Principles of Good Practice in Education

As instructors, we spend a lot of time trying to understand our students, colleagues, institutions, technology, and ourselves. The seven principles of good practice from a study supported by the American Association of Higher Education, the Education Commission of the States, and The Johnson Foundation are based on research on the way teachers teach, how students learn, how students work and play with one another, and how students and faculty talk to each other. Below is a brief summary of the Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education:

1. Good Practice Encourages Student to Faculty Contact. Student to faculty contact and interaction in and out of class has been identified by the study as the most important factor in student motivation and involvement. 
2. Good Practice Encourages Cooperation Among Students. According to the study, good learning, like good work, is collaborative and social, not competitive and isolated. The sharing of ideas and responses to others' reactions improves thinking and deepens understanding.
3. Good Practice Encourages Active Learning. Students need to talk about what they are learning, write about it, relate it to past experiences, and apply it to their daily lives in order for the knowledge to become part of themselves.
4. Good Practice Gives Prompt Feedback. Students need help in assessing their competence, what they have learned, and what they still need to know.
5. Good Practice Emphasizes Time on Task. Students need helping learning effective time management through the assignment and assessment of tasks.
6. Good Practice Communicates High Expectations. Hold your students to high standards so that they will make the extra effort. "Expect more and you will get it."
7. Good Practice Respects Diverse Talents and Ways of Learning. Give students the opportunity to show their talents and learn in ways that work for them but also push them to learn in new ways that may not come easily for them.

For more information on this study and examples of how these principles have been applied in actual learning settings visit:  Seven Principles for Good Practice

Information adapted from:
Chickering, A. & Gamson, Z. (1999). Development and adaptations of the seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 80(Winter). pp. 75-81.

Setting up Forums in Moodle

The Forum activity in Moodle ISU 2 provides students with the platform to discuss topics and answer questions related to the course content and fosters the development of student-centered learning. Effective learning requires access to social and academic networks for both study material and academic support such as the online community of learners that can be developed through participation in a forum.

         

Types of Forums:

• A single simple discussion: The instructor creates a single discussion topic, to which all students can reply.  This is useful for short, focused discussions and is useful in keeping students focused on a particular subject.  

• Each person posts one discussion: Each student can post exactly one new discussion topic (everyone can reply to all of the other discussions). This type of forum allows students a little more freedom to create their own topics, but helps keep the discussion focused by limiting the amount of topics that can be added.

• Q & A forum: Requires the instructor to post the initial question and then the students must reply before viewing other students' responses.  After their initial posting, students can view and respond to other posts. (Note: For the instructor, the button which normally reads “Add a new discussion topic” reads “Add a new question”.  The students do not see this button.)

• Standard forum displayed in a blog-like format: All of the discussion topics, including student replies, are displayed on one page with a Discuss this topic link that takes you to the discussion of the chosen topic. This type of forum is useful if you want to be able to read the topic message without having to enter the discussion. Students are able to post multiple topics and reply at any time.

• Standard forum for general use: An open forum in which anyone can start any number of new discussion topics at any time and everyone can reply to one another. This is the most commonly used forum and may be useful once the online community has been established.

Subscription Options:

When you are subscribed to a forum it means that you will get an email copy of every post in the forum (emails are sent after a 30 minute editing period has passed). However, the following options are available:

• Optional Subscription: Users can manage their subscription preferences to the forum. This is the default which leaves the choice up to each user.

• Forced subscription: Everyone (including the teachers) will be subscribed with no option to unsubscribe. The News Forum uses this option. (Hot Tip: The News Forum is a useful tool to communicate with your entire class. Only teachers may post in the News Forum. All posts remain in the News Forum with a date and time stamp, a notice is placed in the Latest News block, and all posts are automatically emailed to all the users.)

• Auto subscription: All current and future students will be subscribed initially but they can unsubscribe themselves at any time. This is useful to help students recognize a new forum has begun. Users still have control over their subscriptions.

• Subscription disabled: Students cannot be subscribed to the forum.

Hot Tip: When changing the subscription options in a forum, the change will only affect future posts; it will not automatically subscribe or unsubscribe existing students/instructors.

