Communicating a Feedback Policy

You uploaded your syllabus and it seems as if no student reads it. This is not a fault of students. People do not like reading pdfs on the web (Nielsen, 2003). This might be why nobody can find your notes about feedback in your uploaded 15 page pdf file with your feedback policy buried on page 11, sections 5.42. How can we remedy this? Offer the information in a preferable format.

Deconstruct the syllabus for the web. Harness the web and make the imparting information more effective in this medium. By breaking it down into a set of pages, such as a set of Course Information Documents, the information is presented in manageable chunks that are easier for students to access and review. The ‘findability’ of this information helps students more effectively orientate themselves to the course. Research reveals that courses where course information is easy to find have a direct impact on students’ perceptions, overall experience, and learning outcomes (Simunich, Robins, & Kelly, 2015)

Having a policy statement explaining how the instructor/student feedback occurs can reduce expectation gaps that create student frustration because they do not know what to expect. This can also reduce communication about feedback and allow students to focus more time on task. A concise policy statement can establish expectations and knowing how the course functions and the instructor’s expectations allows students to keep on track and prioritize their responsibilities (Ladyshwesky, 2013).

You will find that offering detailed guidelines that are easy to find defines course protocol and allows students to focus on learning the content instead of the process of the course. Students’ expectations about the frequency of the feedback, the response time for assignments, and the quality of interactions that are expected of them will help them focus on their success. This may also effectively reduce your workload as an instructor because you can spend more time on teaching and less time on reviewing course policies with the students.

References

Ladyshewsky, R. (2013). Instructor Presence in Online Courses and Student Satisfaction. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning, 7(1), 1-23.

Nielsen, J. (2003) Avoid PDF for On-Screen Reading. NN/g Nielsen Norman Group. Retrieved Juy 24, 2018 from https://www.nngroup.com/articles/avoid-pdf-for-on-screen-reading/

Simunich, B., Robins, D. B., & Kelly, V. (2015). The Impact of Findability on Student Motivation, Self-Efficacy, and Perceptions of Online Course Quality. American Journal of Distance Education, 29(3), 174-185.

Faculty Introductions and Building a Learning Community

Taking an online course can be intimidating and the environment can seem cold and impersonal. Students can feel that they are on their own navigating a morass of information where the solutions to their questions is difficult to find. Ironically, this also can apply to a traditional face-to-face course. However, using best practices in course design can help overcome this.

One way to breakdown the impersonal atmosphere of the Learning Management System is to remind students that you, a person, are there and that they can communicate with you. Adding a Faculty Introduction or Welcome page to the course is an excellent opportunity to make the learning environment less sterile and add a personal touch. Be sure to let the students know a little about yourself and your credentials to both demonstrate that you are indeed a person and a highly qualified instructor to better influence their acceptance of the course content (Dulaney, 2013).

 When you are creating an introduction, you should consider taking advantage of the medium and including multimedia. Simply adding an image of yourself can influence student perception of you (Russo & Campbell, 2004), and their retention of the material (Mayer, 2009), such as your expectations. By using video, instructors will increase students’ perception of connectedness with the course (Rose, 2009) and studies show that they will be 20% more positive about their interaction with the you and the content. This has been shown to have a direct impact on their success in the course (Jones, Naugle & Kolloff, 2008). You will also find that with currently technology, creating an introductory video is not the difficult.  (For a templated see the discussion about video introductions and your course, see: https://instructionaldesignsccc.blogspot.com/2018/03/video-introductions-and-your-course.html )

While you have a stand-alone page developed, it is wise to include the best ways for students to communicate with you.  In order to communicate high expectations, you first need to be able to communicate.  Including the best means to reach with you and the length they can expect in order to get a reply, affords insight for the students so that they understand what is expected. It also gives the students a location to consult if they forget the most effective ways to communicate with you, e.g. email or messenger.  The advantage is that this page can be a continue beacon that promotes a learning community and communication.

References

Dulaney, E. (2013). Does the Credibility of the Presenter Influence Acceptance of Content in the Classroom. American International Journal of Social Science, 2(4), 14-20.

Jones, P., Naugle, K., & Kolloff, M. (2008). Teacher presence: Using introductory videos in hybrid and online courses. Learning Solutions. Retrieved on March 26, 2014 from learningsolutionsmag.com

Mayer, R. E.  (2009) Multimedia Learning. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2^nd Ed. 

Rose, K. K. (2009) Student Perceptions of the Use of Instructor-Made Videos in Online and Face-to-Face Classes. MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching. 5(3), Retrieved July 18, 2018 from http://jolt.merlot.org/vol5no3/rose_0909.htm

Russo, T. C., & Campbell, S. W. (2004). Perceptions of mediated presence in an asynchronous online course: Interplay of communication behaviors and medium. Distance Education, 25(2), 215-232.