6201 Reflections on Facilitating Online Learning 4-27-15

6201 REFLECTIONS ON FACILITATING ONLINE LEARNING

BARB ANDERSON   4-27-15

ONTL 6201 Facilitating Online Learning is a very different course than ONTL 6101 Introduction to Online Teaching.  ONTL 6101 was really guided by the instructor, whereas I felt that this course was less instructor managed so to give us a real feel for the student centered classroom and a leap into facilitation.  During ONTL 6101 I felt that I crossed a bridge from one side of a river (traditional instructor centered) to the other side (student centered, guide on the side).  In this course I feel like I am traveling on this road to online education.  The road is not perfect but has curves and hills.  The curves are the unknown new topics and activities of the course.  As I went from module to module I continued to negotiate these turns but continued on my journey.

                                                                   

     The first part of the ONTL 6201 course (lessons 1-3) focused on an overview of online teaching and learning.  Lesson 1 was concerned with an overview of online teaching and reminded me of the 7 principles for good undergraduate education.  Especially for us in the online format communication is critical, students should be actively engaged, students should receive prompt feedback, a time commitment is required, you should have high expectations for students, and a variety of learning styles must be considered.  My role as an online instructor should be as the “guide on the side,” remember the importance of communication, and work to produce a strong learning community in the online classroom.

     Lesson 2 introduced us to facilitating online discussion.  For asynchronous discussion introductions, adequate time for posting, and presence but not dominance by the instructor help to keep students engaged in the discussion.  I think that increasing the live synchronous sessions during the term is really important to helping students feel welcome, stay engaged, and building a strong learning community.  Icebreakers will help students become acquainted and rules should be established early to keep the discussion polite and productive.  I set up a personal media home page as a simple spot for my social media to include newsfeeds, online teaching sites like Faculty Focus, and sites of personal interest.

     Lesson 3 included Changing Roles in part 1 and Faculty Competencies in part 2.  Moving from the role of a traditional to an online instructor brings significant changes.  Since the online environment is heavily student centered, the instructor acts more as a guide and gives up a good deal of control to the student who is more in control of their own learning.  Active learning and communication become even more important.  Frequent announcements, an orientation, and icebreakers are helpful to students.  The instructor needs to be skilled in the use of the LMS in order to be able to set up and manage the course.  As an instructor I should be able to blog, set up an e-portfolio, set up and manage both asynchronous and synchronous communication, and use adequate feedback methods.  I should be present enough to help with active and engaged student learning.  I believe that my eight years of experience in online teaching allows me to be competent and committed to this arena of higher education.  This series of classes will add to my competency and help me to be able to incorporate more discussion and group work into my classes to provide for a stronger learning community.  Staying current in technology and new methods and meeting with other online instructors are important ways to build skills and competency for teaching online classes.

     The middle part of the course included lessons 4-7 and focused on the facilitation role of the instructor in online courses.  Lesson 4 concerned itself with pedagogy which is the art and science of teaching.  I have evolved over my years teaching from the traditional instructor centered instructor toward the student centered instructor where I function more as the guide on the side”or a facilitator.  This has been especially true in the online course that I teach.  My course needs to be revised to make asynchronous and synchronous discussion the heart of the class so a strong learning community is maintained, group work is used often, and strategies using case studies and speakers are incorporated.

     Lesson 5 focused on the social role for building a learning community.  Not many of us like to learn in isolation, but would prefer to be a valued member of a classroom group called a learning community.  In order to build a strong learning community in the online classroom students need to get acquainted (use icebreakers early in the course) and be given many opportunities to interact (use asynchronous discussion threads, live Collaborate sessions, and collaborative group work) in order to build a community of learners.  When students feel support from the learning community their learning is usually more meaningful, they achieve more, they will be more persistent, and be more successful.  Once the learning community is started the instructor as facilitator must continue activities as listed above to maintain the strength of the learning community.

