Michael C. Molter
 Online
and Face-to-Face (F2F) component
 Online components are equivalent to or
supersede what would be possible F2F
 Typically, high-stakes assessment instruments
(tests) occur in the F2F environment
 Online activities vary, but typically take
advantage of multimedia and collaborative
opportunities available online
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Art projects
Article critiques
Blogging
Case studies
Concept mapping
Debate
Fieldwork
Gaming
Group problem solving
Hypothetical situations
Ice breakers
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Journaling
Literature reviews
Multimedia
presentations
Oral reports
Peer review
Portfolios
Role playing
Scavenger hunts
Simulations
Wikis
Online Teaching Activity Index
(http://www.ion.uillinois.edu/resources/otai/)
1.
2.
3.
Goals, student learning outcomes, course
description, prerequisites, credit hours
Content aligned accordingly.
Organization and sequence are logical.

4.
5.
Clear list of modules and tasks within each
The relationship between the in-class and
online components of the course is clear.
Explicit honor code; define plagiarism and
penalties
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
Contact information for the instructor
Texts and/or materials required
Grading policy defined, including late work
Course Calendar: due dates, drop/add
dates
Hardware and software requirements
“Netiquette” statement – in the Academic
Catalogue (p. 34, 2011-12 edition)
a.
b.
c.
d.
Employ a variety of instructional methods
accommodating multiple learning styles.
Students have a greater number of
opportunities for achievement.
Even with a F2F component, an online
icebreaker is a good idea to get students
comfortable in that arena.
Multimedia files used in the course clearly
support course goals/objectives.
 Show
optimism and personality in email and
course materials
 Be proactive in communicating with
students.
 Foster student interaction. Create a learning
community.
 Be available during office hours, F2F or
online via Instant Messaging or Virtual
Classroom
 Avoid Friending on Facebook (e.g. current
students)
 Threaded
discussions are monitored. Let
students dominate the discussion, but don’t
let just a few dominate. Draw out the
lurkers.
 In small groups, consider roles for each
member. Ensure accountability among all
group members; use self-evaluations and
even foster competition between groups.
 For
high-stakes exams (mid-term/final),
deliver in F2F format (paper or Blackboard)
 Consider short, low-stakes open-book quizzes
online as a way of ensuring students keep up
with reading assignments
 Use Blackboard features to randomize order
of questions, displayed one at a time, for
each attempt.
 Pull comparable questions at random from
larger pools, so students don’t all have the
same quiz
 Give
assessments that go beyond rote into
application, analysis, etc.: Utilize the higher
order skills of Bloom’s Taxonomy.
 Publicize content, format, and honor code in
advance.
 Become familiar with the writing styles of
students prior to important written
assessments.
 Use questions requiring personal input
 Provide
rubrics so students will understand
how they will be evaluated ahead of time.
 Use some alternatives to testing, such as
portfolios, case studies, and more.
 Ensure that students with disabilities avail
themselves of those services before
assessment.
 All of the best practices for assessment boil
down to this: Work the higher order skills in
Bloom’s Taxonomy through exercises that
demonstrate application of learning.
 Clearly
define what constitutes an honor
code violation.
 Clearly define permissible limits on
collaboration.
 Use TurnItIn.com (also Google, Yahoo!, etc.)
 Check for variations in text color (excluding
links)
 Look for uniformity in contexts in which
variation is expected.
 Anticipate and be familiar with popular
sources for plagiarizers.
 For
asynchronous assessments, do not
provide students feedback on tests until all
of the students have completed them.
 Change test items/topics each semester.
 Emphasize assignments that require written
work and problem solving.
 In Blackboard, set short time frames for
assessments and require them to be
completed the first time they are launched.
 For
submitted files, check the “Properties”
(or “Advanced Properties”) in MS Office
applications for the “Creation Date” and
“Author” fields.
 Papers: Don’t allow last minute topic
changes, look for odd tense issues, changes
in internal writing style, require a draft or
reference list in advance, read all papers on
the same topic together.