Developing and Teaching anOnline Course:

A Faculty HandbookMay, 2000

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Copyright© Grant MacEwan College, 2000. All rights reserved. No partof this handbook may be reproduced with the exception forversions made by non-profit organizations for use by visual-ly or physically challenged persons.

The author has attempted to ensure that all copyright clear-ances have been obtained. Please bring any omissions tothe attention of the author.

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AcknowledgementsThis handbook is an outcome of the Learn Online project.The Learn Online project is a collaborative initiative of theHealth and Community Studies division at Grant MacEwanCollege to convert existing print-based distance courses toan online delivery format. The Learn Online project staffwould like to thank Gerri Nakonechny, Dean of Health andCommunity Studies, for her support and guidance, theLearn Online Project Committee for their perseverance andcommitment, and the members of the Internet Action Groupfor providing a forum for Learn Online issues and activities.

Much of the information in the handbook comes from theexperiences of instructors and students who participated inthe Learn Online project. We would like to thank them fortheir willing involvement in the project's research activities

FundingThis project was made possible by support from the Officeof Learning Technologies, Human Resources DevelopmentCanada.

AuthorCheryl White, research coordinator, Health and CommunityStudies

Handbook Layout and Cover DesignSamantha Walker, HTML specialist, Health and CommunityStudies

Learn Online TeamLynn Feist, instructional designer, Gord Lacey, Web devel-oper, Samantha Walker, HTML specialist, Cheryl White,research coordinator.

Learn Online Project CommitteeShirley Galenza, program chair for Palliative Care andHearing Aid Practitioner; Tricia Lirette, program chair forApplied Human Service Administration; Pat Ness, programcoordinator for Occupational Health; and Joe Sombach,instructor for Correctional Services.

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IntroductionThis handbook on developing and teaching an onlinecourse comes out of a two year project to evaluate effectiveWeb-based course development and delivery. Informationfor this handbook is taken from current educational technol-ogy literature, resources on assessment techniques, datagathered from interviews with online instructors and stu-dent responses to surveys and interviews during a one yearresearch study.

The intent of this handbook is to provide instructors with anintroduction to online course development and deliverypractices. As instructors become more involved in incorpo-rating Web-based technologies into their teaching practice,their questions and needs will change. For this reason, ref-erences to instructional and technical support staff, servicesand resources are listed throughout the handbook.Instructors are encouraged to make use of these availableresources to support their ongoing professional develop-ment.

Checklists have been included at the beginning of eachsection to enable instructors to use this handbook as aworkbook to track their ongoing professional developmentin online teaching. The questions included in the checklistsare intended to help instructors focus on their needs indeveloping and delivering online courses or course compo-nents.

Providing ongoing support to instructors embarking ononline teaching, whether as an extension of their classroombased courses or at a distance, is a challenging proposi-tion. We hope this handbook will provide a useful guide andreference tool. The staff participating in the Learn Onlineproject have had an opportunity to experience and benefitfrom the true spirit of team work while endeavoring to makeonline education happen at Grant MacEwan College. Thishandbook represents an extension of the collaborative spiritthat we would like to share with the rest of the College.

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Table of ContentsOnline Teaching .............................................................................................1

What is online teaching? ..................................................................................1Why should I use online learning technologies to teach? ................................2Why should I consider changing how I design my courses? ...........................4Resources..........................................................................................................5

Getting Started ...............................................................................................6Getting Started Checklist ...................................................................................6What level of online development does my course need? ...............................6What do I want my students to learn? What are my goals for my course? ......7Drafting Learning Outcomes .............................................................................7What components of online learning do I want to integrate into my course? ...7What computer skill competencies do I want students to have? ......................9Who can I contact for more information ............................................................10

Content ...............................................................................................................11

Content Checklist .................................................................................................11Format of Content ................................................................................................12

Text................................................................................................................12Graphics .......................................................................................................13Sound and Video .........................................................................................14

Using Online Resources ......................................................................................15Web sites .............................................................................................................15Online databases with full–text articles ................................................................16Updating Course Content ....................................................................................16Copyright Issues ..................................................................................................16Copyright Permission Letter .................................................................................18

Learning Activities .......................................................................................19

Learning Activities Checklist ................................................................................19Review questions .................................................................................................20Essays/Reports ....................................................................................................21Discussion ............................................................................................................22Case studies ........................................................................................................25Visual Studies ......................................................................................................25

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Problem-based learning activities ........................................................................26Examinations ........................................................................................................27Simulations ...........................................................................................................27Plagiarism ............................................................................................................28Resources ............................................................................................................29

Evaluation .........................................................................................................31

Evaluation Checklist .............................................................................................31Assessing Prior Knowledge, Recall, and Understanding .....................................32

Focused Listing ............................................................................................32Misconception/Preconception Check ...........................................................34

Empty Outlines .....................................................................................................36Minute Paper ................................................................................................37

Assessing Skills in Analysis and Critical Thinking ...............................................39Analytic Memos ...........................................................................................39Word Journal ...............................................................................................41

Assessing Skill in Problem Solving ......................................................................43Problem Recognition Tasks .........................................................................43What’s the Principle? ...................................................................................44

Assessing Skill in Application and Performance ..................................................46Directed Paraphrasing .................................................................................46Applications Cards ......................................................................................48Paper or Project Prospectus .......................................................................49

Assessing Students’ Awareness of their Attitudes and Values ............................52Class Opinion Polls .....................................................................................52Everyday Ethical Dilemmas .........................................................................54Focused Autobiographical Sketches ...........................................................55

Student Guide .................................................................................................57

Student Guide Checklist ......................................................................................57Course Overview ..................................................................................................57Required Materials ...............................................................................................58Student Evaluation System ..................................................................................58Administrative Support .........................................................................................58Technical Support .................................................................................................59Expectations for Students ....................................................................................59Expectations for the Instructor .............................................................................60Student Competencies for Successful Online Learning ......................................61

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Resources ............................................................................................................62Learning Resource Center ...................................................................................62

Support ..............................................................................................................64

Copyright Curriculum Consultant .........................................................................64Instructional Media and Design ............................................................................64Learn Online Project ............................................................................................66Learning Resource Centre (LRC) ........................................................................67Library services available to instructors ...............................................................68Professional Development ...................................................................................68Online Resources .................................................................................................69Printed Resources ................................................................................................71

Competencies ................................................................................................72

Online Teaching and Course Development Skills ................................................72Resources ............................................................................................................73

References ......................................................................................................74

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Online TeachingThis section of the handbook discusses what online teachingis and why you, the instructor, should consider using onlinelearning technologies.

What is online teaching?

Online teaching is teaching that uses technologies such as:

• the Internet

• the World–Wide Web

• E–mail

• Word processing

• Online course delivery software such as WebCT

• Web–based communications such as discussion lists andbulletin boards, chat rooms or other forms of computer conferencing

• E–mail–based communications such as listservs

These technologies can also be mixed with other delivery formats,including print, site–based activities, and all forms of communica-tion methods such as mail, e–mail, telephone, fax, audio–confer-encing, and video–conferencing. Online teaching can be used in adistance delivery context or as an adjunct to a face–to–face class-room. Instructors teaching online need to plan and organize theircourse prior to the beginning of the course regardless of the con-text. The instructional design of a course taught wholly or partlyonline can require an instructor to adopt new or different ways ofusing course components. Although online instruction should notbe driven by the limitations or requirements of the technologyused, online learning technologies can be used to enhance thepresentation of content, to facilitate student learning activities, andto facilitate communication between course participants.

Instructional design in online learning should address the purposeof the course content, its primary audience, and the expectationsfor learner outcomes and experiences, including the type of inter-

Example 1 Chris teaches anon–campus introductory psy-chology course and wants hisstudents to develop their abil-ities to write, revise, and citeresearch papers. He knows hisstudents will need those skillsin their future academiccareers but finds he doesn'thave enough time during classto help his students learnthose skills. He puts informa-tion and practice exercisesonline, encourages his stu-dents to contact him bye–mail if they are having dif-ficulties, and refers to theWeb page resources duringthe class, incorporating theminto students’ preparation forclass assignments.

action and communication required. Course developersshould consider the following questions:

• Who are my students? What are their needs?

• What are the course objectives or outcomes? Are theyclear and achievable?

• What is an appropriate sequence for content and learn-ing activities within the course?

• How will you use the technology to fulfill instructionalgoals?

• Will the course format and delivery facilitate or preventstudents from accessing the course?

• How will assignments and exams be structured?

• What kind of student participation is expected?

• How will student learning be evaluated? Do the evalua-tion methods match the course objectives or outcomes?

As in print–based courses, consistency in design andorganization must be established and maintained acrosscourse materials.

Why should I use online learning technologiesto teach?

Some short answers to this question are as follows:

• Students who work full–time, who have family responsi-bilities, or who are at a distance from the College canaccess courses online from home or work.

• Online communication provides a way for students andinstructors to communicate in a timely manner.

• In the information age, there is an intrinsic need to learntechnology.

• Students can learn where and how to find information inan information–rich world.

• Students can develop computer literacy by applying var-ious computer skills as part of the learning process.

The long answer to this question depends on how you are2

Example 2 Joan teaches adistance delivery human rela-tions course in which her stu-dents learn about and devel-op interpersonal skillsrequired in their field. Sheincludes several online assign-ments that require the stu-dents to read course materialand to view short video clipsdemonstrating different kindsof interactions, reflect onhow that information is relat-ed to their own experience,and then practice those inter-personal skills with a partner.Her students work in pairs,communicating through per-sonal e–mail and through anexercise using the course dis-cussion list, and submit theassignment for that module.She monitors the online dis-cussion list and adds hercomments to their workwhen she feels the partnergroups need some additionalguidance. The module endswith a week–long, asynchro-nous discussion throughwhich the students give theirfeedback about the assign-ment and the instructor pro-vides a summary of the stu-dents’ work.

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using learning technologies, including the context in whichyou are using them. Learning technologies, in most cases,facilitate learning activities that can also be done without thetechnologies. In the classroom, learning technologies cansupplement and support classroom teaching and learning.Instructors using learning technologies in their face–to–faceclassroom frequently use them to “free up” class time byshifting administrative or supplemental classroom activitiesto another format so class time can be used for activitiesthat benefit the most from occurring in the classroom envi-ronment.

In distance education, these same technologies may consti-tute the primary method of delivering course content andfacilitating student learning activities. In distance education,learning technologies are seen as a way to overcome thelearner’s sense of isolation by providing better communica-tion and interaction, higher motivation, and a sense of beinga part of a community of learners. These benefits can alsooccur when learning technologies are used in aface–to–face classroom.

Some benefits of integrating learning technologies into yourcourse:

• They facilitate individual communication among studentsand between students and the instructor. Several studieshave reported that students use communication tech-nologies such as e–mail to contact their instructors andother students more frequently than during class or fac-ulty office hours, or by telephone. E–mail and computerconferencing give students opportunities to participate inclass discussions in a safer and more thoughtful way.Because no one can observe how long or how mucheffort it takes for a student to respond online, studentswho may be disadvantaged in a face–to–face discussionsuch as, shy students or those taking English as aSecond Language are more likely to communicate suc-cessfully because they have more time to compose theirquestions and responses. Students can get more andbetter feedback from their peers and instructors usingthese communication technologies.

Example Online learningtechnologies can be used for:

• an interactive lecture dur-ing which the instructorpauses frequently to checkfor student understanding

• a group problem–solvingactivity that requires stu-dents to apply what theyare learning

• an instructor feedback ses-sion on student work as away to correct and advancestudent understanding

• Content can be presented in nontextual formats if a visu-al, aural, or animated presentation will better facilitate alearner’s understanding of a concept.

• Students can repeat learning activities such as self–testsas often as they need to in order to understand the con-tent.

Some difficulties with integrating learning technologies intoyour course:

• Students and instructors must learn to use unfamiliartechnologies. Supporting students and instructors usinglearning technologies is a challenge, especially as morepeople use them. Most current technical support servic-es were designed to meet the needs of early technologyadopters. As more people use learning technologies,they will require more and different technical supportservices. Refer to the section at the end of the hand-book on competencies for more information about thecompetencies you will need to teach online.

• Online communication is predominantly text–based,requiring that all participants have good written commu-nication skills. Miscommunications can happen frequent-ly and can be harder to resolve than face–to–face mis-understandings.

• When learning how to use learning technologies, it iseasy to put the demands of using the technology beforeinstructional goals or learning outcomes. Instructorsshould decide what they want to teach and how theywant to teach before deciding how to use the learningtechnologies that are most compatible with the objec-tives of their course and the characteristics of theirlearners.

Why should I consider changing how I designmy courses?

Many instructors who have already developed courses todeliver either partly or wholly online have found that theyneeded to rethink how their courses are organized and pre-

Note Research studies havereported that the mostimportant factor affecting thesuccessful implementation oflearning technologies inteaching practice is theinstructors’ perception thatusing the technologies willadd value to their practiceand that the value gained isworth the time, effort, anddifficulties encountered dur-ing the implementationprocess.

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sented. Because learning technologies provide instructorswith options on how to present content and how to engagethe student with it, many instructors and course developersview the integration of learning technologies into teachingpractice as an opportunity to review and revise that prac-tice.If you use learning technologies in your teaching practice,your students will be required to be self–directed whenaccessing resources, learning how to use course software,overcoming technical difficulties, and learning how to com-municate more effectively online. Students accustomed toinstructor–centred teaching practices such as a lecture–onlyformat or print–based course modules may have difficultyunderstanding their responsibilities as learners in an onlinecourse or in online portions of a course. Instructors need toexplain to students how and why the course is structured asit is and the role of the learning technologies within thatstructure.

Resources

• The Educational Technology Professional Development(ETPD) module Writing a Print–Based Module. For moreinformation about this module or other modules in theETPD Program, contact Val Stewart at 497–5606 or<stewartv@admin.gmcc.ab.ca>. To order the modules,call Clayton Wright at 497–5286 or order online at<http://etpd.gmcc.ab.ca>.

• For assistance in developing course objectives or out-comes, contact Diane Emberg at 497–5232 or<embergd@admin.gmcc.ab.ca>.

• Strategies for Designing Instruction in Web–basedComputer Conferencing Environments, by PauletteRobinson, University of Maryland College<http://www.inform.umd.edu/About/.IIT/probinso/epiphany/strategies.html>. This site presents a good overview ofinstructional design issues in online teaching and learning.

Note A recent study report-ed that instructors who weremost successful in imple-menting learning technologiesinto their teaching practiceused them in ways that sup-ported their existing beliefsabout and strategies forteaching. It is difficult, how-ever, to learn how to imple-ment learning technologieseffectively while also trying tochange instructional practice.Instructors in the LearnOnline project at GrantMacEwan College found thatonce they felt comfortableusing Web–based learningtechnologies, they becamemore interested in changinghow they used them. In oneexample, after teaching acourse for two semesters, aninstructor began to examineways to make better use ofcomputer–facilitated commu-nication.

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Getting StartedGetting Started Checklist

Here are some questions to help you focus on what youneed to know or do before beginning to develop an onlinecourse:

❑ Who are my students?

❑ What are the learning goals or outcomes for the course?

❑ What parts of the course would benefit from onlinelearning technologies?

•content•resources•communication•learning activities•evaluation activities

❑ What computer competencies do I want my students todevelop in this course?

❑ Who can I contact for more information, resources, orassistance?

This section of the handbook is an overview of the questionsand activities you need to address to develop a courseonline.

What level of online development does mycourse need?

Knowing your students and their needs is an important firststep to determining what kind of learning technologies youshould use and how you should integrate them into yourcourse. If your students can’t access the online componentsof your course, it will not meet their learning needs.Answering the following questions can help you assess whatyou know about your students.

Who can I contact for more information, resources, or assistance?

Refer to the Support section of the handbook for a list ofpeople and resources to assist you in getting startedteaching online.

• What educational backgrounds do the students have?

• Are the students part–time or full-tirners?

