THE SEVEN PRINCIPLES OF GOOD PRACTICE: A PRACTICAL APPROACH TO EVALUATING ONLINE COURSES

Kursat CAGILTAY1 Charles R. GRAHAM2 Byung-Ro LIM3 Jon CRA!"R# $ro%essor Tho&as '())Y*
Abstract In the Fall of 1999 a team from the Center for Research on Learning and Technology (CRLT) at Indiana University evaluated four online courses for a large academic program at another institution. The evaluation provided feedback to individual course instructors as well as information to the program directors about strengths and weaknesses of the online courses in their program. The evaluators used Chickerings Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education [1] as a framework for their evaluations. In addition, they incorporated some basic guidelines for effective human-computer-interface design into the evaluation. This paper describes some important strategies, for each of the seven principles of good practice, that can be applied directly to evaluation of online courses. The evaluation strategies presented are not only of practical value in evaluating existing online courses but can also be used to inform the design and development of new online courses. Key-Words: on-line courses, distance course evaluation, human-computer-interaction. zet 1+++ y,l, g-. /0ne& n/e In/ ana 1n 2ers tes 34ren&e 2e Te5nolo6 Ara7t,r&alar, Mer5e. n/en 8 r e5 9 / 4er 8 r -n 2ers ten n /0rt a/et :e2r & : ;onl ne< /ers n /e4erlen/ r/ . Bu /e4erlen/ r&e :al,7&as, sonu=un/a /ersler n .ay,% 2e g-:l- y0nler le lg l el/e e/ len 8 lg ler 8 r ra9or hal n/e he& /ersler n 04ret & g0re2l ler ne he& /e 9rogra& y0net = ler ne sunul/u. 'e4erlen/ r&e :al,7&as,n,n te&el n/e Ch =5er ng>e a t ?the @e2en $r n= 9les %or Goo/ $ra=t =e n (n/ergra/uate "/u=at onA &a5ales 5ullan,l/, B1C. Bu ye/ 9rens 9e e5 olara5 /ersler n 8 lg sayar aray-.-n-n /e4erlen/ r&es : n 8 r / . 5r ter /e 8el rlen/ . Bu &a5ale :e2r & : /ersler n /e4erlen/ r l&es n/e ye/ 9rens 8 n nas,l 5ullan,la=a4,na /a r strate6 ler a:,5la&a5ta/,r. Bura/a sunulan /e4erlen/ r&e strate6 ler :e2r & : /ersler n /e4erlen/ r l&es 5onusun/a 9rat 5 /e4ere sah 9
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1. INTRODUCTION

Almost all students from elementary to higher education are educated in a lecture based educational system. The communication patterns and characteristics of face-to-face lecture based environments can be quite different from those found in a distance education environment. For example, in a Web-based distance education environment, all verbal and non-verbal communication cues, traditionally found in a face-to-face environment, disappear. In this new environment, supportive teacher-student interaction and student-student networking become very important. Although it seems that the Web can be a good environment for delivering sound educational experiences, currently there is very little solid research to identify key issues to making online distance education successful. [2]. We hope that this researchs results will contribute to the efforts to close this gap.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW

The term distance education refers to the teaching-learning arrangement in which the learner and teacher are separated by location and/or time [3]. The World Wide Web (WWW) is a distributed, hypermedia based, platform independent, architecture for sharing

Center %or Resear=h on Learn ng an/ Te=hnologyD In/ ana (n 2ers ty 5ursatE n/ ana.e/u Center %or Resear=h on Learn ng an/ Te=hnologyD In/ ana (n 2ers ty =rgraha&E n/ ana.e/u 3 Center %or Resear=h on Learn ng an/ Te=hnologyD In/ ana (n 2ers ty 8yunl &E n/ ana.e/u # Center %or Resear=h on Learn ng an/ Te=hnologyD In/ ana (n 2ers ty 6=ranerE n/ ana.e/u * Ch e% Learn ng F%% =erD (!eGt.=o&D t/u%%yEuneGt.=o& H Instru=t onal @yste&s Te=hnology 'e9art&entD In/ ana (n 2ers ty /u%%yE n/ ana.e/u