Read Tracking:  

If Read Tracking for this Forum is enabled, students can track read and unread messages in forums and discussions. This means that students will see a notice next to the forum activity on the course page that shows the number of unread posts. Note: Users must have enabled Forum Tracking in their profile to be able to use this option. If the instructor leaves this as Optional, students can turn tracking on or off for the forum at their discretion within their profile settings. If the instructor sets it as On: Tracking is always on. If the instructor sets it as Off: Tracking is always off.

Post Threshold for Blocking:

Occasionally there are students who dominate a threaded discussion with excessive posting. Enabling thresholds for blocking allows the instructor to block this type of excessive posting with three options. 1. The instructor can define the period in which a student may create posts. After this time period, their count will reset. 2. The instructor can also set the number of posts a student can make in a time period. 3. The instructor can set the number of posts a student can make before he/she will receive a warning that they are approaching their post limit for the time period.

Grading, Restricting, and Closing Forums in Moodle

The Forum activity in Moodle ISU 2 provides students with the platform to discuss topics and answer questions related to the course content and fosters the development of student-centered learning. Effective learning requires access to social and academic networks for both study material and academic support such as the online community of learners that can be developed through participation in a forum.

The following information provides helpful tips on how to manage the forum activities within Moodle.

Rating/Grading a Forum:

When you are grading a forum post it is referred to as rating. If you do not want to use the Moodle ISU 2 rating system to grade your forum, or the forum is not being graded, leave the Aggregate type as No ratings.

You can change the Aggregate type for rating/grading the forum by selecting how you would like the students’ post ratings to be calculated to form their final grade for this forum in the gradebook. There are six options to choose from:

1. No ratings: Posts in this forum will not be rated and the forum will not appear in the gradebook.
2. Average of ratings: The average rating of all of the student’s posts.
3. Count of ratings: The student’s grade will be equal to their number of rated posts.
4. Maximum rating: The student’s highest rating will be their grade.
5. Minimum rating: The student’s lowest rating will be their grade.
6. Sum of ratings: All of the student’s ratings are added together to make their grade.

Under the Scale menu, you will see any custom scales you have set up, as well as any numerical evaluation from 1 to 100 to choose from for the amount of points that the forum rating is worth.

Hot Tip: For more information about the forum aggregate types see http://docs.moodle.org/22/en/Forum_settings

Restricting a Forum:

If the instructor wants to grade only those forum posts within in a certain time period, you can restrict the ability to rate within a certain date by Checking the box next to Restrict Ratings to Items With Dates in This Range box and selecting the desired date and times.

Note: Restricting the ratings DOES NOT restrict students from posting. Students can post outside the specified posting dates, but you will not be able to rate those postings nor will they be counted toward the students’ grades.

Closing/Archiving a Forum:

If the instructor wants to put an end to a student discussion topic, but still wants the students to be able to see posts and see the forum item in the gradebook, he/she can change student permissions for the forum. To do this, the instructor will go to the forum they want to close and do the following:

1. Click on Settings
2. Click on Forum Administration
3. Click on Permissions
4. Click the Prevent icon (x) for the student role for the capabilities ‘Start new discussions’ and ‘Reply to posts’.

Note: These steps will need to be done for each forum discussion the instructor wishes to close on the time or date that the forum is closed for posting. There is no automatic setting for this function.

Coming on May 1 - Types of Forums, Subscription Options, Read Tracking and how to Block Excessive Postings

Quality Matters Learning Opportunities

The Applying the Quality Matters Rubric Workshop is an overview of the QM Rubric and the process of course review.  It is a two week online course which requires 1-2 hours each day.  If you cannot commit to spend 8-10 hours each week of the course, you are strongly advised to wait for a time when your schedule permits.

We have scheduled the following workshops:

April 9 - 23, 2013
May 15 - 31, 2013
June 5 - 19, 2013
July 10 - 24, 2013

Currently, there is a minimal charge of $25 per person for this workshop. This fee can be paid using an ISU index code, cash or check.  

In order to register for the upcoming workshop please complete the registration form at https://docs.google.com/a/isu.edu/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFFqTENHdFN0LThsQk5IZkhqekttdUE6MQ#gid=0

Note:  You must be signed into your ISU gmail account in order to access the form.  If you get a message about requesting permission, please sign into your ISU gmail and try the link again.

If these dates do not work with your schedule, you will be notified when the next training is scheduled.