Example A large number ofstudents in the Bachelor ofApplied Human ServicesAdministration (HSAD)Degree program are adminis-trators in community serviceand/or nonprofit agencies.Many of them are located inrural communities and areisolated from professionaldevelopment resources andfrom other administratorsdoing similar work. These stu-dents tend to be in low- tomiddle-income positions andif they have a computer oraccess to a computer, tendnot to have recent computerequipment or highly devel-oped computer skills. Puttingall of the HSAD distancecourses completely onlinewould create a barrier to stu-dents wanting to access thesecourses. Current HSADcourses are delivered as print-based modules, but the coursedesign also includes onlinecommunications such as bul-letin board and e-mail.Students can communicatemore easily with other admin-istrators and can use theirinteraction in the course todevelop better communica-tion skills and a familiaritywith the Internet and the

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• Have the students had experience with self–directed oronline learning?

• Do the students currently have access to a computer?

What do I want my students to learn? What aremy goals for my course?

One way to develop explicit course goals is to write a onesentence summary of a course–specific goal. The exampleprovided in the margin and the Teaching Goals Inventorycan help you determine your goals for your course.

Once your instructional goals are clear, you need to devel-op content, learning activities, and assessment activitiesthat correspond to those goals.

Drafting Learning Outcomes

Many programs at Grant MacEwan College are now usinga Learning Outcomes approach to course and programdevelopment. This approach focuses on the learning thestudents will achieve as opposed to the inputs or processesthat the course will provide. To determine the learning out-comes for your course, ask yourself:

What integrated, applied, transferable knowledge, skills,abilities, and judgments should your students possesswhen they complete your course?

This question should generate four to six broad outcomesfor your course. Then you may want to list learning objec-tives for each section of your course.

For assistance in drafting learning outcomes for your on-line course or to see sample learning outcomes drafted forexisting courses, contact Diane Emberg, CurriculumConsultant, at 497-5232 or embergd@admin.gmcc.ab.ca.

What components of online learning do I wantto integrate into my course?

Your course will have the following components that maybe partly or entirely developed and implemented online:

ExampleWho: I (the instructor)Does what: want to develop mystudents’ skill at figuring outwhich questions to ask nextTo/for whom: (my students)When: when they don’t knowhow to solve a problemWhere: in their homeworkassignmentsHow: by teaching them a varietyof techniques for getting“unstuck”Why: so that they can becomemore effective, independentproblem solvers.Goal: I (the instructor) want todevelop my students’ skill at fig-uring out what questions to asknext when they don’t know howto solve a problem in their home-work assignments by teachingthem a variety of techniques forgetting “unstuck” so they canbecome more effective, inde-pendent problem solvers.(Example taken from ClassroomAssessment Techniques: A Handbookfor College Teachers 2nd Ed. T. A.Angelo and K. P. Cross, ©1993Jossey-Bass. Adapted by permis-sion of Jossey-Bass, Inc., a sub-sidiary of John Wiley & Sons.Inc.)

Resource See Teaching GoalsInventory, pp. 20–22, from T. A.Angelo and K. P. Cross, ClassroomAssessment Techniques, to fill outthe self–scoring Teaching GoalsInventory that helps you becomemore aware of what you want toachieve in a particular course.

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• Course introductionThe course introduction is a course outline that containsinformation about the course structure and procedures,including the titles of modules, course objectives or out-comes, list of assignments and exams, instructor contactinformation, student evaluation and grading criteria, courseschedule, and resources needed to complete the course.

• Module introductionThe module introduction should list module objectives orlearning outcomes and introduce the student to the con-tent and learning activities within the module. Linking thelearning objectives for each module to the objectives oroutcomes for the entire course shows the student howeach module fits into the overall course.

• ContentThe content is the information the student is expected tolearn in order to fulfill the course objectives. Content ispresented through text, pictures and sound. In an onlineenvironment, content can be presented throughWeb–based text, graphics, animations, video clips orvideo–recordings, sound clips or audio–recordings, andaccess to online resources.

• Learning ActivitiesLearning activities engage the learner with the content toachieve the learning objectives or outcomes for thecourse. Some of the learning activities facilitated byWeb–based learning technologies are:

Self–tests – students get immediate feedback on theirknowledge of the content. Self–tests can be repeated asoften as students require prior to completing assignmentsor exams.

Bulletin boards, chat rooms and e–mail – students cancommunicate with each other and the instructor to shareand build on content knowledge. Students and instructorscan refer to previous messages throughout the course.

Multimedia–enhanced presentations – some conceptsmay be better presented using pictures, sound, ormotion. Some examples of multimedia presentationsinclude:

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◆ An interactive picture of a lab that allowsstudents to click on parts of the picture toget more information about equipment andlab procedures

◆ An animation of a mathematical proof toshow each step of the calculation

◆ A video clip of a scenario used in a casestudy

◆ A simulation that helps students learn howto use a piece of equipment

Learning activities are discussed in greater detail in theLearning Activities section of the handbook.

• Evaluation Activities: Assignments and ExamsEvaluation activities should relate to the learning objec-tives or outcomes you established at the beginning ofthe course. Students need to know what constitutes asuccessful outcome. Specific outcomes, accomplish-ments, learner characteristics, and attitudes should beas clearly described as possible in the course introduc-tion and/or in the instructions for assignments. In anonline environment, formal evaluation activities such asexams can be handled through computer–mediated test-ing programs available here on campus or at remotesites. Informal evaluation activities such as student feed-back forms and automatically scored tests provide stu-dents and instructors with quick feedback about studentlearning that can highlight areas that students need toreview.

Evaluation activities are discussed in greater detail in theEvaluation section of the handbook.

What computer skill competencies do I wantstudents to have?

• What technology–related skills will students need upongraduation?

• What technology–related skills should students acquireor develop during their program?

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Refer to the Student Guide section of the handbook for alist of competencies students require for successful onlinelearning.

You can also visit the Online Student Tutorial website athttp://learn.gmcc.ab.ca/lol/students/tutorial for informationabout competencies that students require for successfulonline learning.

Who can I contact for more information,resources, or assistance?

Refer to the Support section of the handbook for a list ofpeople and resources to assist you in getting started teaching online.

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ContentContent Checklist

Here are some questions to review once you have devel-oped the content for your course:

❑ Is the content related to the learning goals or outcomesfor the course?

❑ Have I incorporated a textbook or other resources?

❑ Have I incorporated online resources?

❑ Have I considered the organization and sequence of thecontent?

❑ Is the content clear, accurate, and easy to read?

❑ Has the course content been reviewed by a secondreader?

❑ Has the course content been edited?

❑ What concepts or ideas in the content would benefitfrom being presented as pictures, graphics, sounds, ani-mations, audio or video?

❑ Have I talked with technical staff to determine develop-ment plans for multimedia applications?

This section of the handbook will discuss content issuesthat are relevant to presenting content in an online format.Instructors are content experts and knowledgeable aboutwhat they want students to learn in their content area. Theoptions presented here are focused on ways to make effec-tive use of online learning technologies to support studentlearning of course content.

This section discusses:

• Format of content

• Using online resources

• Updating course content

• Copyright issues

Resource Course Developer’sManual, C. Wright – section3.0 on Content Organizationand module format. (AvailableCity Centre, Jasper Place andMillwoods LRC’s, call numberLB2361 .W75)

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Format of Content

An online course does not necessarily mean that all contentmust be presented to the student online. Course contentcan be presented in printed or online text, through pictures,sounds, animations, or videos. A combination of deliverymethods is more frequently used than only one deliverymethod.

Some examples of effective content presentation usingWeb–based learning technologies include:

TextMuch of the information in a course is text–based. Whenconsidering how to present text–based information someuseful questions are:

• Will you use a textbook(s)? If your course reliesheavily on a textbook or has a lot of text, con-sider providing the bulk of the course material inprint format. Long sections of text are more eas-ily read in print rather than on–screen. Theonline course structure can provide avalue–added outline with learning and evalua-tion activities, references to content in the text-book or printed course materials, links to onlineresources, and a way to communicate with stu-dents. Consider preparing a printed coursebooklet with longer sections of content. You canuse the on–line course framework to refer stu-dents to the appropriate section in the booklet.

• Will you expect students to go through the con-tent in a particular sequences, i.e. does the stu-dent need to learn topic A before learning abouttopic B, C, and D? If the sequence of the con-tent is important, you need to ensure the contentis organized appropriately and include instruc-tions to the students on how they need to gothrough it. If the content organization does notrequire a particular structure, consider includingreferences or links between different sections ormodules that allow the student to go through thecourse by following the relationships betweenthe content sections.

Tip Consider organizingcontent into short sectionswhich a student can workthrough in 15 to 30 minutesessions. One of the possibili-ties for learning online is thatstudents who do not havetime to come to class on cam-pus can access courses aroundtheir schedules. For some stu-dents this may be during theirlunch, before or after work,or after children have gone tobed. By organizing contentinto discrete, meaningfulchunks of information, stu-dents can make better use oftheir time spent on coursecontent and can more easilytrack which sections they havealready covered.

Example After finishingmodule 2, students have theoption of continuing to worksequentially through module3 which introduces a newtopic or to go to module 4which expands on the ideascovered in module 2 beforegoing back to the third mod-ule.

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• What do you do if you have a large amount ofcontent students need to read through?In one example, the instructor wanted to include adetailed assessment form that students will have toknow how to use in the workplace. The form was long,with many sections and had pages of information stu-dents needed to learn in order to use the assessmentform effectively. The instructional designer created aninteractive version of the form so that students couldclick with the mouse on each section to open up an insetbox containing information specific to that section. Thedesigner also included a link to a print–friendly versionso students could print out the information and keep itfor future reference.

GraphicsSome concepts are better represented by drawings, pic-tures, diagrams, or other static visual images. A good pic-ture is worth a thousand words and can enhance the pres-entation of text–based content. Students may, however,need supporting textual information to tell them what isimportant in the picture or graphic. Some things to considerwhen including graphics in your course are:

• The larger the graphic, the longer it will take forthat page to load. In the recent Learn Onlinesurvey, students reported not being able toaccess a slide presentation because it took 3 to4 minutes for each slide to load, making thecomplete slide presentation over an hour long.

• Graphics may appear differently on studentcomputers due to differences in monitor size,limitations in computer video hardware, comput-er configuration and depending on which brows-er they are using. For example, a graphic thatfits perfectly in the screen of your computer maynot appear in only one screen in another com-puter. One reason why Netscape Navigator andMicrosoft Explorer version 4.0 or higher are aminimum recommended computer requirementis that earlier versions of these browsers maynot display some graphics accurately.

Tip Another option is to usea print–friendly online textformat like pdf to put longdocuments or documentswith a variety of graphicalelements such as tables, math-ematical formulas, or smallillustrations online. Pdf for-mat can be converted from aword processed document,retaining original formattingincluding page numbers. Inorder to read a pdf docu-ment, students will have todownload and install AdobeAcrobat reader, a free, com-monly used software pro-gram. Many documents avail-able on the World Wide Web,particularly government orresearch reports, are in thisformat. Students with com-puters below the minimumrequirements may have diffi-culty in installing AdobeAcrobat or other programs.Refer to the Learn OnlineWeb page at<http://learn.gmcc.ab.ca>for minimum computerrequirements.

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• Multimedia programs can be used to createinteractive visual aids. In one example, theinstructor wanted to familiarize students with thework stations in a clinical lab environment. UsingQuicktime VR, pictures were taken of the labwhich allowed students to click on the differentwork stations to get information about protocolsfor using the chemicals at that station and labprocedures such as the proper way to washhands before treating a client. The students areable to read the information and relate it directlyto the visual context of the picture of the lab.

Sound and VideoSound and video elements can also enhance your coursematerial, particularly when you want to demonstrate aprocess or procedure or want to show students a model ofgood (or bad) practice such as an application of interview-ing skills in an actual interview situation or an interactionbetween a practitioner and a client. Some things to consid-er when using sound and video elements in your courseare:

• The larger the video or sound clip, the longer itwill take for the page to load. High quality videoor sound recordings (clearer images or sound,that play smoothly) take longer to load thanpoorer quality ones. Although larger and longerrecordings are possible to present on the Web,currently, video clips that are only a minute ortwo long and no larger than approximately 2inches by 3 inches are reasonably accessible bystudents with the minimum recommended com-puter requirements. With these limitations, youneed to consider carefully what you want topresent in a video or sound clip.

• In order to access sound and video elements,students will have to download and install soft-ware programs called "plug–ins". These pro-grams are freely available on the Internet. Somecommonly used plug–ins include Shockwave,Real Player, and Flash. Using plug–ins increas-es the potential for the number of technicalproblems you and your students will encounter.

Tip When considering multi-media elements, rememberyour students. Increasing thenumber of multimedia ele-ments increases the technicalcomplexity of the course andusually increases the amountof software a student willhave to download in order toview them. It will alsoincrease the number of prob-lems you and your studentswill have to solve, particularlyif your students are usingolder computer equipmentand software.

Resource MinimumComputer Requirements:

• Pentium or PowerMaccomputer with 32 MB ofRAM and 50 MB of harddrive space

• 33.6 modem connection

• Netscape Navigator orInternet Explorer 4.0

• Printer

• Word Processor

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If the information you are including in these ele-ments is essential to the course, you should beprepared to provide that information in anotherformat. In the recent Learn Online study, somestudents indicated that they did not resolve tech-nical difficulties in accessing some multimediaelements so did not access them.

Using Online Resources

The Internet and the World Wide Web contain vast amountsof information and can be a good source of course content.Many resources are available online, from the controlleddatabases and online journals available through the LRChome page to government reports and association ororganization Web sites. Before incorporating onlineresources into your course content, there are several thingsto consider:

• Is the Web site stable? How often will you have toupdate the Web site address in the course?

• How accurate is the information? Who is the Web siteauthor?

• Students will encounter more difficulties accessing exter-nal Web sites than content within the course structure;Web resources are better used to support and enhancecourse content than replace it.

Web sites

Provide students with instructions about what part of theWeb site you want them to read, rather than only providingthe Web site address. Students can easily become distract-ed by the vast amount of information available and may findthemselves spending hours on material not related tocourse activities. Giving the students guidance on what tofocus on while accessing online resources provides neededstructure to their information–gathering activities.

Tip Pointing students towardonline resources is similar topointing students towards rec-ommended books or articlesthat you are not providingwith the course material. Youare not including the materialas part of your course so donot require copyright permis-sion. If you are asking yourstudents to access an onlineresource as a requiredresource for your course,however, it is a good idea tocontact the author of theWeb page to let them knowyou will be sending your stu-dents there.

Resource Erwin Veugelers,computer–based instructionaldeveloper for InstructionalMedia and Design can workwith you to develop youronline course or online com-ponents for your course.Contact Erwin at (780) 497–5293 or <veugelerse@admin.gmcc.ab.ca> for a free initial consulta-tion.

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Online databases with full–text articles

The LRC subscribes to several Web–delivered databasesthat provide access to full text journal articles of a scholarlynature as well as to full text newspaper and magazine arti-cles. The complete list of databases, plus database infor-mation, is available through the Electronic Databases linkon the LRC Web site at <http://www.lrc.gmcc.ab.ca>. Onlinedatabases are accessible from any computer terminal oncampus equipped with a Web browser. Off–campus userscan access databases by entering the 13 digit bar codenumber from the student or staff ID card.

If you are requiring students to do research papers in yourcourse, you should consider providing students with instruc-tion on how to use the online databases to locate informa-tion. For on–campus students, instructors can contact AnnaKorus, reference library technician at 497–5884 orkorusa@yeats.gmcc.ab.ca to discuss your students’research or learning activity needs and to arrange forinstruction. Off–campus students can use the Ask aQuestion service available on the LRC Web site at<http://www.lrc.gmcc.ab.ca> (click on Ask a Question) or bye–mail at virtual@yeats.gmcc.ab.ca

Updating Course Content

• How do I make changes in the course once it is fin-ished? The most frequently needed change to an onlinecourse is updating changed Web site addresses. Youcan enter the new URL if you are comfortable editingHTML or forward updates to the technical staff assistingyou with course development and maintenance. In theLearn Online project, content changes are not madeunless there is approval from the program chair. Ifinstructors want to provide additional information to thecourse, they use the discussion list or bulletin board.