information. Web-based education is defined as education delivered in whole or in part using the Web and related technologies [4]. There are many other similar terms used to describe Web-based education, such as: online courseware, learnware, distance education online, etc. Through the years, distance education has taken advantage of current technologies, incorporating into the teaching and learning environment telecommunication technologies such as radio and television broadcasting, audio and video recording, live, two-way interactive audio, video. More recently there has been a huge growth in the use of synchronous & asynchronous computer-based interaction tools on the Internet or the World Wide Web (WWW) [5]. Today, Internet-based distance learning is one of the most rapidly growing aspects of education and training in the world. Even though there is such a trend in using technology in education, in a stu/y that analy.e/ the use o% te=hnology n the =lassroo& %ro& 1+2I to the 9resentD Cu8an BJC %oun/ that s=hools =hange/ relat 2ely l ttle /ur ng th s t &e %ra&e. He a=tually re9orte/ that none o% the 9re2 ous te=hnolog es ha/ s gn % =ant &9a=t on e/u=at onal syste&. H story has shoKn us that &ore so9h st =ate/ eLu 9&ent /oes not auto&at =ally lea/ to &ore e%%e=t 2e learn ng en2 ron&ents BMC. The e&9has s n e/u=at on shoul/ not 8e on /e2 =esD as n the 9astD 8ut rather on the 9ro=ess o% hoK to use those te=hnolog es to tea=h e%%e=t 2ely. Nh le &any argue that there s 9ro& s ng %uture n the use o% 9ersonal =o&9uters an/ the Ne8 n e/u=at onD there s no sat s%y ng ansKer %or the Luest on o% hoK these te=hnolog es =an 8est 8e use/ to 9ro&ote learn ng or hoK to =o&9are the / %%eren=es 8etKeen %a=e-to-%a=e learn ng an/ te=hnology su99orte/ / stan=e learn ng. As state/ 8y N n/s=h tl BOC an/ Moore B3CD &u=h o% the 9u8l she/ Kor5 a8out / stan=e e/u=at on has 8een ane=/otal /es=r 9t ons o% a=t 2 t es su=h as sett ng u9 on-l ne &entor ng 9rogra&s or hoK to get stu/ents n2ol2e/ n =olla8orat 2e Ne8 a=t 2 t es K th other s=hools. HoKe2er there s not &u=h sol / resear=h on &any &9ortant as9e=ts o% Internet 8ase/ / stan=e e/u=at on. There are &ore Luest ons than

ansKers an/ t see&s that th s s tuat on K ll =ont nue %or a Kh le nto the %uture. There are several factors that affect the success of a distance education program. Some of those factors are interaction, motivation, technical & administrative issues, and learner characteristics. Chickerings Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education [1], [9] have become a popular set of guidelines for evaluating traditional campusbased courses. These seven principles are: 1. Good Practice Encourages Student Faculty Contact 2. Good Practice Encourages Cooperation Among Students 3. Good Practice Encourages Active Learning 4. Good Practice Gives Prompt Feedback 5. Good Practice Emphasizes Time on Task 6. Good Practice Communicates High Expectations 7. Good Practice Respects Diverse Talents and Ways of Learning These principles can also be used to evaluate online courses as well as traditional face-to-face courses. A team of evaluators from the Center for Research on Learning and Technology (CRLT) at Indiana University learned that although the principles apply equally well to face-to-face and online courses, specific strategies for evaluating each principle differed between the two types of courses. In the following section a summary of some of the findings from a more comprehensive CRLT technical report [10] will be presented. First, a definition of each principle will be given. Then specific findings from the evaluation relating each principle to an online learning environment will be presented.
3. METHODOLOGY

A team of five evaluators from Indiana University's Center for Research on Learning and Technology (CRLT), evaluated four online courses in a professional school at a large Midwestern university, USA. The identity of that university and the content of the courses are kept confidential by the request of the institution. Four of authors took charge of the course evaluation, which was directed by the director of CRLT.