     Lessons 6 and 7 focus on the instructor’s role as a manager in facilitating the course.  Lesson 6 concerned itself with setting the stage before class starts so that everything is ready to go on the first day when the class opens.  Preparation to make an online class ready on the first day requires significant time and effort but this translates into more satisfied students and less stress for the instructor.  Getting the class ready after it has started and facilitating at the same time is difficult and is very stressful for the instructor.  To get ready your course must be copied in the LMS, edited, all links should be checked, etc.  Things to consider in preparation to open the course should include:  a welcoming Home Page/announcements, syllabus (more stable information), an orientation (more dynamic information), possibly a tutorial orientation on the LMS, calendar, FAQ’s, and a learning contract.  Both asynchronous and synchronous discussion should be modeled by the instructor early in the course.  The instructor should be present but not dominate the discussion.  My facilitation week was for this unit on “setting the stage.”  I found the preparation, practice, and presentation for the Collaborate session helpful, but I need more practice in how to actually set up the session in Blackboard.  I was present in the asynchronous threads making comments and adding questions to redirect the discussion but did not dominate and stayed more in the background.  I still need to learn about Blackboard managerial tools for managing discussion threads.

     Lesson 7 focused on managerial responsibilities after the class starts and the instructor’s role in course technology.  For your students to have forward progress inI the course and be successful you need to facilitate the course on a regular basis.  Communication must continue with announcements and emails to be sure that students feel welcome and safe.  Students should be made well aware of communication class policies for both asynchronous and synchronous discussion.  Prompt feedback is important to maintain student engagement with a return time of 24-48 hours for emails and one week for grading assignments.  All of these foster building and maintaining a strong learning community in the classroom.  As the facilitator you should be skilled in using the LMS so that you continue modifying course content, checking links, and facilitating discussion without dominating.  I am hoping in upcoming courses to become better versed in using the technology of the LMS to manage asynchronous discussion threads and to set up live synchronous sessions.  During the middle section of the course I explored three types of social media:  Twitter, Facebook, and DIIGO.  Class groups could be set up on either Twitter or Facebook to make announcements, follow a scientist, send information when it is critical to watch the Decorah eagles NOW, or to make flashcards.  DIIGO is a social bookmarking site that allows you to archive articles and build a library as well as build study skills by practicing highlighting and taking notes.

     The last part of the course included lessons 8-10 and focused on assessment, diversity and ethics, and practicing solving online classroom problems that are likely to occur.  In Lesson 8 assessment was investigated.  Assessment helps to keep students focused and to keep progressing in the course.  Assessment can be diagnostic which occurs before learning to identify strengths and weaknesses, formative which occurs during learning to determine learning progress such as polling with IClickers, or summative which occurs after learning is complete such as a test.  I feel that the inclusion of authentic assessment where a real life situation is mastered is important to test application of knowledge.  An example of authentic learning could be a debate on climate change followed by writing an action policy.  Rubrics or scoring guides often accompany assessment and usually provide a fair method for letting the student know what is expected and how well they have performed.  Feedback is important to students because it lets them know what they have learned and where they need to go in their learning.

     Lesson 9 concerned itself with diversity and ethics.  There can be a wide variation of students in one online classroom.  The diversity can be cultural or physical (such as blindness or deafness).  Cultural diversity is common in the online classroom because students could literally live any place in the world and be taking your class!  Sometimes because there are variations in educational systems, languages, humor, ability to access technology, and time zones the managing of an international class can present challenges for the instructor.  Students with language issues may need some additional helpers as they usually read and write better than they speak and listen.  The time zone problem is a common one.  This might impact deadlines, how groups are composed, when you schedule a synchronous session, etc.  For example you might set a time and date for a synchronous session at a time for our local students, but others would look at the archive.  The next live session could then be scheduled to accommodate students in a distant time zone, with the local students using the archive this time.

     Ethical issues are those that deal with correct and proper behavior.  The ethical issues that would likely have the most impact on my online classroom would be plagiarism and/or academic dishonesty.  Many think that cheating is the rule rather than the exception.  With that in mind it is a part of our job as an online instructor to prevent this from being easy.  Initially the course orientation and learning agreement should include information and rules for academic honesty as well as repercussions if the rules are violated.  You need to let your students know that you will be watching for dates and times of submission, appropriate times for working on the assignments, using randomized test questions, etc.  If it is possible you could use a unique sign-on or visual monitoring to promote academic honesty.  If your students understand that you will be using a plagiarism checking tool they are more likely to cite their sources.

     Lesson 10 gave practical experience in trying to facilitate and solve problems that often occur in the online classroom.  I chose four problems for my primary asynchronous posts.  When a student is not actively participating (#1) I would contact the student by the end of the first week to get them started.  Nonparticipation (#1), hostility (#2), and group dissension (#4) should all have information in the orientation and be part of the learning contract.  Individual emails as well as scheduling a live Collaborate session for the involved students to discuss the issue are all valuable tools to help facilitate when issues like these arise.  I also chose late arrival in the course (#6).  I would definitely email the student by the end of the first week had they not started yet.  I would refer the student to the Home Page, syllabus, orientation, and learning contract where they would see that the course was not self-paced but had weekly deadlines.  If the start was too late I would suggest either choosing an 8 week class to fit their requirement or to take this class next term when they could start fresh and have a greater chance for success.