Copyright Issues

• How do I ensure I am not violating copyright laws when Iuse resources in my online course? Current Canadiancopyright legislation does not include Internet or Webbased resources. Until legal use of these resources is

Tip Consider including all ofyour online resources in oneplace within your course andrefer to the resource listthroughout the course mod-ules. The URLs for Web -based resources require fre-quent updating and keepingthem in one place will makeupdating your course easier.

Resource Lynn Feist,instructional designer andGord Lacey, Web developerfor the Learn Online projectare happy to share their expe-rience with online instruc-tional development and multi-media applications in theLearn Online project withyou. Contact Lynn at (780)497–5407 or <feistl@admin.gmcc.ab.ca> and Gord at(780) 497–5289 or <laceyg@admin.gmcc.ab.ca>.

defined, it is a good idea to be cautious when usingthem in your online course. If you are including outsidesources in your course, whether print–based or online,you should seek and receive copyright permission.

• How do I get copyright permission for online resources?Many Web sites include statements regarding copyrightpermission. Often permission to use the material can beobtained by contacting the Web site author whosee–mail address usually appears at the bottom of theopening screen. You should be aware that the authormay want compensation for use of his or her materialsor may set limits on your use of the material in yourcourse.

If you want to include printed materials as part of a coursepack for your online course, the Cancopy agreement forGrant MacEwan College includes a step–by–step checklistof what can and cannot be copied for educational purposesunder copyright law. The Cancopy agreement is available at<http://www.lrc.gmcc.ab.ca/staff/cancopy/index.html>.Contact the Bookstore Manager at (780) 497–5481 or <pattenm@admin.gmcc.ab.ca> for more information aboutthe Cancopy agreement or Kathleen Koch at 497–4350 or<kochk@yeats.gmcc.ab.ca>

The Cancopy agreement does not extend, however, toprinted materials that are scanned or otherwise publishedelectronically. You will have to request permission to useprinted materials in an electronic format from the publisher.Example: You have three articles that you want included inthe content for module 4. These articles are not availablethrough any online databases that you have access to butyou want them in an online format for your course. Youneed to contact the publisher for each article to request per-mission to use it in an electronic format. See the sample let-ter under the Resource heading at the end of this section.

• Do I really need to worry about copyright infringement?Yes, you need to protect yourself against legal actionthat could be taken against you by copyright holders ortheir agents for infringing and as a member of theCollege community, you are obligated to honor the termsof agreement signed between the College and CAN-COPY, a Canadian copyright collective that acts on

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Resource Yvonne Rezek,Web Services Librarian, pro-vides support to faculty byproviding customized educa-tion and training in the use ofWeb–based electronicresources. She also providesanalysis of course contentwith respect to availablelibrary services as well as helpin locating related onlinecourse material, evaluation ofWeb resources, and onlinelibrary services for on and offcampus students. ContactYvonne at (780) 497–5885 or<rezeky@yeats.gmcc.ab.ca>.

Resource Course Developer’sManual, C. Wright – section1.4 on Course Content.(Available at City Centre,Jasper Place and MillwoodsLRC’s, call number LB2361.W75)

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behalf of copyright holders. Copyright infringement iseasier to prosecute in an online course than in aface–to–face classroom as the course material is pub-lished online.

Copyright Permission Letter

A letter to the publisher requesting copyright permissionshould include the following information:

• Title, author, edition, copyright date and ISBN for materi-al

• Exact number of pages being used and total number ofpages being used from the work

• How the material is being used, such as for a course ordistance course, online, etc.

• Approximate quantity materials will be reproduced (howmany copies, students, etc.)

• Time frame (used for Fall semester, for 3 course offeringsover next 2 years, etc.)

For an online course, it is appropriate to mention whetheraccess to the course will be password protected, limitedaccess to registered students only, how the material will bepresented, such as a printed copy supporting an onlinecourse or as a pdf document within the course.

Example you have found aself–test that fits with thecontent in one of your coursemodules. You want to sendyour students to that site atthe end of the module as alearning activity. The self–testis part of another courseonline that does not requireusers to login through a pass-word. Unless the site includesa statement that grants unlim-ited use of the self–test, it isprudent in this case to ask theWeb site author for permis-sion to send your students tohis or her site.

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Learning ActivitiesLearning Activities Checklist

Here are some questions to review once you have devel-oped learning activities for your course:

❑ Do the learning activities relate to the learning goals oroutcomes?

❑ Do I have a variety of learning activities that can bedone on or off the computer?

❑ Are my instructions for each activity clear?

❑ Have I included examples or suggestions to direct stu-dents how to complete the activities or assignments?

❑ Have I included instructions on how to submit assign-ments, including assignment format, such as submittingan assignment as a Word or Wordperfect document?

❑ Have I told students when and how they will receivefeedback?

Learning activities engage the learner in the learningprocess. The learning activities discussed in this handbookare options that are facilitated by online learning technolo-gies but are not intended to be a comprehensive list oflearning activities. The term, learning activities, is used hereto indicate any activities that assist students in learning thecourse content. These activities may be graded, givenmarks for completion rather than achievement, or may beincluded for the student's use to learn course material. Morelearning activities are included in the section of the hand-book on Evaluation activities. The activities in that sectiontypically are graded or given marks for completion.

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In the description of the learning activities, each activity isrelated to learning objectives. The learning objectives usedin this handbook are:

• Knowledge Objectives – What I want students to know

• Skill Objectives – What I want students to do

• Attitudes Objectives – What I want students to feel orthink about a topic

The learning activities included here are meant only to pro-vide options for you as you create and select course activi-ties. Please use or adapt anything that you find useful inthis section. The discussion activity is the most fully devel-oped in this section as this is an activity that instructorsteaching online at Grant MacEwan College have indicated adesire to learn more about.

This section of the handbook includes:

• A list of learning activities• What each learning activity is• How the learning activity relates to learning objectives• How the learning activity can be facilitated or enhanced

by online learning technologies.• General tips

Review questions

Description:In this learning activity, students answer questions based onthe content they have recently reviewed.

Purpose:The student demonstrates their knowledge of the content byanswering the questions and identifying which content areasneed to be reviewed further. This activity relates to knowl-edge objectives.

Suggestions for use online:Online learning technologies facilitate review questionsthrough self-tests. By answering self-test questions, stu-dents can get immediate feedback on their knowledge ofthe content and are able to re-use the self-test as often asthey need to in order to learn it. Self-tests can be multiple-choice, matching or short answer format within course deliv-ery software such as WebCT or TopClass.

Example Following a sec-tion of the course, includereview questions focusing onthe concepts or facts youwant the students to know.Create a multiple-choice self-test at the end of the reviewsection that includes suggest-ed answers that will appear ifthe student selects the wronganswer. Monitor your stu-dents’ progress through theself-test or quiz by trackinghow often they completed theself-test and how well theydid. Follow-up with an e-mailto the student or to the classas a whole with commentsabout some of the difficultconcepts in that section orwith alternative ways tounderstand the concepts.

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Essays/Reports

Description:Students answer questions which require them to includemore information than in short answer questions, requiringthem to organize and synthesize their knowledge.

Purpose:Students demonstrate knowledge, understanding, and syn-thesis of knowledge according to the essay/report assign-ment criteria. Essays or reports are related toknowledge and attitude objectives.

Suggestions for use online:Online learning technologies facilitate essay/report assign-ments in several ways.

• Enhanced writing process. Students can submit a draftof their work to their peers or the instructor for commentsprior to handing the assignment in. This process is facili-tated by the Comment feature in Word and Wordperfectword processors that allows a reader to insert commentsat any point of the document. The comment location ishighlighted and can be reviewed by moving the mouseover the highlighted section of text or clicking on thecomment symbol. Comments can be edited or deleted.This feature allows readers to make comments “in themargins” rather than on a separate document. TheComment feature is found under the Insert pull-downmenu in both Word and Wordperfect programs.

• Collaborative writing process. Students can work togeth-er on assignments, communicating through discussionslists/bulletin boards, by e-mail or by chat if they canagree on a meeting time. Instructors can monitor thegroup work process by visiting the discussion/bulletinboard or by arranging for a chat time with the groupmembers.

• Access to research resources. Instructors can encour-age students to incorporate research resources into theirpaper by instructing them on how to access relevantresources through the LRC or through online resources.

Example Have studentswrite brief papers on a coursetopic and submit their papersto the bulletin board/discus-sion list. Have students selectone other paper to read. Thenask the students to write abrief response to the authorof the paper they read. Itcould be a question, a com-ment, or a statement ofagreement or disagreement.Students are marked on theiroriginal paper and on theirparticipation in commentingon another paper.

Resource See the Paper orProject Prospectus and theAnalytic Memos evaluationactivities in the Evaluationsection of the handbook forexamples of how to structureessay/report assignments

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Discussion

Description:A group discussion is a collaborative way to share and buildknowledge among a group of learners with a common learn-ing context.

Purpose:Learners demonstrate increased awareness of complexityand enhanced understanding when they discuss the mean-ing of ideas and events with each other. Discussions arerelated to knowledge and attitude objectives. Researchstudies have shown that the more students explain ideasand examples to themselves and others, the more theyunderstand. Discussions give students an opportunity toexplain what they understand about ideas within the courseand give instructors an opportunity to check on studentsunderstanding of a topic. Instructors need to encourage stu-dent explanations as they work through the content withoutrequiring finished reports of student knowledge.

Suggestions for online use:To be successful, groups need a common experience todraw them into participation, to establish a personal connec-tion with the content, and provide a shared reference pointfrom which to share their ideas. Group discussion requires atrigger, a starting point to initiate the group discussionprocess.

In online learning discussions are facilitated in synchronous(same time) and asynchronous (different time) ways. Sametime or synchronous learning technologies that facilitate dis-cussions include text-based chat rooms, audio- and video-conferencing. Asynchronous or different time learning tech-nologies include e-mail, or computer conferencing.Computer conferencing can include bulletin boards or dis-cussion areas that allow users to post messages, reply tomessages and organize previous messages allowing usersto refer back to them. Marking student participation is facili-tated by the discussion archive as all messages remain onthe discussion list/bulletin board for the duration of thecourse.

Example There are severalkinds of questions that can beasked, to guide your students’thinking about the course con-tent. These questions include:

• Description–What did yousee? What happened? What isthe difference between…?

• Reflection–What was inter-esting? What was surprising?

• Analogy–What else does itremind you of? What else doesit look like?

• Common Purpose–What isthe purpose of…? What is theusual function of?

• Procedures–How was thisdone? What is the normal nextstep?

• Possibilities–What elsecould….? How could we….? Ifwe didn't have…., whatcould….?

• Theorizing–Why is it thatway? What is the reason for it?

• Generalization–What is thesame about….and…? Whatcould you generalize from theseevents? What principle is oper-ating here?

• Definition–Whatdoes…mean? Define theword…?

• Prediction–What will happennext? What will you see? Whatwill be the effect?

• Justification–How can youtell? What evidence led youto…?

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How do I start a discussion online? Instructors shouldbegin by welcoming students to the online discussion andcongratulating them on having successfully entered theonline course. The first message should invite the studentsto respond. Instructors should respond to the first messagefrom each student in a friendly and timely manner. Unlessstudents receive feedback, they will not continue to postmessages.

A late start can affect a student's progress in the course.Instructors should ensure that all students have signed ontothe course and have responded once within the first twoweeks of the course. Students who have not communicatedonline should be contacted by direct e-mail or by telephonebefore the end of the second week.

Questions are a powerful way to initiate discussion and tocreate opportunities for learning. Questions open students'eyes to alternatives, erroneous assumptions, and eventuali-ties they have not considered. They function to challengestudents to develop a deeper understanding of their ownknowledge.

Once a discussion has begun, what do I do to keep itgoing? When a learner contributes to the discussion orasks a question, an effective teacher responds withoutchanging the topic to share his or her own information orperspective from a posture of mutual respect. A good dis-cussion is one that leaves room for more than the rightanswer. One benefit of discussion is that it gives the instruc-tor an opportunity to check on the learner's understanding ofa topic and to broaden and deepen that understanding.

What if no one participates? Students may resist partici-pating in an online discussion if they feel that the discussionactivity is not a required part of the course. If including dis-cussions in your course is important to you, ensure the stu-dents are given instructions about their responsibilities forparticipation and how that participation will be evaluated.

How do I incorporate discussions into my onlinecourse? One way to incorporate discussions within anonline course is to schedule specific periods for discussions.By scheduling different discussions for each module or seg-ment of the course, the instructor can notify students of the

Tip Putting a comment inthe wrong discussion or a pri-vate e-mail into the coursediscussion is a common mis-take. When this occurs, themessage needs to be deletedfrom the inappropriate loca-tion and put where it belongs.One way to do this is to copythe message and mail it to theauthor with an explanation ofwhy this is being done, thento delete it. The author willhave a copy to edit and sendto the correct recipient or dis-cussion.

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beginning and end of each discussion, so that studentshave time to contribute to the discussion while it is current.

Should I give grades for participation in discussions?Students may resist participation in online discussion, par-ticularly if they see it as an activity that is extra to gradedcourse activities. Several authors recommend assigninggrades to discussion participation. (Harrasim et al., 1995). Ifparticipation in online discussions is a voluntary, ungradedactivity, pragmatic students will not participate at all. Gradescan be based upon frequency of contributions, the numberand length of student messages, and deadlines. A suggest-ed guideline for student participation is that students shouldparticipate at least three times a week; once to read coursecontent and assignments, once to make their contribution tothe class discussion and at least once to respond to contri-butions made by other students. If participation is less fre-quent than twice a week, the discussion can lag and stu-dents may become frustrated with the delay in receivingfeedback from other students.

Ways an instructor can respond to student messages in adiscussion list or bulletin board include:

• Summaries – When many comments have been madeconcerning a topic, the instructor needs to summarizethem and focus the discussion that follows. A good sum-mary message refers to specific ideas and informationfrom previous comments. It identifies points of agree-ment and disagreement, supplies a unifying overview byinterpreting the discussion, and gives the class a bettersense of where they are going next. The comment mayend with suggestions for further discussion of unresolvedissues or it may indicate the end of that discussion topicand the beginning of a new topic.

• Paraphrase – Rephrase the underlying message thelearner is sending in your own words, not the learner'swords. Example: Student says, “I am confused, I stilldon't know what you want from me.” Paraphrase: “Yousee no way to start, huh?”

• Parallel Personal Comment or Example CommentWithout changing the topic, talk about one's own currentfeelings or a past experience, or a current or past exam-

Message guidelines• In the subject line include

one or more keywordsthat tell readers the focusof the message

• Limit message length toone or two screens.Longer messages shouldinclude a brief summaryat the beginning and anindication of the length soreaders can choose toprint it to read

• A message should containone point plus examples.If there are two points,there should be two sepa-rate messages

Tip Messages are informalcommunications – as long asthe content is clear, minorgrammar and typing problemscan be ignored. For longermessages, it might be faster tocompose using a word proces-sor, run it through the spellchecker and then copy andpaste it into the e-mail or dis-cussion list.

ple that matches exactly what the learner has said andprovides further insight into the concept under discus-sion.

• Leading Query on Learner's Topic – Ask for clarificationof aspects of the comment. Such responses include,“Could you elaborate or give an example?”, “Who canbuild on what she's saying?”

• Provide More Information – Include further information orsuggest further sources to explore for more information.

Case studies

Description:A case study is a factual account of human experience cen-tered in a problem or issue faced by a person, group ororganization. It can raise a variety of complex issues andstimulate discussions of alternative viewpoints. Typically,case studies are written objectively and include a briefoverview of the situation, its context, and the major deci-sions that must be made.

Purpose:Learners develop their ability to articulate their thoughts,frame problems, generate solutions, and evolve principlesthat may apply to other situations. Case studies are usefulin assisting students with the development of judgmentaland diagnostic skills.

Suggestions for use online:Case studies can serve as a trigger for discussions, provid-ing students with a common point of reference to comparetheir interpretations of the case study and their suggestedsolutions.