The =ourses Kere taught 8y %a=ulty &e&8ers Kho also taught %a=e-to-%a=e =ourses. Each course instructor developed the course independently, so each course has its own features. For example, some used WebCT, and some did not. Some used problem-based learning, some more structured method. And so forth. But they have common features, too. All of them used asynchronous communication, e-mail, combined public and private forum. Document analysis and interview were used as main data collection methods. Con/u=te/ at the 6o nt reLuest o% %a=ulty an/ a/& n strat onD the e2aluat ons Kere 8ase/ on analys s o% those four courses onl ne =ourse &ater alsD stu/ent an/ nstru=tor / s=uss on%oru& 9ost ngsD an/ %a=ulty nter2 eKs. First of all, formal and informal course Web sites were evaluated. Also, each author got permission to access discussion data of each course. The vast amount of discussion entries were evaluated. When confronting with difficulty in interpreting the data, authors asked to the instructor for more clarification. After scrutinizing the data, each author interviewed the instructor. For the credibility of data, two researchers interviewed an instructor together. The authors also held regular meetings to evaluate, analyze the data and seek for the meanings of the data. Although the researchers Kere not 9er& tte/ to =on/u=t stu/ent nter2 eKsD the researchers believe that they ga ne/ an un/erstan/ ng o% stu/ent eG9er en=es 8y rea/ ng 9ost ngs to the / s=uss on %oru&. The whole process was guided and coached by the director of CRLT. The nature of this research requires the use of qualitative data collection and analysis techniques in this study. As stated before the main instrument for the evaluations was based on Chickerings Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. As stated by Sanders (cited in [15], p.33), case studies help us to understand processes of events, projects and programs and to discover context characteristics that will shed light on an issue or object. These four case studies should be taken as a stimulus for further thought and research in this direction. Since this project involved practical evaluations for a particular client, they should not be used to develop a set of global guidelines.

4. EVALUATIONS 4.1. Good Practice Encourages Student Faculty Contact

Frequent student-faculty contact in and out of classes is the most important factor in student motivation and involvement [1]. Developing appropriate strategies for creating student-faculty interactions is especially important in an online environment because students do not have the guaranteed contact time that comes from regular class lectures. Conversely, the 24-hour availability of email to students provides a mechanism for interacting with faculty unparalleled in the past. To further complicate matters, we discovered from faculty interviews that instructors were often wary about fostering high levels of online interaction with the students for fear of becoming inundated with email messages or bulletin board postings. We found that instructors can encourage interaction with students by clearly communicating an email response policy to the students. Students often assume that instructors have easy, constant access to their email. If they contact their instructor and dont hear back within an expected timeframe, they may feel that the instructor is ignoring their request. This type of misunderstanding can be reduced if the instructor communicates to the students a general policy or timeline for answering students email questions. Examples of such policies are: (1) an instructor makes it clear to her students that she/he will make every effort to respond to email within two days of receiving it or (2) an instructor clearly designates three mornings a week that he will respond to email requests. In each case, the communication expectation is set, reducing the chance of students feeling ignored and also meeting the instructors need to appropriately manage his/her time.
4.2. Good Practice Encourages Cooperation Among Students

Sharing ones own ideas and responding to others improves thinking and deepens understanding. [1] Getting students to discuss issues related to a topic is a typical way for instructors to

encourage student-student interaction in the traditional classroom. The use of asynchronous conferencing tools has made discussions an integral part of many online courses. Research exists which claims that asynchronous discussion, while not as good for spontaneous idea generation, is actually superior to face-to-face discussions for generating depth of thought [11]. In our interviews with faculty and through observation of the bulletin board discussions in the online classes, we learned that instructors often struggle knowing exactly how to facilitate successful asynchronous discussions. Developing appropriate discussions that require meaningful peer interaction is one way to encourage cooperation among students. The following set of guidelines developed by the CRLT can be helpful in developing and/or evaluating asynchronous discussions [10], Require student participation (make grade dependent on it) Students need a task to focus their discussion The task should have a product or something that brings closure The task should engage the learner in the content The discussion structure should be carefully thought out Discussion groups should remain relatively small Students should get some kind of feedback on the discussion Discussions should be evaluated based on quality of content and not length of posting or number of postings Instructors should post examples of expectations for discussions
4.3. Good Practice Encourages Active Learning

