Assignment: Defining Your Expectations
Begin to define your expectations as preparation for teaching your online course. Think about the following questions and answer as many of them as you can. If you're not sure of some of the answers yet, briefly describe the things you'll consider to make your decision. For this assignment, assume that you're teaching a completely online course (not a hybrid course).
Participation & attendance
- How often should students log into your online course?
- How do you define “participation & attendance” for your online course?
- How many hours a week should they expect to spend working on the course?
Contact info
- How can students contact you? What is your preferred method of contact?
- When will you hold office hours (on campus and/or virtual)?
- How should students contact you during those office hours?
Communication
- How soon can students expect a response from you?
- Do you reply on weekends or only on weekdays?
Grading
- How is the semester grade for the course determined?
- How soon can students expect feedback on their graded assignments/exams?
Assignments, discussions & exams
- What types of graded activities are included in your course?
- How will they be graded (consider using schemes & rubrics)?
- Are the assignment deadlines firm? Are there exceptions? What are they?
- Where do students take the exams?
- Do the exams have a time limit? For what time period are they available?
Textbook
- Are students required to purchase a textbook for the course?
- What is the textbook? Give title, edition, author & ISBN.
- How much reading is required each week?