Visual Studies

Description:A visual study is a direct depiction of a concept. Using pic-tures or video, a visual study can raise a variety of complexissues and stimulate discussions.

Purpose:Like case studies, visual studies give learners a commonreference point to begin a discussion and aid learners in

Example Students readthrough a case study that iscomplete enough that they candefine the problem, is open-ended, allowing for multipleinterpretations, includes under-lying value conflicts, and isrelated to the content of yourcourse. Students complete fol-low-up questions that ask themto articulate their interpretationof the case and to support thatinterpretation. Students submittheir assignments to the instruc-tor who posts them onto thebulletin board/discussion list.Students are then required toread at least one other casestudy interpretation andrespond.

Resource Visit the Universityof Tennessee, TeachingResource Center Web site for amore detailed discussion ofwhy and how to use case stud-ies at <http://ntlf.com/html/lib/faq/cs-utenn.htm>

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developing their ability to articulate their thoughts, frameproblems, generate solutions, and evolve principles thatmay apply to other situations.

Suggestions for use online:Visual studies can be facilitated through multimedia tech-nologies, allowing students to view the visual study as manytimes as they need and then to answer review questions orto participate in a discussion.

Problem-based learning activities

Description:These are activities in which students identify issues raisedby specific problems to help develop understanding aboutunderlying concepts and principles. Students presented witha problem have two objectives: solution of the problem andlearning related to the problem. Students use a range ofresources to acquire knowledge required to solve the prob-lem.

Purpose:Problem-based learning activities require students to identifyissues in the topic area, to identify areas in which they needto acquire more knowledge in order to solve the problem,and to apply their content knowledge to resolve the prob-lem. These learning activities relate to knowledge and skillobjectives as students are required to make use of theirknowledge in order to solve the problem. Students demon-strate understanding and application of knowledge to anunfamiliar context or case. These learning activities promotethe development of self assessment as a way to direct thelearner to further learning, necessary for self-directed learn-ers.

Suggestions for use online:Problem-based learning activities are often used in trainingfor health sciences professions but can also be used in anyfield in which students will have to apply principles and the-ories to complex or difficult situations. In the traditionalapproach to education, rules and principles are presentedfirst. Students then apply these rules to clinical problems orexamples. In a problem-based approach the order isreversed. Students tackle problems or examples first and indoing so discover the rules and principles for themselves.

Example A clinical prob-lem is posed to students, setin a common clinical contextthat requires them to activelyprocess information, to usetheir prior knowledge, andprovides opportunities for thestudents to elaborate on andorganize their knowledge. Thestudents work in pairs, com-municating through e-mail orpre-arranged chat to developa solution and to provide rea-sons why they feel their solu-tion will address the problem.The instructor, after readingthe submitted solutions, picksa couple to post to the class,so students can see good solutions that are well supported.

Example Students are askedto watch a video clip illustratingseveral concepts covered previ-ously in an interpersonal rela-tions and communicationsmodule. Students are thenasked to analyze the video clip,by labeling the communicationbehaviors and explaining theirrole in the visual case study.Students are also asked to relatethose communication behaviorsto communication theoriesalready covered in the courseand to suggest differentresponses for the actors in theclip. Students submit the assign-ment to the instructor whodevelops some questions fordiscussion based on the stu-dents' work.

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This approach can be applied to any content in which thestudents need to develop a working, applied knowledge of aset of principles or rules. Students will need, however, clearinstructions at the beginning of the exercise on what theirobjectives are, what resources they need to access, andwhat form the resolution of the problem will take.

Examinations

Description:An examination is a common way to stimulate students toreview course content.

Purpose:Completion, true-false, and multiple choice exams supportmemorization of facts and statements. Essay and shortanswer examinations support attaining an overall concept ofthe content. This learning activity relates to knowledgeobjectives, although depending on the kind of questionsasked, can also relate to skill and attitude objectives.

Suggestions for Use Online:Both TopClass and WebCT have multiple choice, true-false,matching, short answer, and paragraph questions.

Simulations

Description:A simulation is a learning activity that allows the student topractice skills and knowledge under conditions similar to thereal situation the simulation emulates. It is a technology-facilitated way to learn by doing.

Purpose:Students practicing skills in a simulated environment cangain competencies prior to their engagement in a real situa-tion. This learning activity relates to knowledge and skillobjectives. Simulations are useful in assisting students withthe development of judgmental and diagnostic skills.

Suggestions for Use Online:A simulation is facilitated through multimedia technologiesthat can produce a virtual object or environment that can bemanipulated in ways similar to a real situation.

Example An audiometersimulation was created for theHearing Aid PractitionerProgram. The simulationallows students to set thecontrols on the audiometerand receive the appropriatesound and/or feedback as ifthey were working with thereal piece of testing equip-ment. Exercises using theaudiometer simulationincludes content covering theaudiometer functions and aself-test requiring students toenter the correct settings fortesting situations.

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Plagiarism

Plagiarism is a concern in online courses as information canbe copied and pasted directly into student papers or existingpapers can be downloaded and submitted as original work.The following suggestions on how to recognize and reduceonline plagiarism is reproduced from a Web site, How Can IPrevent Plagiarism? available at<http://alexia.lis.uiuc.edu/~janicke/plagiary.htm>

How Can I Reduce Plagiarism?

• Emphasize the processes involved in doing researchand writing papers. Ways to do so include requiring topicproposals, idea outlines, multiple drafts, interim workingbibliographies, and photocopies of sources.

• Require students to engage and apply ideas, not justdescribe them.

• Require students to reflect personally on the topic or theprocesses of research and writing, either in the paper oras an additional writing assignment.

• Discuss plagiarism with students, both what it is andyour policies about it.

How Can I Detect Plagiarism?

• Check for unusual formatting or formatting that does notmatch what you require. In particular, check for Web siteprintout page numbers or dates, grayed out letters andunusual use of upper/lower case and capitalization.

• Notice any jargon or advanced vocabulary or sentencestructure.

• Read quotations carefully. Do they sound like a quotefrom an interview? Are there quotes without bibliographicentries?

• Reference the original assignment. Are any portions ofthe assignment completely left out? Do any portionsread like they were “added on” to the paper? Is it the

Tip Instead of writinginstructions such as:

Read the article on corporatetakeovers and write a twopage analysis of the article.

you might want to considerproviding more detail aboutthe kind of analysis you areexpecting. The followinginstructions provide the stu-dent with more guidelinesabout what you expect themto do for the assignment.

Read the article on corporatetakeovers and write a twopage, double-spaced analysis ofthe author's interpretation ofthe recent purchase ofCanadian by Air Canadaand what the implications ofthat event are for theCanadian air industry andCanadian consumers.Although you are not requiredto cite other sources, you maywant to include some informa-tion from the readings in mod-ules 2 and 3.

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correct type of paper, e.g. descriptive, position, first per-son, narrative?

• Review the bibliography. Is the correct citation styleused? Is the citation style used consistently? Does itmatch the sources referenced in the paper? Are theremany items that the academic institution’s library doesnot have?

Resources

Digital Integrityhttp://www.findsame.com/This website allows you to search for a block of text andis useful in tracking down sections of text if you suspecta student has inappropriately copied and pasted it intohis or her work.

Wright, C. (1987) Course Developer’s Manual. GrantMacEwan Community College. (City Centre, Jasper andMillwoods LRC’s call number LB 2361.W75) This manualis a practical guide written for Grant MacEwan instruc-tors who are developing a course. The manual is intend-ed for instructors who are writing a print, module-baseddistance course, however, it provides a good guide onhow to structure and organize a course regardless ofcourse format.

• The Learning Resource Center (LRC) can help studentsfind and access resources. All students and faculty areencouraged to use the resources available at the LRCWeb site at <http://www.lrc.gmcc.ab.ca>. Distance stu-dents may also go to the Distance Learning link for spe-cific distance learning information and book and articlerequest forms. Students and faculty need a validatedstudent or staff ID card with a 13 digit bar code numberin order to access many LRC services. Call 497-5850 or1-800-565-4824 to obtain a validated ID card. A virtualreference service is available through the Ask aQuestion link on the LRC home page. Research ques-tions will be answered within 48 hours. Marlene Baltareassists in research and delivery of library resources fordistance students. She can be contacted at 497-5858 or<baltarem@yeats.gmcc.ab.ca>.

General Tips• Consider including a mix

of assignments that can becompleted online andaway from the computer.Some students may not beable to work on all of thecourse sitting in front of acomputer. Assignmentsand activities that allowthe student to print outinstructions and workaway from the computermay help your studentsmake better use of theirtime when they can workonline.

• Consider providing anexample of what you wantfor an assignment.Students may require moredetailed instructions thanyou think are necessaryfor online assignments.Instead of telling studentsto go to a Web site andthen complete reviewquestions, consider tellingthem what headings orlinks within the site youwant them to look at.Students have reportedspending much more timeon Web-based resourcesfor assignments thaninstructors intended themto because they found alarge amount of relevantinformation and wereunsure what they shouldfocus on.

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• Summary of Best Practices in College Teaching by TomDrummond, North Seattle Community College<http://nsccux.sccd.ctc.edu/~eceprog/bstprac.html>This site is a good listing of teaching and learning prac-tices centered on classroom based teaching but applica-ble to other delivery formats.

• Tips to facilitate critical thinking in your classroom(Sonoma State University)<http://www.criticalthinking.org/K12/k12class/tsrecom.nclk>. This site is a listing of practical tips to incorporatecritical thinking into your teaching practice. Although it isfocused on classroom teaching, the tips are applicable toother teaching contexts.

• The Online Report on Pedagogical Techniques forComputer-Mediated Communication By Morten FlatePaulsen<http://www.nettskolen.com/forskning/19/cmcped.html>.This site from Norway lists and describes several tech-niques to use online communication for learning activi-ties. He breaks the techniques into the number of partici-pants for each technique: one-alone, one-to-one, one-to-many and many-to-many. His discussion is from a uni-versity, research-based perspective and does not includepractical tips on how to use the techniques but is a sys-tematic listing of different online learning activities.

• Ted Panitz’s Cooperative Learning page<http://www.capecod.net/~tpanitz/tedspage>. Ted is aprofessor of math in an eastern American college andhas put together a variety of resources focusing oncooperative learning. This site includes a cooperativelearning e-book and a WAC e-book containing a varietyof writing assignments. His writing assignments are tar-geted at in-class teaching contexts but can be adaptedto an online environment.

Resources Web Sites onOnline Plagiarism:• Western Illinois University<http://www.wiu.edu/users/

mfbhl/wiu/plagiarism.htm>• Indiana University Writing

Resources<http://www.indiana.edu/~

wts/wts/plagiarism.html>

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EvaluationEvaluation Checklist

Here are some questions to review once you have devel-oped the evaluation activities for your course:

❑ Do the evaluation activities relate to the learning goalsor outcomes for the course?

❑ Are my instructions for each assignment or exam clear?

❑ Have I included examples or suggestions to direct stu-dents how to complete assignments?

❑ Have I included instructions on how to submit assign-ments, including assignment format, such as submittingan assignment as a Word or Wordperfect document?

❑ Have I told students when and how they will receivefeedback?

Evaluation activities include activities within the course thatprovide the instructor with information on how well the stu-dents have learned course content and/or achieved learningobjectives. In the case of formative evaluations, instructorsindentify the content or skill areas that students still need towork on. Although evaluation of student knowledge andcompetencies is typically associated with assigning grades,informal or supplementary assessment activities can alsoprovide quick feedback to the instructor on what areas needto be focused on.

This section of the handbook includes:

• A list of evaluation techniques

• A description of each technique including its purpose,suggestions for use, a step-by-step procedure, andideas on how to make use of the evaluation information

• Suggestions on what to do or avoid doing when usingthis technique

Resource Angelo, T. A. &Cross, K. P. (1993) ClassroomAssessment Techniques: AHandbook for College Teachers,San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.(Available at LRC City CentreCampus: call number LB2822.75.A54 1993)

Grant MacEwan CollegeOnline Course EvaluationFormAn evaluation form templateis available at:http://www.gmcc.ab.ca/nw/hcs/webct/form.html

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The assessment techniques listed below are meant to sup-plement traditional, summative forms of evaluation such asexaminations and final or term projects. These formative,less formal assessment techniques can reduce the uncer-tainty that instructors and students feel as they facemidterms, final examinations, and the calculation of coursegrades.

Angelo and Cross, make some suggestions to begin usingassessment techniques successfully:

1. If an assessment technique does not appeal to your intu-ition and professional judgement as teacher, don’t use it.

2. Don’t make assessment into a self-inflicted chore or bur-den. Start small. Select one assessment activity toassess a learning goal that you feel already works fairlywell. Build on the feedback you get from the students.

3. Don’t ask your students to use any assessment tech-nique you haven’t previously tried on yourself.

4. Allow for more time than you think you will need to carryout and respond to the assessment.

5. Make sure to “close the loop”. Let students know whatyou learn from their feedback and how you and they canuse that information to improve learning.

6. Don’t use an assessment technique to ask for studentfeedback if you are not willing to consider changing howyou teach that section of the course or if you are not pre-pared to deal with the sort of feedback you may receive.

Assessing Prior Knowledge, Recall,and Understanding

Focused Listing

Description:This technique focuses students’ attention on a single impor-tant term, name, or concept from a particular lesson anddirects them to list several ideas that are closely related tothat “focus point.”

Note These assessmenttechniques have been adapt-ed for use in online coursesand are based on the tech-niques found in the book,Classroom AssessmentTechniques: A Handbook forCollege Teachers by Thomas A.Angelo and K. PatriciaCross, 2nd edition, 1993.Jossey–Bass: San Francisco.Adapted by permission ofJossey-Bass, Inc., a sub-sidiary of John Wiley &Sons. Inc.

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Purpose:Focused Listing is a tool for quickly determining what learnersrecall as the most important points related to a particulartopic. It can help instructors assess how well students candescribe or define a central point in a lesson, and it can beginto illuminate the web of concepts that students connect withthat point. Practicing this technique can help students learn tofocus attention and improve recall.

Suggestions for Use:Focused Listing can be used before, during, or after the rele-vant lesson. As a result, instructors can use this technique tomeasure the class’s progress in learning one specific elementof the course content. It can be used relatively frequently incourses where a large amount of new information is regularlyintroduced.

Step-By-Step Procedure:1. Select an important topic or concept that the class has just

studied or is about to study and describe it in a word orbrief phrase.

2. Write that word or phrase at the top of a document as theheading for a Focused List or related terms important tounderstanding that topic.

3. Set a limit on the number of items you will write – five toten items are usually sufficient.

4. Adhering to your own limits, make a list of important wordsand phrases you can recall that are related to and sub-sumed by your heading.

5. Look over your list quickly, adding any important items youmay have left out.

6. If you are still convinced that the topic is important andwell defined, give your students the same focus topic, tellthem the length limits and ask them to make a FocusedList.

Ideas on how to use this Technique:Provide students with the focus topic along with their assign-ment and ask them to complete the Focused List and submitit.

NotesMake sure that both the taskand the limits are clear andthat students know if youexpect them to apply any par-ticular criteria in generatingtheir lists, such as listing onlydefining words, synonyms, orexamples.

Focus on a term or concept soimportant that you want stu-dents to remember it threeyears after the course is over.

Always work through this tech-nique yourself before using itin your course. Make sure youhave your own Focused Listready.

Make your Focused List available to the students on thebulletin board or discussion list for comparison and to elicitquestions and discussions.

Make a follow-up list that combines the best of the students’lists with your own and post it on the discussion list. Thisactivity provides students with an opportunity to think aboutwhat is most important to learn, know, and remember aboutthat topic.

Use Focused Listing again at intervals after the first time. Itthen becomes a technique not only for assessing longer-term recall but also for reinforcing and deepening learningand encouraging restructuring of knowledge.

Misconception/Preconception Check

Description:The Misconception/Preconception Check focuses on uncov-ering prior knowledge or beliefs that may hinder or blockfurther learning.