there were many opportunities for instructors to help students relate learning activities to real-world issues. For example, in some courses students were asked to do real-world projects that related the course to their fulltime work. When the students were allowed some flexibility (e.g., to choose their own topic, project format, etc.) the learning was more meaningful to them and was often more authentic than if the instructor had mandated that everyone do the same project. It is also important for students to present their work to the rest of the class. We found that this is a step that is often skipped perhaps because instructors are not really sure the best way to do online presentations. While formal synchronous presentations may not be practical in an online environment, the project work can be made available for other students to review and specific questions can be formulated to help structure a productive asynchronous discussion about the project or assignment work. Students learn by seeing examples. As they see the exemplary work of their peers (in the current semester or previous semesters) they are motivated to perform at a higher level.
4.4. Good Practice Gives Prompt Feedback

Students must talk about what they are learning, write reflectively about it, relate it to past experiences, and apply it to their daily lives. [1] It is critical to manage active learning, especially in an online situation, because students can be easily distracted from their learning. Without a proper motivation strategy or meaningful tasks, it is hard to engage students in active learning. In the process of evaluating the online courses, we found that

Knowing what you know and dont know focuses your learning . . . students need frequent opportunities to perform and receive feedback on their performance. [1] Prompt feedback is a basic tenet of quality instruction. There are typically two main types of feedback used in online courses. Acknowledgement feedback confirms or assures the student that some event has taken place. In a face-to-face environment, this kind of feedback happens all the time and is often communicated through non-verbal cues. Acknowledgement feedback is often not readily available to students in an online learning environment. Information feedback, on the other hand, is informational or evaluative in nature. It is often manifested as the answer to a student question or as an assignment grade and comments. Most of the instructors, for the courses we evaluated, gave information feedback on assignments and projects in a fairly timely manner. It is recommended that the turnaround time for giving feedback on

assignments should be one week or less. The longer it takes to get feedback the smaller the impact the feedback is likely to have on the student. It is important to monitor bulletin boards regularly and give specific information feedback to students. Instructors may also guide students by asking them questions and encouraging them to find their own solutions rather than just giving them answers to their questions. Although instructors were fairly good at giving information feedback, there seemed to be a lot of room for improvement in providing more and better acknowledgement feedback. Instructors can alleviate many student concerns by sending them a brief note of acknowledgement when they receive an assignment via email. Also, if an instructor is too busy to give a detailed answer to a student question in a timely manner, the instructor should give the student an acknowledgement email stating that they have received the question and will address the question later when they have more time.
4.5. Good Practice Emphasizes Time on Task

conferencing tool is a common way of requiring regular participation.

4.6. Good Practice Communicates High Expectations

Allocating realistic amounts of time means effective learning for students and effective teaching for faculty. [1] Learning results from time on task. Students need to know how to use their time well. Especially in online courses, it is hard to maintain students attention and motivation throughout the semester. Students are easily distracted from their study, so they need to be given help with their time management skills. A students time on task depends on how demanding the task is and the expectation the instructor sets for working. Most courses we evaluated had assignments with specific deadlines that required students to participate in the class on a regular basis. Having regular assignments due throughout the semester helped to encourage students to spend time on the course and not to procrastinate which is easy for students to do when they are not meeting regularly with their class. This can be communicated explicitly through email as well as through the structuring and due dates of the assignments. It is important to require students to stay on task and work weekly throughout the semester. Having regular discussions using an asynchronous

Expecting students to perform well becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy when teachers and institutions hold high expectations for themselves and make extra efforts. [1] The more the instructor expects, the better students perform. Communicating high expectations is important, but is not always easy to implement in an online environment. Without face-to- face meetings, visual cues, or encouragement, online instructors have a greater need to make sure that their expectations are explicitly communicated. Most of the instructors interviewed listed their expectations on their course Web sites. In addition to listing the assignments and their due dates, instructors would often provide grading rubrics for the students. Instructors would also communicate their expectations by publicly calling attention to excellent performance by the students in bulletin board discussions or class listservs. Giving positive attention (when deserved) to the students provides motivation as well as feedback about the kind of excellence that the instructors are looking for. Another strategy for communicating expectations that was used was to model different qualities of postings to the discussion forum. One instructor modeled three postings of different qualities for students to view. One was an exemplary posting while the other two were examples of what not to do and highlighted poor trends the instructor had seen in the past that wanted students to avoid.
4.7. Good Practice Respects Diverse Talents and Ways of Learning