     Our group prepared a Reference Guide for a New Online Instructor.  Our guide included the most important tips for facilitating in “setting the stage,” the first week of class, and during the course.  I think that this would be a very helpful tool for a new online instructor or as reminders for a veteran online instructor.

     I have reached the end of my journey in ONTL 6201 Facilitating Online Learning.  I have reached the top of the first hill, but will continue onto the next two hills before I finish my online journey by also taking ONTL 7101 and ONTL 7201.  I hope to end my journey further down the road having earned the Certificate in Online Teaching.

6201 Blog/Reflection End of Part 3 Lessons 8-10 4-26-15

6201 BLOG/REFLECTION

END OF PART 3 -  LESSONS 8-10

BARB ANDERSON  APRIL 26, 205

     Lesson 8 focused on assessment.  An important part of course design and facilitation is assessment.  A variety of assessments used are able to determine whether and what students have learned.  For assessments to be fair they should be clear, use a variety of methods, agree with what was taught, engage students, and be interpreted correctly (Suskie, nd).  Frequent assessment keeps the student focused, shows the student about progress in the course, and feedback helps the student to continue moving forward (Anonymous, nd).

     Assessment involves collecting data to evaluate teaching and learning and should be associated with course goals and objectives.   Although assessment comes in many styles and varieties there are three main types or categories (Anonymous NIU, nd).  Diagnostic assessment is done before the teaching takes place and may allow you to identify current knowledge, strengths and weaknesses, etc.  Pre-tests and self-surveys can assist for diagnostic assessment.  Formative assessment occurs during instruction to determine the process and progress in learning, effective teaching, or areas where improvement is needed.  Homework problems, group discussion of class content, or question and answer sessions can be beneficial.  I use IClickers in both lab and lecture to review material already presented and to test student preparation.  I try to use it as a learning tool especially when a question is missed.  I will try to go back and rethink the concepts and critical thinking to arrive at the correct answer.

     Summative assessment occurs after the formal learning process is finished and indicates how well teaching was done and how well content/ideas were learned by evaluating a product.  Rubrics which include grading standards are often used to evaluate learning at this stage.  Final learning can be evaluated by such tools as tests, a paper, a project, or a response to a discussion thread.

     Authentic assessments can be very creative and allow for task/content mastery as if it were a real world situation and is usually process oriented.  The tasks required often involve or lead to higher thinking skills such as problem solving, collaborative learning, analysis, and synthesis (Mueller, 2014).  Authentic assessments tend to be involved with performing a task concerned with real life, application, student centered, and have direct evidence.  In biology an authentic type of assessment might be a debate for genetics or an environmental issue where information is gathered, organized, pro and con sides are presented as a class presentation, and both sides compromise to form an action policy to minimize/solve the issue.  Another example would be as our students assist with prairie work:  collect seeds, process seeds, plant seeds, transplant seedlings, plant in the prairie, maintain brush and/or burn the prairie.  Students should see a rubric to know how they will be graded beforehand, then the same rubric should be used for the actual grading.

     Rubrics are scoring tools provided so that students know on what and how they will be graded.  Generally a grid is made with real life criteria or tasks to be measured down the left side and scores appear across the top.  Entries in the boxes in the grid give the expectation in that category for each score.  I developed a rubric for eagle behavior.  Categories included time/date of observation, who, what, description of behavior, writing.  Each category received a 3 for much detail, 2 for fair detail, and 1 for poor detail.  A total of all scores assigned reflects the grade.  Rubrics could be developed for grading all assignments and is a fair way to assess students.

     Feedback is important to students because it lets students know what they know, what they still need to learn, and focuses their learning (WPI Academic Technology Center, 2007).  Feedback should be prompt within one week and should be of high quality because it is more difficult for the online student to ask questions about their grade.  You can provide feedback by acknowledging that you received the assignment and provide information feedback in terms of comments and a grade.  Good feedback allows students to be more connected to their learning and usually results in a more beneficial learning experience.  Feedback that you give should be valid, reliable, and realistic (Anonymous FSU, 2011). 