Purpose:The greater obstacle to new learning often is not the stu-dent’s lack of prior knowledge but, rather, the existence ofprior knowledge. Instructors can benefit from discoveringearly in the term which common misconceptions and pre-conceptions students have that are likely to interfere withtheir learning in a given course. This technique is designedto uncover specific instances of incorrect or incompleteknowledge, attitudes, or values that represent likely barriersto new learning. Because assessment activities such as thisidentify misconceptions and preconceptions early on andhelp students explicitly recognize and understand them,students stand a much greater chance of learning newmaterial correctly and integrating it into their “revised” andoften “transformed” knowledge structures.

Suggestions for Use:Although there are common misperceptions or preconcep-tions about every field, they seem to be most common inthose areas of the curriculum that have the greatest overlapwith life outside the classroom. This technique can be par-ticularly useful in dealing with controversial or sensitiveissues.

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Note Many students areboth surprised and relieved tolearn that they are not alonein being mistaken or unclearabout a given topic. The feed-back session can provide thatreassurance.

Step-By-Step Procedure:1. Start by identifying some of the most troublesome com-

mon misconceptions or preconceptions students bring toyour course. Brainstorming this question with colleaguesin your department can be an effective way to generatesuch a list.

2. Select a handful of these troublesome ideas and beliefs -ones that are likely to interfere most with learning in yourcourse – and focus your Misconception/PreconceptionCheck on them.

3. Create a simple questionnaire to elicit information aboutstudents’ ideas and beliefs in these areas. A multiple-choice format in WebCT and TopClass can be adaptedto include a Likert-scale response if you need to knowhow strongly held the beliefs or ideas are.

4. Have a colleague read your questions to make sure theydo not seem patronizing, threatening, or obvious.

5. Before giving the questionnaire to your students, thinkthrough how you will respond to several likely outcomes.Remove any questions or topics you do not feel pre-pared to deal with.

6. Explain your reasons for using this technique to the stu-dents and announce when and how you plan to respondto their feedback. Give a summary of the studentsresponses back to the students – use that summary as adiscussion trigger.

Ideas on how to use this Technique:To encourage candid responses to sensitive topics, begin byasking students to identify common misconceptions and pre-conceptions that they think other people have about thetopic.

Re-administer the same questionnaire later in the term -after your instructional response – to see what, if anything,has changed and how.

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NotesWhen students do explicitlyrecognize and question theirown knowledge, beliefs, andattitudes, they gain a measureof control over their ownthinking. This technique canhelp students take one smallstep in the direction ofself–knowledge andself–awareness.

The most obvious disadvan-tage of this technique is thatvirtually no one enjoys havinghis or her certainties ques-tioned. Unlearning, thoughoften necessary, can be verydifficult. Tread lightly whendealing with potentially sensi-tive issues if you want stu-dents to open up enough torisk having their assumptionschallenged. In general, do notuse this technique to focus onissues that students may findpersonally threatening until aclimate of trust and civilityhas been established in thecourse.

Empty Outlines

Description:The instructor provides students with an empty or partiallycompleted outline of an assignment and has them fill in theblank spaces. This technique helps students better organizeand learn course content.

Purpose:The Empty Outline technique helps instructors find out howwell students have “caught” the important part of the coursemodule, reading or other presentation of content. It alsohelps learners recall and organize the main points of a les-son within an appropriate knowledge structure, makingretention more likely and aiding understanding.

Suggestions for Use:This technique works best in courses where a large amountof content – facts and principles – is presented regularly ina highly structured manner. For example, Empty Outlineshave been used with success in introductory courses inphysical and life sciences, nursing, and law. The techniquecan be used at the conclusion of a lesson. You can use thisas a self-study exercise or as a short answer quiz.

Step-By-Step Procedure:1. Create an outline of the lesson, discussion, or reading

you want to focus on.

2. Make conscious decisions about the level on which, youwill focus the Empty Outline and, thus, the students’attention. Do you want students to supply the main top-ics, the main subtopics, or the supporting details? Thesedecisions will determine what information you supply inthe form and what you leave out.

3. If your Empty Outline focuses on a presentation or dis-cussion, make sure that your own notes reflect anyimportant changes that may have occurred betweenwhat was scripted and what actually happened.

4. Let students know how much time they should spendcompleting the outlines and the kinds of responses youprefer –- words, short phrases or brief sentences.

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NotesFeedback on responses givesimportant direction and use-ful models to less experiencedstudents.

Empty Outlines can help stu-dents better organize andmore effectively reorganizetheir memories of the materi-al they are learning.

The Empty Outline can beused to demonstrate the basicorganizing schemes of thediscipline and to give studentspractice in using theseschemes.

Don't try to assess too muchat any one time. If there aretwenty main points in themodule you are focusing on,for example, use the EmptyOutline to assess understand-ing of only one–third or halfof that material.

5. Be sure to announce the purpose of the assessmentand the time when the students will receive feedback ontheir responses. If you are using this as a self-studytechnique, you may want to ask students in the classdiscussion list or bulletin board to share their answers orto discuss problems they encountered.

Ideas for using the Technique:If students have a great deal of difficulty completing theEmpty Outline, try providing the class with a jumbled list ofheadings and subheadings and letting them structure theoutline by using that content. Provide main headings but notsubheadings; at other times, list the subheadings or detailsand ask students to fill in the main points.

Minute Paper

Description:The Minute Paper provides a quick and simple way to col-lect written feedback on student learning. After completing asection or module, the instructor asks students to respondbriefly to some variation of the following two questions:“What was the most important thing you learned during thissection?” and “What important question remains unan-swered?” Students write their responses and submit themby e-mail.

Purpose:The great advantage of Minute Papers is that they providemanageable amounts of timely and useful feedback for aminimal investment of time and energy. By asking studentswhat they see as the most significant things they are learn-ing, and what their major questions are, instructors canquickly check how well those students are learning whatthey are teaching. That feedback can help instructorsdecide whether any mid-course corrections or changes areneeded and, if so, what kinds of instructional adjustments tomake. Getting the instructor's feedback on their MinutePapers helps students learn how experts in a given disci-pline distinguish the major points from the details. TheMinute Paper also ensures that students' questions will beraised, and in many cases answered, in time to facilitatefurther learning.

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NotesMinute Papers are effectivewhere many issues and ques-tions have limited life spansand time is always in short sup-ply.

If Minute Papers are overusedor poorly used, students willbegin to view the technique asa gimmick or an exercise inpolling. Not all learning experi-ences can be meaningfullyassessed by an instrument thatasks learners to note significantpoints or remaining questions.

Despite its simplicity, the Minute Paper assesses more thanmere recall. To select the most important or significant infor-mation, learners must first evaluate what they recall. Then,to come up with a question, students must self-assess -asking themselves how well they understand what theyhave just studied.

Suggestions for Use:Minute Papers can be used to assess what students havelearned from a discussion, content presentation, lab ses-sion, study-group meeting, field trip, homework assignment,video clip, or exam. Minute Papers work well at the end orbeginning of a module, serving either as warm-up or wrap-up activities. Minute Papers can be used frequently incourses that regularly present students with a great deal ofnew information.

Step-By-Step Procedure:1. Decide first what you want to focus on and, as a conse-

quence, when to administer the Minute Paper. If youwant to focus on students' understanding of the modulecontent, at the end of the module may be the best time.If your focus is on a prior assignment, the beginning ofthe module may be more appropriate.

2. Using the two basic questions from the "Description"above as starting points, write Minute Paper promptsthat fit your course and students. Try out your MinutePaper on a colleague before using it in the course.

3. Plan to discuss the results of the technique later in thecourse.

4. Let students know how much time they should spendanswering the question (two to four minutes per questionis usually enough), what kinds of answers you want(words, phrases, or short sentences), and when they canexpect your feedback.

Ideas for using the Technique:Simply tabulating the responses and making note of anyuseful comments is often all the analysis needed. Considersaving Minute Papers from early in the term to comparewith responses at midterm and later. Comparing responsesover time can allow you to see changes and development in

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NotesTo temper expectations and pre-vent individual disappointment,let the class know in advancethat you may not be able tocomment on every importantpoint and question submitted. Itis often wise to promise lessfeedback than you think you candeliver. Let students know inadvance, for example, that youwill respond to the three mostcommonly raised points andquestions from their MinutePapers, even though you hope todo more.

Responding to Minute Papersoften takes longer than planned,because questions lead to furtherquestions. Build in some flexibili-ty but set clear limits for the timeyou will spend on feedback.

Initially, a number of studentsmay have difficulty explaining, oreven naming, what it is that theydon't understand. Becomingeffective self–assessors takestime and practice, and you maynot wish to develop that skillduring the course.

the clarity of student writing and thoughtfulness of answers.

Use only half of the Minute Paper. That is, ask studentseither for the most important point(s) or for theirquestion(s). A variation of the Minute Paper is the MuddiestPoint in which you ask students to respond to the question,“What was the muddiest point in the module, discussion,assignment, presentation?”

Have students submit their Minute Papers to the class bul-letin board/discussion list. Assign different students the taskof analyzing and presenting the results to the class. Rotatethe assignment as part of the students' participation marks.

Assessing Skills in Analysis andCritical Thinking

Analytic Memos

Description:The Analytic Memo requires students to write a one or twopage analysis of a specific problem or issue. The person forwhom the memo is being written is usually identified as anemployer, a client, or a stakeholder who needs the stu-dent's analysis to inform decision making.

Purpose:Analytic Memos assess students’ ability to analyzeassigned problems by using the discipline-specificapproaches, methods, and techniques they are learning.This technique also assesses students’ skill at communicat-ing their analyses in a clear and concise manner. Thisshort, structured writing assignment provides high-qualityfeedback on students’ analytic and writing skills as a by-product of an intellectually challenging and realistic skill-building exercise.

Suggestions for Use:Analytic Memos are particularly useful in disciplines thatclearly relate to public policy or management, such as polit-ical science, economics, criminal justice, social work, edu-cation, environmental studies, management and publichealth. This technique works best when used early in the

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term, as a means to help students prepare for later gradedmemo-writing assignments. Because preparing and assess-ing the Analytic Memos takes quite a bit of time and effort,this technique is best suited to seminars and small classes.

Step-By-Step Procedure:1. Determine which analytic methods or techniques you

wish to assess.

2. Locate or invent an appropriate, well-focused, and typi-cal problem or situation for the students to analyze. Getbackground information on the problem or invent someplausible information.

3. Specify who is writing the memo and for whom it isbeing written, as well as its subject and purpose.

4. Write your own Analytic Memo on the subject. Keeptrack of any difficulties you have in writing the memoand note how long it takes you from start to finish. Askyourself whether it really required the type of analysisyou were hoping to assess and whether you found it aninformative and instructive exercise.

5. Decide whether you want students to work alone, inpairs, or in small groups.

6. Develop an explicit, half-page directions sheet for yourstudents. Specify the students’ role, the identify of theaudience, the specific subject to be addressed, thebasic analytic approach to be taken, the length limit(usually one or two pages) and the assignment dead-line.

7. Explain to students how this assessment can help pre-pare them for subsequent course assignments and fortheir careers.

Ideas for using the Technique:The basic challenge in analyzing Analytic Memos is toextract useful information while severely limiting the amountof time and energy you spend. Devise a short checklist ofthree to five major points to look for in each memo and limityourself to just those points. For example, you might want

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NotesAnalytic Memos are valuable,realistic, and substantiallearning exercises in them-selves; they build and sharpenskills, in addition to providingfeedback for assessment.

To get good feedback withthis technique, choose aproblem that is both realenough and rich enough togenerate thoughtful analysis.

Students may resist investingtheir time and energy in anexercise that will not be grad-ed. You may need to offerstudents some course creditfor successfully completingthe Analytic Memos, eventhough they will not be grad-ed, in order to motivate themto do a good job.

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to evaluate your students’ Analytic Memos for content, thebreadth of the analysis and the quality of the information;skill (the skill with which the relevant tools or methods wereemployed in the analysis); and writing (clarity, conciseness,appropriateness of format, and overall writing quality). Makeup a simple grid on which you can check off “Well done,”“Acceptable,” “Needs work” for each of the major pointsyou focus on as you read. If you must write comments, limityourself to two or three very specific ones.

Use the Analytic Memo as the first draft of a graded memo-writing assignment.

Divide the class into “policy analysts” and “policy makers”;then have the policy makers respond, in memo format, tothe policy analysts memos.

Word Journal

Description:The Word Journal prompts a two-part response. First, thestudent summarizes a short text in a single word. Second,the student writes a paragraph or two explaining why he orshe chose that particular word to summarize the text. Thecompleted response to the Word Journal is an abstract or asynopsis of the focus text.

Purpose:The Word Journal can help instructors assess and improveseveral related skills. First, it focuses on students’ ability toread carefully and deeply. Second, it assesses skill and cre-ativity at summarizing what has been read. And third, itassesses the students’ skill at explaining and defending, injust a few more words, their choice of single summary word.Practice with this technique helps students develop the abili-ty to write highly condensed abstracts and to “chunk” largeamounts of information for more effective storage in long-term memory. These skills are useful in almost any field,particularly the professions.

Suggestions for Use:The Word Journal works wherever students are expected toread carefully and thoughtfully – to understand concepts,not simply to memorize information. It works especially well

in courses that focus on primary texts rather than textbooks.This technique can easily be adapted for use in courses inliterature, anthropology, sociology, criminal justice, history,management and law. Because of the extreme condensa-tion required to summarize a reading in one word, however,this technique is best used to assess the reading of shorttexts, such as essays, poems, short stories, short articles,and cases.

Step-By-Step Procedure:1. Choose one of the short texts that your students will be

assigned to read.

2. Decide what aspect of that text – main theme, centralconflict or problem, core metaphor – you want the stu-dents to focus on.

3. To determine whether the exercise is feasible and pro-ductive, try following your own directions.

4. If you find the Word Journal process thought-provoking,prepare to explain and administer the technique in yourcourse.

5. Tell the students that the choice of a specific word isless important than the quality of the explanation for thatchoice. Give them some ideas about what their explana-tions should contain, and inform them that the wordsthey choose must be connected to their interpretationsof the text.

Ideas for using the Technique:Before you collect responses to the Word Journal, take afew minutes to come up with your own list of reasonable“summary words” for the assigned text. Jot down somenotes about the kinds of arguments and analyses you hopestudents will offer in defence of their word choices. As youread the journals, keep track of words that are used bymore than one student, or related terms that crop up. Payclose attention to the justifications that students give fortheir word choices. When possible, categorize Word Journalresponses not only by the summary words but also by thetypes of explanations offered. After analyzing the respons-es, select examples of three or four different approachesthat you can share with the class.

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NotesThe Word Journal requiresstudents to read deeply and toconstruct meaning from whatthey had read. It promotesactive learning through read-ing.

The act of choosing a singleword to sum up a reading,and then explaining and advo-cating for that word, encour-ages students to make person-al connections with the textsthey are reading and to takeresponsibility for their ideas.

This is not an effective tech-nique to use in cases wherethere is only one acceptableway to summarize a giventext. The Word Journal worksonly when students have thefreedom to explore andexpress their own interpreta-tions.

Unless students have opportu-nities to discuss and comparetheir responses, they will ben-efit relatively little from theassessment.

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If you believe that your students will find this technique toochallenging at first, begin by providing them with a list ofpossible words to choose from. Their task will be to select aword from that list and then to justify that choice.

Assessing Skill in Problem Solving

Problem Recognition Tasks

Description:Problem Recognition Tasks presents students with a fewexamples of common problem types. The students’ task isto recognize and identify the particular type of problemeach example represents.

Purpose:In many fields, students learn a variety of problem-solvingmethods, but they often have difficulty determining whichkinds of problems are best solved by which methods.Problem Recognition Tasks help instructors assess howwell students can recognize various problem types, the firststep in matching problem type to solution method. As stu-dents work through this technique, they practice thinkinggenerally about problems they often view as individual, iso-lated examples. This practice helps them develop a valu-able diagnostic skill.

Suggestions for Use:Problem Recognition Tasks lend themselves naturally toquantitative and technical fields in which students learn avariety of specific problem-solving techniques or methods.But this technique can also be applied to fields in which stu-dents learn more general problem-solving approaches,such as policy analysis, nursing, medicine, law and coun-selling.