If your department would like to schedule a dedicated training, please contact Lisa Kidder at the ITRC.
In addition to the workshops which will be offered at ISU, Quality Matters also offers a variety of professional development opportunities.  You can access the schedule and descriptions at http://www.qmprogram.org/professional-development

There will also be a Regional Quality Matters conference held in Vancouver, WA on April 25-26, 2013.  It is a great opportunity to participate in face to face workshops and network with others in the Northwest who are using Quality Matters.  Information can be found at http://www.qmprogram.org/works-great-northwest-regional-conference
 
If you have any questions, please contact Lisa Kidder - kiddlisa@isu.edu or 282-2502.

Adapting Your Course Materials for Online Instruction

When adapting your course materials from a face-to-face course to an online course:

1. Ensure that all course documents are in accessible formats. Adobe's PDF is universal, meaning students can download PDF files regardless of which software they have on their personal computer or what type of computer they are using.

2. Limit file formats which use color for contrast, such as maps. These types of files may not be readable for people with disabilities.

3. Use PowerPoint files sparingly. Usually these files are costly for students to print (many student like to print all course materials) and do not convey that much information in terms of course content. Consider using a program such as SlideRocket that allows the instructor to record audio for each slide. Believe it or not, students do enjoy hearing their instructor's voice and it enhances the value of the slide content. Click here for more information about SlideRocket.

4. Investigate the Web for course content that may already be available. Most likely there are materials already created about your topic in the form of e-books, Web pages, scholarly articles and resources, e-libraries, government sources, YouTube and Khan Academy videos, etc. Providing a link to these materials is a simple way to take advantage of the rich resources available on the Web to supplement your existing course content.

5. Work with the disability services department to ensure that the files and materials you are providing are accessible to people with disabilities.

Information adapted from: online learning insights: A Blog about Open and Online Education.

Adapting Your Assignments for Online Instruction

When adapting your course assignments from a face-to-face course to an online course:

1. Provide detailed instructions in the course assignment description. Think about the detailed instructions you would have provided to your face-to-face students and write out these details in the link to the assignment in the online course. Quality work from students is guided by clear, well-defined instructions.

2. It is more effective to have smaller assignments due throughout the course and perhaps one cumulative assignment due at the end of the course than to have just one significant assignment required for the entire course.

3. Consider using rubrics for grading, which are excellent tools for outlining expectations, requirements, and standards. Click here for documentation on Using the Rubric Grading Method.

4. Outline the purpose of the assignment - explain to students how the assignment relates to the material they are learning and what objectives will be met. Learners (especially adult learners) want to know how the assignments and learning activities contribute to the big picture and the learning objectives of the course.

5. Utilize the best options for assignment submission.

       a. Moodle provides the option for online text submission. With this option students type text directly into an online text box. This type of assignment submission works well for journal type writing activities or essay questions.

      b. Another option is to require students to type their assignment in a word processing  software, save the file, and upload it in the assignment link. This type of submission allows the instructor to download the student file and using tools such as "track changes" or "comments", give the student feedback on their assignment.

      c. Click here for documentation on Adding Assignments to Moodle ISU 2.

Information adapted from: online learning insights: A Blog about Open and Online Education.

Coming next: Adapting Your Course Materials for Online Instruction

Adapting Your Assessment Activities for Online Instruction

When adapting your assessment activities from a face-to-face course to an online course:

1. Do not implement course grading that relies heavily on exam or quiz assessments. A heavily test based course in the online environment is less than desirable for several reasons:

      a. The opportunity for cheating is high;
      b. Student engagement with the material is low;
      c. Multiple choice and true & false tests assess the ability to recall facts and lower level knowledge which provides less opportunity for the development of critical thinking skills and application of actual knowledge.

2. Consider weighting the exams/quizzes at 40%, participation and contribution at 10%, and the remaining 50% consisting of a variety of assignments spread throughout the course.

The opportunity to cheat can be lessened if not avoided by using a variety of assessment methods such as participation in threaded discussions, contribution activities, and group assignments. Discussion boards and chat sessions help to establish the student's individual "voice" and provides the opportunity to be actively engaged in the course. Well designed group activities encourage collaboration and prompts students to engage with course content and construct new knowledge collectively. Including a peer review or peer-grading component is another excellent method of assessing authentic student work and providing additional opportunity for active engagement.

Information adapted from: online learning insights: A Blog about Open and Online Education. 

Coming next: Adapting Your Assignments for Online Instruction