     Social media is used by almost all of us today, including our students.  I believe that some social media should be introduced into the online class to engage students in active learning, group collaboration, and to strengthen the learning community.  I would feel comfortable in using one or two of these methods during a particular term in my online class.  Twitter, Facebook, and/or social bookmarking could be used.  On Twitter a student class group could be set up.  One use could be to follow a scientist for several weeks, keep a journal, and then report on your scientist in a discussion thread.  A second use might be to follow a specific organism or eagle nest like Decorah on UTube or UStream and report current events as they are happening.  Students could keep a journal and report weekly on a discussion thread.  For Facebook I would also need to set up a class/group site.  Facebook could be used for announcements or a social lounge to promote organization and interaction.  Other uses for Facebook might be to follow science newsfeeds on current events or to create flashcards for one of their class units.  I had never heard of social bookmarking before.  I used DIIGO for bookmarking articles.  In this way students could build a library on a particular topic for their future use.  You could actually create an individual or a group assignment for this.  This tool can also be used to build study skills in terms of notetaking with sticky notes and highlighting important sections.  This would provide a good group project to evaluate and improve each other’s study skills.

     Lesson 9 focused on diversity (both cultural and other types) and ethics.  Our online students in one class  can come from all over the world.  Culture includes the patterns of behavior, customs, and habits acquired by being a member of a particular society (Germain-Rutherford and Kerr, 2008).  Although the variety in cultures within the classroom can be a blessing and add variety and strength to the learning community, the possible wide cultural diversity can also cause issues and be challenging to manage.  Because educational systems are influenced by the culture of that society, all educational systems represented in a multicultural classroom may not identify with the same academic standards or ethical values.  For example, if you have students who have experience with student vs faculty centered class, deep vs superficial learning, instructor as facilitator vs formal lecture, etc in the same classroom, culture has given different expectations within the same classroom.  Humor used in the classroom can be understood differently based on culture.  A remark in one culture could be misunderstood in one culture, funny in another, and actually obnoxious in a third.  Humor should be used carefully and sparingly as to not offend some of your international students.  Be careful when using examples and assignments.  What is well known in one culture or location may be completely unknown in another and therefore have no relevance.  Choose examples and assignments that everyone understands.  Language can be an issue.  If you are conducting the class in English and one of your students uses Spanish first and English 2^nd they probably can write and read English better than they can listen and speak in English.  The language issue can create a barrier because they may need captioning or additional time for processing their second language.  Listening and speaking in a Collaborate session will probably be more difficult for them than taking time to write a response in a discussion thread.  Access to technology could be an issue for international students.  A student from Chicago is more likely to have a new computer with reliable Internet access for class participation than a student from Africa.  If the African student needs to go to an Internet café every time they need to do classwork that is inconvenient.  If the connection is unreliable this creates another issue for the student. 

     One of the biggest issues involves time zone differences.  You could have students living in many different time zones in the same class.  This might be a problem with holding office hours, trying to hold a Collaborate session, doing group work, or keeping deadlines.  For example if a group is trying to work on their project  in a live session and student 1 is in Chicago, student 2 is in Hawaii, student 3 is in London, and student 4 is in India-if you schedule the session for Chicago time you have likely disenfranchised half of the students because they are sleeping!

    Although cultural diversity can be challenging, strategies can be developed to minimize the problems.  Goold (2007) makes the following helpful suggestions for teaching a culturally diverse online class:  provide information how to access online units by email/letter, introduce yourself, set rules for online behavior, use one learning community for the class, use examples from different cultures, mix cultures within student groups, and make an online social club available. 

     For students whose primary language is not English you can make transcripts available or subcaption films, present information in written form, and allow extra time for task completion.  Time zone differences can impact deadlines (use time zone of college teaching the course and publicize it boldly in course materials), as well as group work and live sessions.  Groups could be constructed using students who have more similar time zones for ease of scheduling.  A live session like Collaborate could be scheduled one with an archive on local time.  The next one could be scheduled for students in the opposite part of the world with an archive for other students.  When using humor, examples, or assignments use items that are universal so all students can benefit and none of your students are left out or offended.  Although disabled students are not part of the cultural diversity issue you should be sure that your class activities/design don’t disenfranchise these students but include them.  Be conscious about activities with physical limitations, visual, or auditory issues.