Step-By-Step Procedure:1. Choose examples of several different, but related prob-

lem types that students find difficult to distinguish. Makesure that each example illustrates one and only onetype of problem.

2. Decide whether you will provide information about the

types of problems that students are to recognize, allow-ing them simply to match type with example, or whetheryou will ask students to name the problem types as well.

3. Try out your examples on a colleague or an advancedstudent to see whether he or she agrees with yourchoice of examples. This run-through can also help youassess the difficulty of the task and the time that it willtake to complete.

4. Make up a short Problem Recognition Task documentcontaining a handful of example problems for studentsto recognize.

Ideas for using the Technique:In most cases, you can quickly scan the responses and tallythe number of correct and incorrect answers for each prob-lem.

Allow small groups of students to work together to respondto the Problem Recognition Task. Group work is especiallyvaluable for students who are just learning diagnosis or inclasses where there are wide variations in skill levels.Group work can be facilitated asynchronously through sepa-rate bulletin boards/discussion lists or can be facilitatedthrough pre-arranged chat times with each group in a sepa-rate chat room.

Ask students to explain, in detail, what distinguishes the dif-ferent types of problems and what clues an expert wouldseek to distinguish them quickly.

What’s the Principle?

Description:After students figure out what type of problem they aredealing with, they often must then decide what principle orprinciples to apply in order to solve the problem. This tech-nique focuses on the second step in problem solving. It pro-vides students with a few problems and asks them to statethe principle that best applies to each problem.

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NotesThe Problem Recognition Taskis a quick, simple way to assessstudents' diagnostic skills. Itfocuses student attention oncorrectly recognizing and diag-nosing problems first, ratherthan immediately trying tosolve them.

By helping students make con-nections between the specificand general levels of problemsolving, this technique showsthem how to apply the prob-lem–solving skills they arelearning to new and unfamiliarsituations.

This is a skill that many stu-dents have not been explicitlytaught. Therefore, you mayhave to demonstrate problemrecognition and provide prac-tice in this skill before you canassess students in any mean-ingful way.

Purpose:This technique assesses students’ ability to associate spe-cific problems with the general principles used to solvethem. Responses to this technique tell faculty whether stu-dents understand how to apply basic principles of the disci-pline. What’s the Principle? helps students recognize thegeneral types of problems they can solve with particularprinciples, rather than merely learning how to solve individ-ual problems.

Suggestions for Use:What’s the Principle? is an easy assessment to use in anycourse where students learn rules or principles of practice,however precise or imprecise those principles may be.

Step-By-Step Procedure:1. Identify the basic principles that you expect students to

learn in your course. Make sure to focus only on thosethat students have been taught.

2. Find or create sample problems or short examples thatillustrate each of these principles. Each example shouldillustrate only one principle.

3. Create a What’s the Principle? form that includes a list-ing of the relevant principles and specific examples orproblems for students to match those principles.

4. Try out your assessment on a colleague to make certainit is not too difficult or too time-consuming to use in yourcourse.

5. After you have made any necessary revisions to theform, apply the assessment. This assessment activitycould be made into a self–test.

Ideas for using the Technique:What’s the Principle? forms should be very easy and quickto score. Simply tally the number of right and wronganswers, and note patterns in the specific wrong answersgiven. If you find lots of wrong answers and no sensiblepatterns, students are probably guessing.

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NotesUse of this technique pro-motes the learning of trans-ferable problem–solvingskills that students mayremember long after theyhave forgotten specific exam-ples. This technique is a sim-ple, quick way to get usefulinformation on a complexskill: recognizing generalprinciples embodied in orviolated by specific examples.

This assessment usually doesnot work well with rawbeginners, because they havenot seen enough examplesand worked through enoughproblems to generalize effec-tively.

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Provide students with only the principles, and ask them tocome up with good and bad examples of applications.

Give students only the examples, and assess their ability torecall important principles, as well as to apply them.

Follow up by asking students to justify each of their choicesof principles in a sentence or two.

Assessing Skill in Application andPerformance

Directed Paraphrasing

Description:In many fields, success depends on one’s ability to translatehighly specialized information into language that clients orcustomers will understand. Directed Paraphrasing is anassessment technique designed to assess and help developthat valuable skill. In this technique, students are directed toparaphrase part of a lesson for a specific audience and pur-pose, using their own words.

Purpose:On the simplest level, Directed Paraphrasing provides feed-back on students’ ability to summarize and restate importantinformation or concepts in their own words; it thereforeallows instructors to assess how well students have under-stood and internalized that learning. At the same time, thistechnique assesses the students’ ability to translate thatlearning into a form that someone outside the course canunderstand. The fact that the paraphrase is “directed,”aimed at a specific audience for a specific reason, makesthe paraphrasing task more demanding and more usefulthan simple paraphrasing.

Suggestions for Use:Directed Paraphrasing is particularly useful for assessingthe students’ understanding of important topics or conceptsthat they will later be expected to explain to others. Forexample, in fields such as social work, public health, educa-tion, law and criminal justice, much of a student’s eventual

NotesThis technique must be usedmore than once during thecourse if students as well asthe instructor are to learnfrom the process. The para-phrasing skills of some stu-dents will not improve appre-ciably unless the instructorprovides some focused, indi-vidualized feedback. This is arather time–intensive tech-nique.

Students’ first efforts are like-ly not to look much like theirown words; after all, moststudents have had many yearsof practice in not writing intheir own words.

success depends on his or her ability to internalize special-ized and often complex information and then to communi-cate it effectively to the public. Specifying the audiences forthe paraphrases can be particularly useful, since studentscan practice paraphrasing for their likely future clients. Themore authentic the audience, the more useful the DirectedParaphrase.

Step-By-Step Procedure:1. Select an important theory, concept or argument that

students have studied in some depth. This should be atopic with some implications outside the course.

2. Determine who would be a realistic yet challenging audi-ence for a paraphrase of this topic, what the purpose ofsuch a paraphrase should be, and how long – in numberof written words – the Directed Paraphrase should be. Ifyour students are well prepared in the material and/orexperienced in the field, direct them to paraphrase thesame topic for two very different audiences.

3. Try responding to the Directed Paraphrase yourself, tosee how realistic the assignment is. Can you write aneffective paraphrase within the limits given?

4. Direct the students to prepare a paraphrase of the cho-sen topic. Tell them who the intended audience is, whatthe purpose is, and what the limits are on the number ofwords or sentences.

Ideas for using the Technique:Separate the student responses into four groups, which mightbe labelled “confused,” “minimal,” “adequate,” and “excellent.”Then assess the responses by comparing them within andacross categories. Pay particular attention to three characteris-tics of the response: the accuracy of the paraphrase, its suitabil-ity for the intended audience, and its effectiveness in fulfilling theassigned purpose.

Have different students paraphrase different reading assign-ments and then ask them to share those paraphrases with theother students.

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Provide students with examples of particularly successful para-phrases.

Give each student a checklist of the strong and weak points ofhis or her response.

Applications Cards

Description:After students have read about an important principle, gen-eralization, theory, or procedure, the student is asked towrite down at least one possible, real-world application forwhat they have just learned.

Purpose:Applications Cards let instructors know how well studentsunderstand the possible applications of what they havelearned. This technique prompts students to think aboutpossible applications and, as a consequence, to connectnewly learned concepts with prior knowledge. As theyrespond to the technique, students also see more clearlythe possible relevance of what they are learning.

Suggestions for Use:This technique can be used in almost any course. It is oftenused in the social sciences, pre-professional studies andvocational and technical education.

Step-By-Step Procedure:1. Identify an important and clearly applicable principle,

theory, generalization, or procedure that your studentsare studying or have just studied.

2. Decide how many applications you will ask for and howmuch time you will suggest students take to completethe assessment. One application is often enough.

3. Remind students that the point is to come up with theirown applications, not to repeat applications they haveread in the text.

4. Have students submit their Applications Cards by e-mailand let students know when they will get feedback.

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NotesWhen students get feedbackon their Applications Cards,they benefit from hearing thebest examples. Many times,students learn more from eachother’s examples of applica-tions than from the teacher’sor the textbook’s examples.

Students who come up withpoor or incorrect applicationsare likely to remember andlearn those bad examplesunless they receive feedbackand examples of good applica-tions. Follow–up is critical.

Ideas for using the Technique:Usually you will be able to tell right away (1) whether theapplications are accurate and (2) how reasonable, useful,or creative the applications are. Pick out three to five of thebest applications – choose as broad a range of examplesas possible to share with the class.

Encourage students to keep an “applications journal” intheir notes. Suggest that they devote two minutes at theend of every module or at any other appropriate time, towriting possible applications of what they are studying atthat point.

Not all applications are equally desirable; some may bedangerous, unethical, or immoral. Therefore, in some cours-es, you may want to use Applications Card responses as astarting point for discussions of the possible consequencesof various applications.

Paper or Project Prospectus

Description:A prospectus is a brief, structured first-draft plan for a termpaper. The Paper Prospectus prompts students to thinkthrough elements of the assignment, such as the topic, pur-pose, intended audience, major questions to be answered,basic organization, and time and resources required. TheProject Prospectus, on the other hand, may focus on tasksto be accomplished, skills to be improved, and products tobe developed.

Purpose:The Paper or Project Prospectus assesses students’ skill atsynthesizing what they have already learned about a topicor field as they plan their own learning projects. In addition,this technique can give the instructor valuable informationabout the students’ understanding of both the assignmentand the topic – as well as their planning skills – before it istoo late to make suggestions and shape direction. Studentsbenefit from writing a prospectus because they receivefeedback before they begin substantive work on the papersor projects they have been assigned. This early feedbackmakes it less likely that the instructor or the students will bedisappointed by the finished product.

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Suggestions for Use:This technique is appropriate for any course that requiredstudents to write term papers or to carry out substantialprojects. In social sciences and humanities courses, it canbe used to give students feedback on their planned termpapers. In fields such as social work, education, counsellingpsychology, and recreation, instructors can employ theprospectus to help students plan internship and fieldworkprojects.

The Paper or Project Prospectus is most helpful to studentsand instructors when it is used several weeks before theassignment is due. In fact, it is best to use this techniqueimmediately after the paper or project is assigned, so thatthere will be adequate time for analysis and feedback.

Step-By-Step Procedure:1. Determine the general outline of the term paper or proj-

ect assignment for which the students will write theprospectus. Write a clear and informative first-draftassignment document for students. These general direc-tions should tell students how much freedom they havein determining the topic, form, content, purpose, audi-ence, etc. The assignment document should also tellstudents what criteria you will use to evaluate their finalproducts. Try to keep it under one page in length.

2. Decide which elements of the assignment are most criti-cal to the learning task and predict which are least likelyto be handled successfully by the students. Make achecklist of qualities or elements you will look for in thefinal product and rank them in the order of their impor-tance. Then rank those same elements again, this timein the order of their difficulty for the students. For exam-ple, will the organization of the paper pose serious prob-lems, or is choosing an appropriate topic a bigger chal-lenge?

3. Revise the assignment document to reflect your priori-ties as expressed in the ranked list mentioned above.Check again to make sure you have left some roomwithin the structure of the assignment for independentand creative responses.

4. Decide on the focus of the prospectus. Keep in mind50

NotesThe Paper or ProjectProspectus is a device thatfinds its own level. It can be assimple or as elaborate as theassigned project requires. Ithas immediate relevance to thestudents' work, concerns, andquestions about the course. Atthe same time, it providespractice in a valuable andtransferable skill.

This technique gives instruc-tors both a preview of the stu-dents’ interests and ideas and aforewarning of their problemsand questions, allowing fortimely and helpful feedback.This preview of the finalproducts also makes it easierfor teachers to evaluate themeffectively when they are com-pleted.

The directions should make itclear that a prospectus is aplan and so may be discussed,adjusted, reworked, or eventotally scrapped. Encouragestudents to take some risks, topropose something they reallyare excited about doing.

both what you consider most important and what yoususpect the students will find most difficult or least clearabout the assignment. Compose three to seven ques-tions or prompts to elicit information about those centraland problematic elements. These are the questions thatstudents should answer for you through the prospectus.Make sure to include a prompt that invites students toindicate their questions and concerns about the assign-ment. These are the questions that students should askyou through the prospectus.

5. Give students the assignment document first, and thenthe specific directions for the prospectus. Ask studentsnot to begin substantive work on the assignment untilthey have received feedback on their prospectuses.Give them a brief but adequate amount of time to com-plete the prospectus from two day to two weeks,depending on the nature of the assignment.

6. Although the prospectus should not be graded, it is wiseto require completion of this technique and to offer stu-dents a small amount of credit for a job well done.

Ideas for using the Technique:Skim rapidly through the student responses, or a sample ofthem, to get an idea of strengths and weaknesses. Notepoints that catch your attention. In reading the prospectusesa second time, you might try to answer the following ques-tions: Overall, which prompts received the clearest respons-es? Which the muddiest? What questions or confusionscame up repeatedly and therefore should be clarified for thewhole class? Which need individual responses? Are theregroups of students who are working on similar projects andmay therefore benefit from discussing and comparing theirplans?

Note the range of topics and approaches that the studentspropose. Are the students following your instructions? Doyou need to rethink your criteria for evaluating, or do youmerely need to explain the criteria again more clearly to thestudents? Also note how, and to what degree, the prospec-tuses are related to the content and skills on which thecourse is focused. Make a short summary list of sugges-tions you can offer to the class as a whole, including sug-

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gestions about strengths they can build on and elementsthat need work.

Limit the amount of information you collect even further. Forexample, ask only for the title, purpose, and major ques-tions to be answered.

Assessing Students’ Awareness oftheir Attitudes and Values

Class Opinion Polls

Description:Opinion Polling is an extension of the classroom practice ofasking students to raise their hands to indicate agreementor disagreement with a particular statement.

Purpose:Class Opinion Polling helps instructors discover studentopinions about course-related issues. Students often havepre-existing opinions about the material that they willencounter in courses, and those opinions – when they areunsupported by evidence – can distort or block the instruc-tional message. The fact that many opinions are half-formedand unarticulated, and sometimes even unrecognized bythe learners holding them, only intensifies their power tointerfere with learning. By uncovering student opinions onspecific issues, instructors can better gauge where and howto teach about those issues and what the roadblocks arelikely to be. In addition, Class Opinion Polling encouragesstudents to discover their own opinions about issues, tocompare their opinions with those of their classmates, andto test their opinions against evidence and expert opinion.

Suggestions for Use:Instructors can use Class Opinion Polls to prepare studentsto discuss a controversial issue or to assess their opinionsafter they have studied the material. Polling can also beused as a pre- and post-assessment device, to determinewhether and how students' opinions have changed inresponse to class discussions and assignments. Becausestudents are more likely to have opinions on some mattersthan others, Classroom Opinion Polls are most often used

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Note In using this tech-nique, remember that studentanonymity may be an impor-tant factor to maintain andthat feedback must be givencarefully, to model respectand open–mindedness.

in social sciences, humanities and professional studiescourses.

Step-By-Step Procedure:1. Preview the material you plan to include in the course,

looking for questions or issues about which studentsmay have opinions that could affect their learning.

2. Choose one or two issues for your Class Opinion Polland draw up the question or prompt and the responsechoices. Decide whether the question or prompt requiresa binary response choice, such as “yes” or “no”; ascalar response with several choices ranging along acontinuum, such as the scale running from “strongly dis-agree” to “strongly agree”; or a multiple-choiceresponse.

3. After trying out the question and responses on a col-league and making any necessary revisions, create apolling form.

4. Include directions for the students and tell them howmuch time you want them to spend completing theassessment technique, such as no more than 5 minutes.

Ideas for using the Technique:To summarize responses to the Class Opinion Poll, stu-dents can forward their responses directly to you and youcould copy and paste them into a message without theirname and e-mail identification information for the discussionlist/bulletin board, if you want to preserve the students’anonymity. After students have had some experience withthis technique, they may be willing to post their responsesdirectly to the discussion list/bulletin board.