There are many roads to learning . . . Students need the opportunity to show their talents and learn in ways that work for them. [1] Students bring different talents and learning styles to college. Because of such differences, students rich in hands-on experience may struggle with theory and vice versa. Students need the opportunity to show

their talents and learn in ways that work for them. The online course evaluations helped us to identify many different strategies that instructors used to respect diverse talents and ways of learning. Some of the strategies mentioned are: Include an online ice-breaker activity for online courses to allow students to share their own interests and learn about peers backgrounds and interests. Encourage students to express diverse points of view in discussions. Allow students to shape their own coursework by choosing project topics. Create learning activities filled with reallife examples and diverse perspectives.
4.8. Human Computer Interface Principles

visits and information retrieval from the same site easier.

4.8.2. Clear organization and presentation of information

A well-organized interface allows the user to work efficiently. Users benefit from functions that are easily accessible and usable. In such a site the relationships between elements on the page are easily understood. A poorly organized interface causes confusion regarding functionalities and distracts users from accomplishing their intended tasks. Effective categories should be used to describe the information available at the site and the interface should be designed to inform the users about available information.
4.8.3. Consistent and easy-to-use web site navigation

Good human computer interface (HCI) design is one of the core elements that contributes to a positive online learning experience for students. Because students access online course materials through the user interface, its role is very important for a successful course. A poorly designed user interface can get in the way of learning while a well designed interface can enhance the learning experience. For the purposes of our online course evaluations, we looked at four computer interface design principles which were selected from a large set of principles from the HCI literature [12], [13], [14]. The features we looked for in the online courses were: Consistency of web page layout and design. Clear organization and presentation of information. Consistent and easy-to-use web site navigation. Aesthetically pleasing design and graphics.
4.8.1. Consistency of web page layout and design

Users need to know where they are and how to get where they are going next. Navigating hypertext can place heavy mental loads on users. Also they can easily be disoriented with a poorly designed navigational system. In order to orient users and minimize the disruptive effects of jumping from one place to another, visual support and context should be supplied. Users should be shown where they are by clearly labeling the current location within the site.
4.8.4. Aesthetically pleasing design and graphics

Users will be more engaged by a task if the information presentation is well structured, consistent with principles of visual design and is also aesthetically pleasing. Since users spend a lot of their time working while looking at the computer screen, the visual interface should be designed to be pleasant to look at on the screen for a long time. In such an interface the graphics of the display should be kept simple and un-meaningful graphic images should not be used.
5. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR DISTANCE LEARNING INSTRUCTORS

Consistency in the interface allows people to easily learn and recognize the graphic language of the interface. It also allows them to transfer their knowledge and skills from one application to another. This makes repeated

After finishing the evaluation of the online courses, the researchers listed a set of recommendations for the distance learning
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instructors and school. The general recommendations are: "n=ourage Instru=tor @har ng An/ Colla8orat on (se Asyn=hronous Con%eren= ng "%%e=t 2ely I&9le&ent Course Manage&ent @trateg es That 'o !ot Co&9ro& se the Pual ty o% the Instru=t on G 2e A==ess To 'e2elo9&ent Resour=es To All @=hool )a=ulty Tea=h ng Fnl ne

Instru=tors Kho K ll 8e tea=h ng onl ne =ourses shoul/ 8e g 2en so&e gu /el nes %or e%%e=t 2ely us ng asyn=hronous =on%eren= ng n the r =ourses. BeloK are so&e general 9r n= 9les that ha2e 8een /e2elo9e/ at the In/ ana (n 2ers tyD Center %or Resear=h on Learn ng an/ Te=hnology %or e%%e=t 2ely us ng asyn=hronous =on%eren= ng toolsQ 5.*.1 R".u&r" #$u'"n$ / r$&c&/ $&on 01 2" !r '" '"/"n'"n$ on &$3 I% 9art = 9at on s not reLu re/D stu/ents K ll generally / sregar/ us ng the tool %or &ean ng%ul ty9es o% tas5s. At least a 9ort on o% the % nal gra/e shoul/ 8e 8ase/ on the stu/ent>s 9art = 9at on n the asyn=hronous / s=uss on. 5.*.* S$u'"n$# n""' '&#cu##&on $ #2 $o ,ocu# $%"&r

The details of the recommendations are presented in the following sections.