     Ethical issues or “right or wrong” are part of the everyday life of online education.  Mpofu (nd) discusses possible Internet issues such as:  acceptable use and privacy, licensing and piracy, copyright and fair use, plagiarism, and ownership of course materials by the online instructor.  One of the biggest issues of concern in online classes is dishonesty.  Olt (nd) suggests that cheating is the rule rather than the exception.  Students cheat in many ways in the online classroom:  sitting together taking a test, one student submits another student’s paper as their own, they are using GOOGLE as a resource while taking a quiz or test, a student is thrown off the computer when using cut and paste and asks for more time, or students read other student posts to gather ideas for their own post, students plagiarize without citing their resources, etc.    

     One strategy to decrease cheating would be a sign-on or visual monitoring during a test.  Frequent assignments and email contact will give the instructor a good idea of student ability.  Controlling the use of resources can be achieved by keeping electronic copies of assignments and a use of a plagiarism checking system.  Prevention of students working together when they shouldn’t can be minimized by letting students know you are watching submission dates and times and the amount of time spent doing the assignment.  Random test questions are a good way to discourage collaboration since everyone gets a different test.  Design good assessments that require mastery, instead of memorization and guessing.  You should modify assignments to prevent sharing old assignments.  An academic honesty policy should be outlined in the syllabus/orientation and should be included in the learning contract that students sign at the beginning of the class.  If students know that you do not condone cheating and that there will be repercussions they may be more honest in the classroom.

     I selected Ethical Principles in University Teaching (Murray, 1996 adapted) that discusses nine ethical principles that should be followed at the university level.  They include the following:  competent in course content, competent in pedagogical principles, ability to deal with sensitive topics, contribute to student academic development, avoid dual relationships with students, confidentiality for grades, attendance, and private conversations, respect your colleagues, provide valued assessments, and respect the instructor.  I chose assessments.  Plagiarism, collaboration, and dishonesty are issues of concern.  I have discussed several preventative measures such as:  learning contract, plagiarism checking, log in/monitor tests, set time limits and watch submission dates and times.

     Lesson 10 focused on applying online facilitation practices to solve problems common in online classes and producing a group reference guide for new online instructors.  We were asked to choose 4/8 problem situations presented and offer facilitation solutions to resolves the issues.  First how do you deal with a student who is not actively participating (#1) in the class?  I would email each student and then schedule a Collaborate session to explore improving student participation.  Prior to the start of class a section on expectations for student participation can be included in the orientation and the learning contract.  An early assignment or discussion thread post could be about the importance of student participation in an online course.

     The second problem that I investigated was hostility (#2) in the online classroom.  When a discussion thread turns nasty I would immediately email the students involved and explain that disrespectful talk is inappropriate in the online classroom.  I would ask for acceptable dates from each student to schedule and conduct a live required Collaborate session to address and resolve the disruption.  Prior to the start of class I would be sure that three things were in place to prevent this from happening again.  I would include a section in the orientation about acceptable discussion behavior and have students sign off on it in the learning contract.  Next I would have a live class session by the end of the first week to give examples of good and poor discussion behavior (role playing).

     The third problem that I tackled was group dissension (#4).  The first thing that I would do if a group member felt excluded would be to email them and suggest that together we would try to solve the problem.  I would then email all members of the group, try to arrange a live session (second choice asynchronous discussion) to discuss and solve the meeting time issue.  To prevent this group scheduling problem from occurring you could include information about selecting group meeting times in both the course orientation and the learning contract.  If it is absolutely impossible to find common meeting times than all members would need to participate and make decisions in an asynchronous discussion.

     The fourth problem that I worked on was late arrival in the course (#6).  I would immediately email the student when they show up the first time to let them know that the course is not self-paced and that they should have been working within the first few days of the start of the term.  In fact, had the student not logged in and started the course by the end of the first week I would have already emailed and/or called them to find out why they had delayed starting coursework.  Then I would make arrangements for a private live session with the student.  After discussion I would suggest that the student look for an 8 week class to finish their requirements.  To prevent this from happening I would state boldly in the syllabus, orientation, on the home page, and in the learning contract that the course is not self-paced and has weekly deadlines.