After students have had some practice with this technique,ask them to explain or justify the opinions they express.

As a follow-up assignment, direct students to respond to anopinion very different from their own. Ask them first to cri-tique the opinion and explain why they disagree; then havethem write a rebuttal and justification from the point of viewof someone holding the opinion they disagree with.

Polling students on their opinions implies that there will be53

discussion of the relevant issues. Be prepared.

Everyday Ethical Dilemmas

Description:In this technique, students are presented with an abbreviat-ed case study that poses an ethical problem related to thediscipline or profession they are studying. Students respondbriefly to these cases and instructors analyze the responsesin order to understand the students' values.

Purpose:Everyday Ethical Dilemmas prompt students to identify, clar-ify, and connect their values by responding to course-relatedissues and problems that they are likely to encounter. Asthey respond to this technique, students learn more abouttheir values and their peers values and the ways in whichthese values affect their everyday decisions. Instructors gethonest reactions and information on what students' valuesare and how they apply them, at least hypothetically, to real-istic dilemmas.

Suggestions for Use:Although ethical questions can and do arise in every field,ethical dilemmas are most often topics of course discus-sions in pre-professional and professional education - law,medicine, social work, education, and management.

Step-By-Step Procedure:1. Decide on one specific ethical issue or question to focus

on.

2. Locate or create a short case that poses the essentialdilemma realistically in a few lines.

3. Write two or three questions that require students to takea position on the dilemma and to explain or justify thatposition.

4. Ask the students to write short, honest, anonymousresponses.

Ideas for using the Technique:

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NotesWhen instructors learn whatstudents' values are in relationto important ethical questions,they are better able to helpstudents explore and rethinkthose issues and develop ethi-cal reasoning skills.

Some students resist andresent discussion of ethicsand values in a course or theybelieve that no amount of dis-cussion can change their ownor their classmates’ minds. Forthese students this techniquemay be an intrusion or simplya waste of time.

To assess and respond to stu-dents’ values and ethical rea-soning in a constructive man-ner, you will need a great dealof patience, skill, andself–knowledge. You maywant to begin by using thistechnique to focus on minordilemmas and gradually workup to more critical and inter-esting ones. This procedurewill allow you and your stu-dents to build trust, confi-dence, and skill.

The issue of anonymity is an important one for this assess-ment technique. You may want to use the survey tool inWebCT which facilitates student anonynity or, students cansend their responses to an Instructional Assistant or othercolleague who will copy and paste their responses, withoutidentifying information, into a document which is then givento the instructor and can be posted to the discussionlist/bulletin board. The instructor can share the most com-mon responses and the various justifications for each posi-tion.

This technique can be used as a trigger for further discus-sion.

Focused Autobiographical Sketches

Description:In this technique, students are directed to write a one ortwo-page autobiographical sketch focused on a single suc-cessful learning experience in their past – an experiencerelevant to learning in the particular course in which theassessment technique is used.

Purpose:The Focused Autobiographical Sketch provides informationon the students' self-concept and self-awareness as learn-ers within a specific field. It gives the teacher a compositeportrait of the range and diversity of levels of self-aware-ness and reflectiveness among students in the class. Thesesketches can provide “starting-line” information againstwhich to assess learning over the course of the semester.

Suggestions for Use:Focused Autobiographical Sketches should be used only fordiagnostic and formative evaluation. This technique isappropriate for any course that aims at helping studentsdevelop their self-confidence, self-awareness, and skill atself-assessment. It is particularly useful in introductorycourses, especially those that are likely to cause high levelsof student anxiety. Under-prepared learners and adult stu-dents returning to college seem to find this technique espe-cially helpful. Focused Autobiographical Sketches are mosteffective at the beginning of courses or units, and shouldonly be used once a term in most cases.

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NotesThere are no simple, widelyaccepted guidelines on howto judge the quality or inten-sity or value of individuallearning experiences; so thistechnique requires thatinstructors develop their own.

Many students are relativelyproficient at narrating theirpast experience, but unskilledat critically assessing it. Suchstudents may need instructionand guidance in writing criti-cal, reflective prose, and espe-cially in focusing their writ-ing, before theirAutobiographical Sketcheswill yield much useful infor-mation.

Step-By-Step Procedure:1. Determine what element or elements of the students'

learning experiences you want to focus the autobio-graphical sketch on. Clearly limit the focus and makesure it is directly related to the course goals and objec-tives.

2. Limit the sketch still further by determining what periodor periods in the students’ lives and what specific areasof their lives – for example, professional, academic, orinterpersonal – the sketch should cover.

3. Consider what scale, if any, or criteria you will use toassess the sketches. Then reconsider your focus in thelight of your assessment criteria. Does it still makesense? Will you be able to analyze students’ respons-es?

4. If the answer to both of the above questions is “yes,”construct very explicit directions for the students to fol-low in writing the Focused Autobiographical Sketch.Since these sketches must be short, keep the field ofconcern as limited as possible.

Ideas for using the Technique:Since the aim of this technique is to gather well–focusedinformation on certain relevant learning experiences, theanalysis of data should be limited to categorizing and count-ing those experiences in ways that will help you better focusthe class. You may simply categorize the types of experi-ences recounted as relevant or not relevant to the coursecontent. Another approach is to assess the quality or inten-sity of the experiences recounted. A third option is to assessthe level of self–awareness or critical reflection displayed inthe sketches.

As a follow–up, ask students to explain the criteria theyapplied in judging the experiences they chose to writeabout. For example, ask them to write about how and whythey judged the experiences to be successful or meaningful.

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Note Some students balk atrevealing any informationabout themselves, even whenthat information is revealedanonymously. Although youwill want to explain the pur-pose of this assessment andto encourage students to takepart, do not force anyone toparticipate.

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Student GuideStudent Guide Checklist

Each online course will include information and resourcesfor the students to assist them in completing the course.This information should include:

❑ Course overview

❑ Required materials

❑ Student evaluation system

❑ Administrative support

❑ Technical support

❑ Student Competencies – what makes a student success-ful online?

Course Overview

The course overview should address the following ques-tions:

• What is the course about?

• What are the course objectives or outcomes?

• How will the course be taught?

• How is the course organized?

• What are the course requirements?

Tip It is a good idea toinclude a welcome messagefor students in the courseoverview and an activity inwhich students introducethemselves through thecourse discussion or bulletinboard. This kind of introduc-tory activity helps bridge thedistance between you and thestudents and lessens theirfeelings of isolation. Youmay want to consider postingyour picture in the welcomemessage or including a link toyour personal Web page (ifyou have one) so students willhave a better sense of whoyou are.

Tip List online resourcesseparately and refer to the listthroughout the course ratherthan including them in eachmodule. Online resourcesneed to have their URLupdated frequently; listingresources in one place simpli-fies the updating process.Another option is to e–mail alist of resources to students atthe beginning of the course.Encourage students to informyou if they have difficultyaccessing the URL; it mayhave changed since you lastvisited the Web site.

Required Materials

• What resources/textbooks are required?

• What resources are recommended?

• Where can the student obtain or access theseresources?

Student Evaluation System

• How will the student be graded?

• How will each assignment/examination be weighted?

• What are the assignments/examination deadlines?

• What is the grading scale?

Administrative Support

How do students get registered into their online course?

• Students follow the same registration procedure foronline courses as for on- campus or distance courses,depending on the online course delivery method. Onceregistration is confirmed, students receive student identi-fication and a password in order to access WebCT ( IfWebCT is the course delivery software used in thecourse). A confirmation list of students registered in theonline courses is sent to the instructor.

Who helps students withregistration and other pro-gram questions?The Outreach or InstructionalAssistants for each programcan answer questions aboutprogram planning, registrationprocedures, and other admin-istrative questions.

How do students obtaincourse materials such astext books, course packs,video–tapes, etc?Course materials are availablethrough the Grant MacEwanBookstore. The Bookstoreoffers a Rapidtext servicewhich allows students toorder books using a creditcard. Shipping is free ofcharge. Students can contactthe Bookstore by fax at (780)497–5480, by e–mail at<rapidtext@gmcc.ab.ca>, byphone at (780) 497–5482 –press Menu Option #1 or bymail at RapidText, MacEwanBookstores, 7319 – 29Avenue, Edmonton, AB T6K2P1.

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Technical Support

Who do students contact if they have difficulties with learn-ing technologies?

• For questions related to content, contact the instructor

• For questions related to difficulties in logging into thecourse for the first time or if something within the courseis not linked correctly (e.g. a link to assignment 1 showsan error message for the student) contact your technicalsupport staff responsible for maintaining your course.

• For questions related to problems using the softwarewithin the course, contact the help–desk at<helpdesk@admin.gmcc.ab.ca> or 1–877–497–4267during business hours. ( Monday-Thursday, 7:00 am-5:00 pm Friday 7:00 am-4:00 pm)

Expectations for Students

Students who have not participated in online learning beforewill want to know what is expected of them in this unfamiliarlearning format. Students must learn how to learn in anonline environment. It is important to clearly communicateyour expectations for student participation throughout thecourse. Students may feel overloaded at the beginning ofthe course, learning how to use the technologies as well asthe course content. You may need to repeat instructions orremind students of your expectations for them.

Some questions to clarify and communicate your expecta-tions for the students include:

• Do I want students to progress through the course attheir own pace or do I expect them to complete sectionsof the course by specific deadlines? For example, willyou plan discussions on specific topics that require stu-dents to complete sections of the course by certaindates in order to participate knowledgeably in the discus-sion?

• How often do I expect students to participate in discus-sions?

Example Some examplesof help–desk questions are:

•How do I reply to a postingin the discussion area?

•How can I print a page?

•How do I install a plug–in(e.g. shockwave, acrobatreader)?

•I can’t get to the log–inscreen ofTopClass/WebCT.

Resource:Visit the Online StudentTutorial website for furtherinformation about expecta-tions for online students.This website is designed toorient students to an onlinecourse environment.http://learn.gmcc.ab.ca/lol/students/tutorial

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• Will student participation be marked as a way to ensureminimum participation?

• Do I want students to submit written assignments bye–mail?

• What word processing programs do I want used? Can Iopen Word (5.0, 6.0, 7.0) or Wordperfect (5.0, 5.1, 6.0,etc.) documents?

• Do I expect them to contact me if they have difficultieswith content or technical difficulties? Do I want to knowthey are having problems with the technology even if Ineed to refer them to technical support staff?

• What procedures or protocols do I want students to fol-low for discussions, conference, or chats. Discussionand chat protocols are discussed in more detail in theLearning Activities section of the handbook.

Expectations for the Instructor

Students will also want to know what they can expect fromyou. Your role during the course will include more facilitationof their learning experience than transmission of informa-tion.

Some questions to clarify and communicate your role to stu-dents include:

• How quickly can students expect a response to a ques-tion sent by e–mail? Many students will likely work onthe course during evenings and on weekends. Will youaccess the course on weekends or Monday mornings?

• How often will you read or participate in class discus-sions?

• How quickly can students expect a response to assign-ments and exams? Will you acknowledge receipt ofassignments so students will know you’ve receivedthem? In the recent Learn Online study, students wereoften uncertain if their instructor had received theirassignments. Confirming receipt of assignments reducesconfusion and delays when there are technical difficul-ties in submitting assignments.

Tip You may want to askstudents what word process-ing programs they are usingso you can set up a way tosubmit assignments thatworks for you and the stu-dents. There can be difficul-ties in opening attachmentscreated by different versionsof the same program, i.e. astudent may not be able toopen a returned assignmentthat is saved as a Wordperfect8 document if they have anearlier version ofWordperfect. Some studentsmay prefer to fax assign-ments. Consider offeringmore than one way to submitassignments.

Tip When an individual stu-dent asks questions aboutyour expectations for courseactivities, send your responseto the whole class. As in aclassroom setting, it is likelyother students have similarquestions. Explain why youare responding in this way, tobenefit all students.

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Student Competencies for Successful OnlineLearning

• Previous computer experience, namely using a wordprocessor, e–mail, Internet browser like MicrosoftInternet Explorer or Netscape Navigator, and storing,editing and retrieving files

• Access to a computer, preferably at home or work

• Self–discipline and commitment to the course

• Good written communication skills – clear, concise, tothe point

• Regular participation in the course

• Persistence in the face of technical difficulties or delays

Students should also be able to do the following:

• Type/use keyboard and mouse

• Save and find files on the computer

• Copy and paste text (from documents within the sameprogram and across programs)

• Send and receive e–mail attachments

• Use a Web browser

• Print a Web page

• Open and close a new window

• Copy a URL from a site they are at

• Move from TopClass/WebCT to an external Web site andback into the course again

• Know how to bookmark or add a favourite link

Resource:Visit the Online StudentTutorial website for furtherinformation about studentsexpectations of onlineinstructors. This website isdesigned to orient students toan online course environment.http://learn.gmcc.ab.ca/lol/students/tutorial

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• Use the features of TopClass/WebCT

Resources

Learning Resource Center

The Learning Resource Center (LRC) can help studentsand instructors find and access resources. The LRC Website is available at <http://www.lrc.gmcc.ab.ca>. In order toaccess LRC materials and services, students and instruc-tors need a student or staff ID card with a 13 digit bar codenumber, obtainable through the Circulation Services Desk.This card entitles students and faculty, both on and off cam-pus, to borrow and renew library materials, access databas-es in which they can find full text journal and newspaperarticles, get research and assistance using Ask A Questionservice, request interlibrary loans and much more.

The Ask A Question service, located on the home page ofthe LRC Web site, provides answers to research questionsonline. Minimum browser capability for this service isNetscape 4.0 or Explorer 4.0 and preferences must be setto accept cookies.

The Alberta Library (TAL) card, which entitles valid card-holders of the LRC to borrow books form over 180 librariesin Alberta, is available upon request form the LRC. Studentsand instructors can call 497–5850 or 1–800–565–4824 , orvisit the TAL website at http://www.talonline.ca, to obtain fur-ther information and a list of libraries where The AlbertaLibrary card can be used.

Marlene Baltare, the distance delivery library technicianassists in the selection and mailing of appropriate materials,providing extended loan periods and placing collections inregional areas. She can be contacted, toll–free, at1–800–565–4824, locally at 497–5858 or by e–mail at<baltarem@yeats.gmcc.ab.ca>. Distance delivery librarystaff are normally available from:

Monday–Thursday 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.Friday 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

This service is provided free of charge. Books are sent witha return prepaid postage label and there is no charge forphotocopied materials.

Note The Learning SkillsCentre assists students toimprove their writing skillsthrough planning and revisingassignments, learning andtest–taking skills including:

•Textbook study strategies

•Time management

•Review strategies

•Vocabulary improvement

•Reading speed and com-prehension

•Exam–taking techniques

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Some library services are available to MacEwan studentsenrolled in courses at the following locations:

AVC Grouard Campus 751–3915AVC Slave Lake Campus 849–8611

Pembina Educational Consortium,Drayton Valley 542–5400

Yellowhead Region Educational Consortium,Hinton 865–7666

Library contact numbers:

•General inquiries, distance delivery service, obtaininglibrary card

(phone) 1–800–565–4824(fax) 1–780–497–5895

•Marlene Beltare, distance delivery service

(phone) 1–780–497–5858(e–mail) <baltarem@yeats.gmcc.ab.ca>

• Ask a Question e–mail service:<virtual@yeats.gmcc.ab.ca>

•Ask a Question Web page:<http://www.lrc.gmcc.ab.ca/research/ask>

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NotesThe Learning Skills Centrestaff provides one–on–oneassistance for students on adrop–in basis. Help sessionsare typically limited to 15minutes; appointments areapproximately 30 minutes.Distance students, referred tothe centre by their instructor,can receive assistance by call-ing the center with specificwriting or study skills ques-tions or may book a tele-phone appointment for morein–depth assistance. Studentsshould e-mail or fax a roughdraft of their papers to theCentre prior to calling for theappointment.

Instructors can arrange areferral for their distance stu-dents by calling (780) 497–5876from 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.Monday to Friday. Extendedhours (usually 4:00-6:30 p.m.)are available in October andNovember and again inFebruary and March.

