update my instructions based on student answers.

Gary

Thanks all for the excellent contributions. I'll address a few of your comments:

• Jacqueline - I agree that students don't seem to read the Class Wall thoroughly, and thus don't know much about us. I try to reinforce my background/expertise/experience in my DQ comments. (And I'll check on your question about posting a voice thread.) 
• Gary - That's a good idea regarding the 5-paragraph method for writing an essay. Students (especially undergrads) appreciate clarity and structure.
• Ron - Love the idea of FAQs and a "Writing Helps" document. I also post an announcement for every assignment reinforcing the key elements and FAQs of the paper/project. 
• Roseanne - We have two of the same pet peeves!  1. Papers that don't answer the question.  2. Huge chunks of text with no paragraphs. Great minds think alike! I'll address those in a separate post. (And yes, feel free to borrow from the "Page 2" document I shared.)

Have a great day all!

Taylor 

Rob makes a great point about having influence beyond the typical teacher-student experience. I like his idea about being proactive in emphasizing and encouraging mentorship. Reaching out like this helps faculty set GCU apart. Nice post!

Taylor

Roseanne posted a comment about an issue I see a lot. Students failing to answer the question(s) in an assignment. We (as faculty) should make our expectations clear about what we are looking for in papers/projects. And since we didn't write the assignments, starting with specifically addressing what's assigned is critical. 

In the first session of every class (and in my Classroom Policies doc when I'm teaching online) I make this is a point of emphasis. I ask students if they can name the most common mistake students make make on assignments. Then I give them some time to ponder the answer. Their guesses include APA mistakes, citation errors and spelling, etc.  Then I tell them that the biggest mistake students make is…… NOT ANSWERING THE QUESTION.  This usually leads to a good discussion on WHY that happens. It’s usually a productive exchange and the results (the quality of their papers) improve I believe. Easier done in person than online, but useful nonetheless.  Thoughts?

Taylor 

Hi Taylor,

I really like to use a /CAT but make it applicable to the student's work situations or future expectations. Like this week, we are focusing on role stressors and expectations. This causes a great deal of reflection and contemplation. The students really relate to real life experiences and can give you wonderful personal takes. Great question Larry.

Hello all,

Following up on Roseanne's question about placing a "voice thread" on the Class Wall....  faculty can create an intro video and house it on YouTube. They can then reference the link on the Class Wall or in the Discussion Forum. 

Colleagues, what are some other ways you share video/audio content with students? I know some of you have found creative ways to personalize your interactions with videos.

Taylor

Roseanne asked about ways to communicate with online students about "answering the question" on papers and assignments. (More specifically I was talking about how the most consistent problem I encounter on papers is that students fail to answer the question or fully address the assignment.) 

I've had success discussing this in my early announcements (and asking for a reply that they've read the announcement) as well as mentioning it in DQs. Because we can't be sure that students read announcements, I often reinforce key messages in the Discussion Forum, often with a post that has clear and distinct heading, such as: PLEASE READ THIS POST REGARDING _______. 

I hope that helps!

Taylor 

Hello Colleagues:

When I start a class I enter all the data GCU requires for the class, such as the Welcome announcements, GCU policies, etc. I also have several announcements which I explain what is required for the student. I place these in the course announcements area and I place them in the Question to Instructor Forum area to spur student conversation if they have a question about an assignment, process, or topic within the course:

• Weekly online discussions
• Weekly assignments
• APA Writing format and APA citations
• Course assignments
• Prayer forums within the
• Team assignments
• Student Peer evaluations
• How to assess/evaluate your fellow peer within your team
• Applying bloom's taxonomy, the difference between higher order thinking skills and lowers order thinking skills

The purpose of my announcements is to provide an explanation for my students based on my expectations.

In Christ!

Joseph

Thanks for the comment Joseph!  I agree that placing info in several locations can be helpful to students. Keep up the great work.

Taylor

Hello Taylor:

Are there directions how to perform voice overs for your online classes at GCU?

Best regards,

Joseph

Hi Joseph,

You can use ZOOM. CIRT holds several tutorials on how to use it. Just act as if you are holding a meeting with yourself. Aim the camera at a dark surface or yourself, depending the purpose. You can share your screen, a particular document, a whiteboard, or nothing. When done, if you recorded it, the "meeting" will convert to a .mp4. You can then, as Taylor suggested, upload to YouTube. Alternatively, you directly upload it to LoudCloud. (I know that this works as an Instructor Add-On). If the file is too large, try zipping (i.e., compressing it). If the file is still too large, you might have to use YouTube. I'm not sure of the maximum file size.

Jeff

Thank you Jeff!

My only concern, since the course is only 8 weeks in length, can you use the material for another similar class? The courses I primarily teach are MGT 660 - Strategic Management, MGT 605 - Organizational Behavior, and BUS 485 - Undergraduate Strategic Management course.

Best regards,

Joseph

Hi Joseph,

Great question! If the content is general enough to be relevant to both classes then I don't see why not. In my case, I use short videos to quickly cover weekly assignments (e.g., provide clarification on directions, use fictional examples). It only takes about 20 minutes to do this after knowing what is expected for the week. I used to record ZOOM office hours and provide links to that using DropBox but pre-recording is much faster and permits me to focus on specific issues rather than just the random questions that might come up during office hours. For that, I would definitely need new videos for each course. Pre-recording means that I "might" be able to recycle them provided that there isn't a major change to a future course syllabus. But if I do have to make new ones, it isn't a huge time-sink. The learning curve is getting used to recording with ZOOM and uploading unlisted videos to YouTube.

Thanks,

Jeff

Thank you Jeff!

Best regards,

Joseph