     In addition we were required to post responses to the other four topics on other student’s original solutions that were posted.  In making changes (#3) to generate more class energy and more thoughtful responses you could modify grading rubrics, change reading assignments and discussion questions, and try to add more live sessions to build a stronger learning community.  In superficial participation (#5) the student is doing a mediocre presentation on their discussion posts.  To improve the quality of the work you could email the student and ask to discuss their level of work in a live session.  In addition you could quiz students on the reading prior to discussion posts, require a minimum of one citation per post, and include a specific level of work to be performed as part of the learning contract.  In What Has Changed? (#7) a student abruptly presents with a much higher quality of work than usual.  You are suspicious of plagiarism.  I would search for and use another free plagiarism tool to check.  I would then email the student or talk live to find out their side of the story.  If you can prove plagiarism you can evaluate how much to penalize the student.  If you can’t prove plagiarism you should let the student know why you are suspicious and that you will be watching them.  You could prevent or minimize this by including information about plagiarism in the orientation and as part of the learning contract.  In I Don’t Get It (#8) a student is having trouble because of poor computer skills, lack of computer literacy, and has trouble following directions.  To prevent a student like this from draining your facilitation time for the entire class I would email the student and suggest reading the orientation carefully, take advantage of tutorials, and partake of the Blackboard orientation course.  Having a class partner may also be helpful.  To prevent this from the start, include a list of basic skills needed and include suggestions about how to brush up on skills as needed to help improve success.  You could also include a section in the learning contract about skills necessary for coursework.

     Our was group project to prepare a reference guide for a new online instructor (spanned lessons 9 and 10).  We included three sections of tips for the new online instructor:  Before Class Starts (me), First Week of Class (Ashley T.), and During the Course (Carrie J.).  Time and effort in preparation before the class starts is critical to your success in facilitation as the course goes on during the term.  All information needs to be updated and all links should be checked each term.  When the class is ready to go from the first day both students and faculty have more class satisfaction.  Your course should include a home page, welcome page/announcements, syllabus, orientation with FAQ’s, calendar, and learning contract.

     During the first week of class it is important for students to feel comfortable, to set the climate for the class, and for students to begin the work.  Make announcements, send emails, and be present in the class.  Provide an icebreaker so students can get to know each other and prepare/start group work.  Be sure to contact any students who are not participating the first week.

     If your course is set up well and you are diligent in getting the group started the right way during the first week you are well on your way in facilitating the course successfully for the rest of the term.  Be vigilant and consistent in checking the discussion boards, for student questions, and email.  Make announcements often to stay connected and keep checking course content for edits and upating links.  Stay caught up on grading because a student should have results back within a week so they can stay focused and progress through the course.

     This section of the course includes very valuable topics for the online instructor.  Assessment is a varied but critical portion of an online course.  When designing and facilitating a course the instructor must consider diversity issues (cultural or disability) as well as ethics of academic honesty.  Practicing solving potential problems that are likely to be encountered in the online class are helpful in possibly preventing the issues.  A reference guide for giving tips to a new online instructor can be helpful in making their first class more successful.

References

Anonymous (NIU). nd.  Formative and summative assessment.

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Anonymous. nd.  Student assessment.

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Anonymous (FSU).  2011.  Chp 13 Grading.  Instruction at FSU Handbook 2011.

     Accessed 3-30-15    http://distance.fsu.edu/docs/instruction_at_fsu/Chapter13.pdf

Germain-Rutherford, A. and B. Kerr.  2008.  An inclusive approach to online learning-

     Environments.  Models and Resources.  Turkish Journal of Distance Education 9(2):  64-85.

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Goold, A.  2007.  Accommodating cultures and cultural diversity in online teaching,  Australasian

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Mpofu, S.  nd.  Ethics and legal issues in online teaching.  University of Namibia.

     Accessed on 4-6-15      www.col.org/pdf2/papers/mpofu.pdf

Mueller, J.  2014.  What is authentic assessment?  Authentic Assessment Toolbox.

     Accessed on 3-30-15    http://jfmueller.faculty/noctrl.edu/edu/toolbox/whatisit.htm

Murray, H.  1996 (adapted).  Ethical principles in university teaching.   Society of Teaching and

     Learning in Higher Education.  Centre for Teaching and Academic Growth.  Vancouver, BC

     Accessed on 4-6-15    http:www.teaching.utoronto.ca/gsta/teaching-essentials/ta-toolkit/ethical-principle.htm

Olt, M. nd. Ethics and distance education:  Strategies for minimizing academic dishonesty in

     Online assessment. 

      Accessed on 4-6-15   http://www.westa.edu/~distance/ojdla/fall53/olt53.html

Suskie, L.  nd.  Fair assessment practices-Giving students equitable opportunity to demonstrate

     Learning.

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WPI Academic Technology Center.  2007.  Teaching with Technical Collaboratory:  Providing

     feedback in your distance learning.

     Accessed 3-30-15   https://www.wpi.edu/Academics/ATC/Collaboratory/Teaching/feedback.html