SupportHere is a list of people, resources and information that can-

help you develop your online course:

Copyright

Mark Patten, Bookstore Manager497-5481<pattenm@admin.gmcc.ab.ca>

Mark can help you with interpreting the Cancopy agreementand how that applies to the resources you want to include inyour course.

Visit the LRC copyright page for people to contact regardingthe use of special formats and other copyrights issues.<http://www.lrc.gmcc.ab.ca/staff/copyright/contacts/>

Curriculum Consultant

Diane Emberg, Curriculum Consultant497-5232<embergd@admin.gmcc.ab.ca>

Diane can help you with needs assessments and the devel-opment of new programs and proposals. She provides sup-port to program leaders and course developers in writinglearning outcomes for programs and courses and develop-ing curriculum design. Check out her Web page at<http://www.lrc.gmcc.ab.ca/staff/curriculum/services.html>.

Instructional Media and Design

Val Stewart, Educational Technology Facilitation497-5606<stewartv@admin.gmcc.ab.ca>

Jill Code, Instructional Designer497-4554<codej@admin.gmcc.ab.ca>

Val Stewart and Jill Code support faculty who are using 64

WebCT and other course development software. They offeran ongoing series of workshops on various computer appli-cations, which are open to all college staff. Val and Jill offerone-on-one consultations and will design specialized work-shops for instructors in particular program areas.

Erwin Veugelers, Computer-Based Instructional Developer497-5293veugelerse@admin.gmcc.ab.ca

Erwin develops and maintains computer-managed learning(CML) systems and helps faculty incorporate learning andevaluation activities such as The Learning Manager testingservice into online courses. He provides support for instruc-tors who are using TopClass course design software. Erwinalso coordinates the Computer Technology PartnershipProgram, which provides one-on-one support for instructorswho are using technology in their teaching.

Judith Johnson, Editor497-5285johnsonj@admin.gmcc.ab.ca

Judith can review and edit your course, including copy edit-ing for elements such as standard punctuation and spellingand substantive editing for elements such as overall consis-tency, clarity, and organization. She can also help youensure your course materials are in compliance with copy-right legislation.

Kitty Ng, Graphics Technician497-5574ngk@admin.gmcc.ab.ca

Kitty can create graphics for your course, shoot photo-graphs, and can help you with the design and layout ofcourse materials.

Derick Walsh, Web Media Designer497-4613walshd@admin.gmcc.ab.ca

Derick creates Web multimedia, including graphics, presen-tations, animations, video, and audio. He can also provide

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assistance in designing Web sites, converting print-basedmaterials to a Web format, and producing CD-ROMs.

Richard Day, Video Producer497-5575dayr@admin.gmcc.ab.ca

If you wish to include short video clips in your course,Richard can help with the script writing, shoot the footage,edit the material, and compress it for the Internet.

Garry Reddom, Electronics Technician497-5573reddomg@admin.gmcc.ab.ca

Gary can set up videoconferencing if you want to meet yourstudents from time to time for group interaction, demonstra-tions, etc.

Clayton Wright, Coordinator497-5286wrightc@admin.gmcc.ab.ca

If you are thinking about revising existing courses or offer-ing distance education courses, contact Clayton. He canalso help you identify sources of funding for course or pro-gram development, or assist you in mounting cooperativeprojects with other institutions in Canada and overseas.

Learn Online – Health and Community Studies

Lynn Feist, Instructional Designer497-5407<feistl@admin.gmcc.ab.ca>

Lynn assists Health and Community Studies faculty in plan-ning and developing online courses or course elements.She coordinates course development work within the Learn

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Online development team and provides assistance to facul-ty teaching online.

Gord Lacey, Web Developer497-5289<laceyg@admin.gmcc.ab.ca>

Gord provides support for Health and Community Studiesprogram and conference web sites. He also developsselected multimedia elements for online courses usingQuicktime VR to create pictures, and movies.

Cheryl White, Research Coordinator497-4688<whitec@admin.gmcc.ab.ca>

Cheryl provides research and evaluation support for Healthand Community Studies programs. She can assist HCSfaculty in identifying funding sources and preparing propos-als for course development projects, developing onlineevaluation tools and research activities.

Learning Resources Centre (LRC)

Library contact numbers:

General inquiries, distance delivery service, obtaining alibrary card:(local phone) 497-5850(long distance) 1-800-565-4824(fax) 1-7800497-5895website <http://www.lrc.gmcc.ab.ca/>Ask a Question service

<http://www.lrc.gmcc.ab.ca/research/ask/>Equipment bookings 497-5869 (Barb Gibeau)

gibeauB@yeats.gmcc.ab.ca

Yvonne Rezek, Web Services Librarian497-5885<rezeky@yeats.gmcc.ab.ca>

Yvonne provides support to faculty by providing customizededucation and training in the use of Web-based electronicresources. One-on-one consultations in instructors’ offices

Note In order to accesslibrary collections and dis-tance delivery services fromthe College, you will requirean LRC card. To request acard, contact the LRC’sDistance Delivery Servicethrough the toll–free numberor forward your requestthrough your ProgramCoordinator or OutreachAssistant. The card will bevalid as long as you areemployed by the College.

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Tip Students can e–mail areference question to the Aska Question service andreceive timely assistance fortheir research and resourceneeds.

or group faculty training in the LRC computer lab are avail-able upon request. Focus of instruction is in the use of aca-demic or scholarly Web-based electronic resources includ-ing full text databases, electronic journals, the library cata-logues and the World Wide Web. She also provides analy-sis of course content with respect to available library servic-es as well as help in locating related online course material,evaluation of Web resources, and online library services foron and off campus students.

Library services available to instructors

Library staff will:

• Prepare selective bibliographies• Verify the availability of materials for assignments• Assist with collection development• Answer reference and research questions• Provide guidance on electronic databases • Provide interlibrary loans from local, provincial, national, or

international libraries• Assemble available materials from the collection to be

sent out to your site• Provide library instruction workshops for your students

upon request• Provide the Alberta Library card to MacEwan staff which

will allow limited borrowing privileges from participatinglibraries throughout the province.

• Provide learning skills materials and workshops toenhance student academic success

Professional Development

For more information about Instructional Skills Workshops,New Faculty Orientation, or other faculty professional devel-opment activities, visit the Faculty Development website at<http://www.facultydevelopment.gmcc.ab.ca/>

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Online Resources

CanCopy Agreement for Grant MacEwan CollegeThis site provides a checklist for instructors who want toinclude copyright protected resources in their course.http://www.lrc.gmcc.ab.ca/staff/cancopy/

WebCT web site - this includes several articles on useand implementation of WebCT in online and classroomcourses.http://www.webct.com/library/

WebCT support pagehttp://www.webct.com/get/

Strengths and Weaknesses of Online EducationThis site offers a brief look at the strengths and weak-nesses of online education.http://illinois.online.uillinois.edu/model/proandcon.htm

Summary of Best Practices in College Teaching by TomDrummond, North Seattle Community CollegeThis site is a good listing of teaching and learning prac-tices centered on classroom based teaching but applica-ble to other delivery formats.http://nsccux.sccd.ctc.edu/~eceprog/bstprac.html

Center for Critical Thinking, Sonoma State UniversityThe Center for Critical Thinking has created a wealth ofinformation including instructional guides and lesson plansto help educators implement Critical Thinking in everyaspect of their teaching.http://www.sonoma.edu/cthink/K12/k12class/trc.nclk

University of Tennessee Teaching Resource CenterThis site includes a discussion of why and how to usecase studies.http://ntlf.com/html/lib/faq/cs-utenn.htm

Ted Panitz's Cooperative Learning pageTed is a Professor of Math in an eastern American collegeand has put together a variety of resources focusing oncooperative learning. This site includes a cooperativelearning e-book and a WAC e-book containing a variety ofwriting assignments. His writing assignments are targeted

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at in-class teaching contexts but can be adapted to an onlineenvironment.http://www.capecod.net/~tpanitz/tedspage/

Virtual Resource Site for Teaching with TechnologyThis site compiles examples how programs or instructors areteaching with technology. You can search by teaching strat-egy or by technology.http://www.umuc.edu/virtualteaching/module1/strategies.html

Enriching Discussions with TechnologyThis site compiles practical advice from online teachers onhow to use technology for online and in-class discussions.http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~tep/technology/techdisc.html#facetoface

Replacements for the Red PenThis site provides some advice on how to use MicrosoftWord to mark assignments online.http://as1.ipfw.edu/99tohe/presentations/nourse.htm

How Interactive is your Distance Course?This site provides a rubric to assess the interactivity of yourdistance course.http://www.westga.edu/~distance/roblyer32.html

The Internet DetectiveThis site contains a 2 hour tutorial to help students andinstructors learn how to evaluate the quality of the informa-tion they encounter on the Internet. The site is free andrequires users to register before beginning the tutorial.http://www.desire.org/detective/

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Printed Resources

Educational Technology Professional Development modulesThese modules are available through your program chair orfrom Instructional Media and Design. Some of the titles inthis series include:Computer Assisted InstructionDesign and LayoutElectronic Search TechniquesIndependent Study and Distance EducationInstructional DesignInternet: An IntroductionInternet: Using TopClassManaging Student DataWriting a Print-based ModuleTo order these modules, contact Kitty Ng at 497-5574 ororder online at http://www.gmcc.ab.ca/nw/imd/etpdp/ Checkwith your program chair as several programs may alreadyhave copies of these modules.

Wright, C. (1987) Course Developer's Manual. GrantMacEwan Community College. (City Centre, Jasper Placeand Millwoods LRC call number LB 2361.W75). This manu-al is a thorough, practical guide written for MacEwaninstructors who are developing a course. The manual isintended for instructors who are writing a print, module-based distance course, however, it is a good guide on howto structure and organize a course regardless of course format.

Angelo, T. A. & Cross, K. P. (1993) Classroom AssessmentTechniques: A Handbook for College Teachers. 2nd ed. SanFrancisco: Jossey-Bass. (LRC City Center call number LB2822.75.A54 1993)This book provides a large number of assessment tech-niques and includes a teaching goals inventory exercisethat allows you to summarize your teaching goals and torelate your assessment activities in your course to thosegoals. It is practically written and includes many examples.

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CompetenciesThe following are a list of basic skills you will need to teachonline. You will find that the more skills you have, the morecomfortable you will be teaching online, and the betterinstructor you can be for your students.

• Saving and finding files on your computer

• Copy and paste text (from documents within the sameprogram and across programs)

• Send and receive e–mail attachments

• Use a Web browser

• Print a Web page

• Open and close a new window

• Copy a URL from a site you are at

• Move from TopClass/WebCT to an external Web siteand back into the course again

• Know how to bookmark or add a favourite link

• Use the features of TopClass/WebCT

Online Teaching and Course DevelopmentSkills

• Ability and willingness to learn new technologyYou do not need to be a technology expert but you doneed a basic understanding of how to manage informa-tion and communication online.

• Ability to project your own personality, sense of humorand interest in your studentsYou must interact with students who may never see you;creating a sense of community among students in the

Note Val Stewart can assistyou in developing these basicskills. Contact Val at497–5606 or <stewartv@admin.gmcc.ab.ca>

class will increase student motivation and participation.

• Willingness to use teaching techniques that may differfrom those you already use. Online teaching requires ashift to a more learner–centered approach and requiresthat you explore beyond lecture–style teaching strate-gies.

• Willingness to adapt course design Online course development is a team process. Yourcourse development plan may require some changes toincorporate format or navigation conventions or to makeeffective use of communication or multimedia technolo-gies.

• Interested in and responsive to student queries andfeedback. Timely responses to student questions andconcerns are very important. Encourage discussion con-tributions and negatively reinforce silence by promptingstudents who are not participating. Student opinionsregarding course content, relevancy, pace, delivery prob-lems, and instructional concerns are needed for respon-sible course modifications.

Resources

• CNS Help desk at 497–HELP or<helpdesk@admin.gmcc.ab.ca> for general computerquestions (hours 7:30–4:30 Monday – Friday)

• Yvonne Rezek at 497–5885 or<rezeky@yeats.gmcc.ab.ca> for questions on using theInternet, evaluating Web sites and using search engines

• Educational Technology Professional DevelopmentProgram modules – available at<http://etpd.gmcc.ab.ca>.

• Val Stewart at 497–5606 or<stewartv@admin.gmcc.ab.ca> for questions on usingsoftware such as word processors, browsers and com-munication programs.

Resource Characteristics ofSuccessful DL Educators<http://www.rit.edu/~609www/ch/faculty/effective2.htm> A listing of characteris-tics for successful and “starstatus” distance learningteachers.

Six Ways to DiscourageLearninghttp://www.aas.org/%7Eeducation/sixways.htmlA good summary of commonthings teachers do that do nothelp the learning process.

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ReferencesAcademic Technologies for Learning. Evaluation methods. [Online]. Available:

<http://www.atl.ualberta.ca/evaluation/evalplan/evaldesign.cfm> [1999, November15].

Angelo, T. A., & Cross, K. P. (1993). Classroom assessment techniques: A handbookfor college teachers (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. (LRC City Center callnumber LB 2822.75.A54 1993)

Boaz, M., Elliot, B., Foshee, D., Hardy, D., Jarmon, C. (1999). Teaching at a distance:A handbook for instructors. Mission Viejo, CA: League for Innovation in theCommunity College & Archipelago.

Chickering, A. W., & Ehrmann, S. C. Implementing the seven principles: Technology aslever. [Online]. Available: <http://www.aahe.org/technology/ehrmann.htm> [1999,December 2].

Cornell, R., & Martin, B. L. (1997). The role of motivation in web-based instruction. InB. H. Khan (Ed.), Web-based instruction (pp. 93–100). Englewood Cliffs, NJ:Educational Technology Publications.

Drummond, T. A brief summary of the best practices in college teaching [Online].Available: http://nsccux.sccd.ctc.edu/~eceprog/bstprac.html [Retrieved: 1999,November 18].

Gibson, J. W., & Herrera, J. M. (1999, January). How to go from classroom-based toonline delivery in eighteen months or less: A case study in online program develop-ment. T.H.E. Journal [Online]. Available: <http://www.thejournal.com/magazine/cur-rent/feat01.html> [1999, March 14].

Granger, D., & Benke, M. (1998). Supporting learners at a distance from inquirythrough completion. In C. C. Gibson (Ed.), Distance learners in higher education(pp. 127–137). Madison, WI: Atwood.

Harasim, L., Hiltz, S. R., Teles, L., & Turoff, M. (1995). Learning networks: A field guideto teaching and learning online. NJ: MIT Press.

Hardy D. W,. & Boaz, M. H. (1997). Learner development: Beyond the technology.New directions for teaching and learning, 41–48. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Kiser, K. (1999). 10 things we know so far about online training. Training, 36(11), 66-74.

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Latta, G.F., et al. (1998). Improving academic rigor through curriculum redesign. InDistance Learning '98, Proceedings of the Annual Conference on DistanceTeaching and Learning. ERIC Document Reproduction Service (No. ED 422 861).

Rochester Institute of Technology. Distance learning course design options [Online].Available: <http://www.rit.edu/~609www/ch/faculty/cdopt.htm> [Retrieved: 1999,November 16].

Rochester Institute of Technology. Effective teaching techniques for distance learning.[Online]. Available: <http://www.rit.edu/~609www/ch/faculty/effective2.htm>[Retrieved: 1999, November 16].

SchWeber, C., et al. (1998). Training, and retaining, faculty for online courses:Challenges and strategies. In Distance Learning '98, Proceedings of the AnnualConference on Distance Teaching and Learning. ERIC Document ReproductionService (No. ED 422 874).

Schotsberger, P. G. (1997). Emerging roles for instructors and learners in the web-based instruction classroom. In B. H. Khan (Ed.), Web-based instruction (pp.101–106). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications.

Spotts, T. H. (1999). Discriminating factors in faculty use of instructional technology inhigher education. Educational Technology and Society, 2(4), 92-99.

Vrasidas, C., & McIsaac, M. S. (1999). Factors influencing interaction in an onlinecourse. American Journal of Distance Education, 13(3), 22-36.