5.1 Encour !" In#$ruc$or S% r&n! An' Co(( )or $&on

Just as stu/ents learn %ro& ea=h otherD nstru=tors =an learn %ro& ea=h other. The resear=hers re=o&&en/ that the s=hools 9ro2 /e o99ortun t es an/ n=ent 2es %or nstru=tors to share an/ / s=uss K th ea=h other Khat 5 n/s o% strateg es they are us ng n the r onl ne =ourses. The %olloK ng are %eK Kays n Kh =h the s=hools & ght /o th sQ )a=ulty 'e2elo9&ent Nor5sho9s Kh =h h ghl ght the Kor5 o% one or tKo / %%erent nstru=tors an/ the r onl ne =ourses. BroKn-8ag Lun=hes n Kh =h a %a=ulty &e&8er /e&onstrates h sRher onl ne =ourse an/ %a=ulty =an / s=uss 8est 9ra=t =es. AKar/s %or Inno2at ons n Tea=h ng & ght 8e aKar/e/ to %a=ulty Kho are on the %ore%ront n /e2elo9 ng an/ /el 2er ng onl ne =ourses. A @=hool !eKsletter Kh =h h ghl ghts a / %%erent onl ne =ourse ea=h Luarter or se&ester. )a=ulty @e& nars Kh =h 8r ng n guest 9resenters an/Ror / s=uss l terature n the area o% onl ne learn ng.
5.* U#" A#+nc%ronou# Con,"r"nc&n! E,,"c$&-"(+

A =o&&on & sta5e that s &a/e Khen us ng asyn=hronous =on%eren= ng tools s that stu/ents are 6ust as5e/ to use the tool to ?/ s=ussA a to9 =. Th s o%ten results n shalloK ?tal5 ng aroun/A the to9 = n Luest on. The nstru=tor shoul/ 9ro2 /e a s9e= % = tas5 to the stu/ents to hel9 %o=us the r onl ne / s=uss on. Fne 9ra=t =e that has 8een use/ n the 9ast to get stu/ents starte/ nto a / s=uss on tas5 s to ass gn s9e= % = roles ;e.g.D 9ro 2s. =on 9os t onD et=.< to stu/ents n the / s=uss on. 5.*.4 T%" $ #2 #%ou(' % -" /ro'uc$ or #o1"$%&n! $% $ )r&n!# c(o#ur" The %o=us tas5 g 2en to the stu/ents shoul/ result n a 9ro/u=t that re9resents the =ore /eas %ro& the r / s=uss on. Th s =oul/ 8e as s &9le as a /o=u&ent that synthes .es the &a n argu&ents %ro& the / s=uss on. 5.*.5 T%" $ #2 1u#$ "n! !" $%" (" rn"r &n $%" con$"n$ The tas5 that s =hosen &ust str 2e to engage the learner n =r t =ally th n5 ng a8out the =ontent &ater al an/ ssues. 5.*.5 T%" '&#cu##&on #$ruc$ur" #%ou(' )" c r",u((+ $%ou!%$ ou$ Instru=tors shoul/ a99ro9r ately stru=ture the 9hys =al / s=uss on s9a=e to %a= l tate the

Fne o% the 5ey =o&9onents o% an onl ne =ourse s ts use o% asyn=hronous =on%eren= ng tools. The Kay n Kh =h the asyn=hronous =on%eren= ng tool s use/ =an ha2e a /ra&at = e%%e=t on the stu/ent learn ng n the =ourse.

