Redesign Example
An online delivery format should contain succinct information, clear directions and utmost consistency so that students working at home by themselves can understand exactly what to do and by when in order to understand the content and earn their grade. Writing unambiguous directions takes a lot of time, but teachers do not need to write out everything they may say in a regular face-to-face classroom.
When teaching online think about guiding students towards the same learning goals and expectations as in a traditional classroom setting while leaving room for their own discovery.
Classroom Lecture Format
The lesson format for a regular face-to-face class may be as follows: students listen to a lecture, do required reading, discuss the topic in class and then submit a paper or report for an assignment. All of these classroom activities can be done online.
Redesign for Online Delivery
Students read the lecture in a succinct written form with short narrative paragraphs and bullet lists; read additional materials to supplement lecture; or listen to the lecture as spoken word by the teacher or a guest lecturer recorded in an audio or podcast format, or watch on their computer in their own time a streamed video of the teacher giving the lecture. Students discuss the topic online then submit papers and assignments online.
Online Discussions
Discussions work well online because students have time to reflect on the topic before writing meaningful responses. Online discussions also offer shy or E.S.L. students an equal opportunity to participate in discussions compared with in a regular classroom. However, if discussion participation is required and graded then students should be aware of expectations for quality and quantity of discussion posts, and dates due. Providing a rubric to help students understand how to participate meaningfully in online discussions and earn full points is a constructive strategy. A rubric with clear guidelines and expectations of points for excellent/ good/ adequate and inadequate discussion posts will help improve the quality of discussions and also help avoid "flaming" or disrespectful comments to peers or teacher. Most schools provide teachers with information or a policy to avoid disrespectful behavior in online discussions which should be included in the Syllabus or first week of the course.
Assignments and Grades Online
Students submit their assignments by uploading their documents within the course site such as in iLearn or Blackboard. This means that teachers have all the assignments in one place to read and grade online, as well as saving paper. Most online course systems like iLearn, Moodle and Blackboard also have a Grade Book feature, which not only facilitates grading for teachers but also allows students to check their grades online easily. In addition, when written assignments are submitted online they are “digitized” which offers teachers the option of passing the papers through the school's anti-plagiarism product, such as Turnitin.