/ s=uss on an/ & n & .e 9otent al =on%us on. In the =ourses that Kere e2aluate/ there Kere so&e / s=uss on stru=tures that &a/e t 2ery / %% =ult %or the stu/ents to re&e&8er Khere they Kere su99ose/ to 8e 9ost ng at Kh =h t &es /ur ng the se&ester. The / s=uss on stru=ture ; n=lu/ ng 9u8l =D 9r 2ateD to9 =alD tea& %oru&sD et=.< shoul/ 8e s &9le an/ easy %or the stu/ents to un/erstan/. Mult 9le 9ost ngs %ro& stu/ents n the Krong / s=uss on s9a=e s a =lear n/ =at on that the / s=uss on stru=ture s too =o&9leG. 5.*.6 D&#cu##&on 1u#$ )" "- (u $"' ) #"' on .u (&$+ o, con$"n$ n' no$ ("n!$% o, /o#$&n! or nu1)"r o, /o#$&n!# "2aluat on o% 9ost ngs 8ase/ on nu&8er or length o% 9ost ngs en=ourages stu/ents to =ontr 8ute tr te an/ thoughtless n%or&at on to the / s=uss on 6ust to 8e ?=ounte/.A ' s=uss on 9ost ngs shoul/ 8e e2aluate/ 8ase/ on Lual ty o% =ontent. Th s & ght 8e /one 8y e2aluat ng the synthes s or % nal 9ro/u=t /e2elo9e/ %ro& the / s=uss on. 5.*.7 In#$ruc$or# #%ou(' /o#$ "8 1/("# o, "8/"c$ $&on# ,or '&#cu##&on# Instru=tors =an &9ro2e the Lual ty o% stu/ent / s=uss ons 8y eG9l = tly g 2 ng eGe&9lars to the stu/ents. )or eGa&9leD n one =ourse stu/ents Kere g 2en eGa&9le s=enar os %or three ?ty9es o% 9ost ngsA. Fne goo/ eGa&9leD one %ro& a stu/ent Kho thought she 5neK e2eryth ngD an/ a th r/ %ro& a stu/ent Kho Kas 6ust agree ng K th other 9osts an/ not a// ng anyth ng su8stant 2e. 5.*.9 S$u'"n$# 1u#$ !"$ #o1" 2&n' o, ,""') c2 on $%" '&#cu##&on# Re=e 2 ng %ee/8a=5 on the / s=uss ons s =ru= al n hel9 ng the stu/ents learn. )ee/8a=5 =an =o&e %ro& 2ar ous sour=es n=lu/ ng nstru=tors an/ other stu/ents. 5.*.: D&#cu##&on !rou/# #%ou(' r"1 &n r"( $&-"(+ #1 (( "G9er en=e / =tates that % the nu&8er o% stu/ents n a / s=uss on grou9 gets too largeD &ean ng%ul / s=uss on s less l 5ely to o==ur. I% there s a large nu&8er o% stu/ents n an onl ne =ourse t s &ore 9ro/u=t 2e to / 2 /e

the& nto se2eral s&aller / s=uss on grou9s Kh =h Kor5 n 9arallel.

5.4 I1/("1"n$ Cour#" M n !"1"n$ S$r $"!&"# T% $ Do No$ Co1/ro1&#" $%" ;u (&$+ o, $%" In#$ruc$&on

Fne o% the / le&&as that s %a=e/ n g 2 ng %ee/8a=5 n an onl ne / s=uss on en2 ron&ent s that nstru=tors Kant to en=ourage an/ n=rease the Lual ty o% / s=uss ons 8e=ause that n=reases time on task. At the sa&e t &e the &ore / s=uss on that s generate/ the &ore / %% =ult t s %or the nstru=tor to 5ee9 u9 K th t n a t &ely %ash on. Th s s es9e= ally the =ase % a =lass s 8ro5en u9 nto se2eral s&all / s=uss on an/ 9ro6e=t grou9s 8e=ause the nstru=tor then has to &on tor the / s=uss on threa/s %or &ult 9le grou9s Kh le stu/ent grou9 &e&8ers only ha2e to &on tor one grou9>s / s=uss on. The %olloK ng are a %eK suggest ons o% strateg es to hel9 n &anag ng onl ne =oursesQ 5.4.1 Incr" #" "1/% #&# on /""r "- (u $&on n' ,""') c2. In=reas ng the e&9has s on 9eer e2aluat on /oes not a8sol2e the nstru=tor %ro& the res9ons 8 l ty o% 9ro2 / ng %ee/8a=5 n the / s=uss ons. HoKe2erD t =an alle2 ate &u=h o% the stress. The &ore Lual ty %ee/8a=5 stu/ents get the 8etter o%% they are. $eers =an 9ro2 /e &u=h o% the nee/e/ %ee/8a=5 K th the nstru=tor &on tor ng an/ 9ro2 / ng gu /an=e at =r t =al t &es rather than all o% the t &e. @tu/ents =an 8e en=ourage/ to g 2e &ean ng%ul %ee/8a=5 8y &a5 ng t a reLu re&ent %or the gra/e or 8y 9ro2 / ng other n=ent 2es. @tu/ents also nee/ to 8e taught hoK to g 2e a99ro9r ate %ee/8a=5 n or/er %or th s strategy to Kor5 e%%e=t 2ely. 5.4.* Incr" #" $%" "1/% #&# on !rou/ <or2. Another Kay to &9ro2e the &anagea8 l ty o% a =ourse K thout =o&9ro& s ng ts e%%e=t 2eness s to 9la=e a greater e&9has s on grou9 Kor5. Creat ng ass gn&ents that en=ourage stu/ent =olla8orat on =an &9ro2e the Lual ty o% the learn ng %or the stu/ents as Kell as re/u=e the nu&8er o% % nal 9ro/u=ts that &ust 8e gra/e/.

5.4.4 S"("c$&-"(+ "- (u $" '&#cu##&on#. Another Kay to &a nta n a h gh le2el o% eG9e=tat on %or stu/ent 9art = 9at on n / s=uss ons K thout o2erKhel& ng the nstru=tor s to sele=t 2ely e2aluate the / s=uss ons. There are se2eral 9oss 8le &etho/s %or /o ng th s. ) rstD the stu/ents =oul/ 8e n%or&e/ that they are reLu re/ to 9art = 9ate a=t 2ely n all the / s=uss ons 8ut that the nstru=tor K ll e2aluate e2eryone>s 9art = 9at on Lual ty %or a gra/e only at a =erta n nu&8er o% ;uns9e= % e/< t &es /ur ng the se&ester. A se=on/ 9oss 8le &etho/ Koul/ 8e ass gn ng a grou9 / s=uss on lea/er %or ea=h to9 = or ass gn&ent an/ &a5 ng that 9erson res9ons 8le %or en=ourag ng an/ st &ulat ng Lual ty grou9 / s=uss on. The / s=uss on lea/er Koul/ then 8e the only one gra/e/ %or ea=h / s=uss on. The / s=uss on lea/er Koul/ then 8e rotate/ %or ea=h neK to9 = unt l ea=h stu/ent has ha/ a turn. 5.4.5 S"$ c(" r ,""') c2 "8/"c$ $&on#. It s &9ortant to set =lear stu/ent eG9e=tat ons %ro& the 2ery 8eg nn ng a8out hoK you 9lan to 9ro2 /e e2aluat on an/ %ee/8a=5 to the& n the r =lass / s=uss ons. Instru=tors Kho /o not esta8l sh =lear eG9e=tat ons o%ten ha2e to /eal K th a h gher le2el o% stu/ent stress /ue to un&et stu/ent eG9e=tat ons regar/ ng e2aluat on an/ %ee/8a=5. 5.5 G&-" Acc"## $o D"-"(o/1"n$ R"#ourc"# $o A(( F cu($+ T" c%&n! On(&n" In the 9ro=ess o% our e2aluat onD Ke %oun/ that not all %a=ulty Kho are /e2elo9 ng onl ne =ourses ha2e a==ess to =ourse /e2elo9&ent resour=es su=h as Ne8CT. Ne re=o&&en/ that all %a=ulty n the s=hool Kho are tea=h ng onl ne =ourses 8e eGten/e/ a==ess to resour=esD Kh =h K ll n=rease the l 5el hoo/ o% =reat ng su==ess%ul onl ne =ourses. There are three &a n reasons %or th s re=o&&en/at onQ 5.5.1 N""' ,or #+nc%ronou# con,"r"nc&n! Nh le %a=ulty &ay 8e a8le to /e2elo9 Ne8 9ages on the r oKnD t s 8eyon/ the =a9a8 l ty o% &ost %a=ult es to /e2elo9 an/ su99ort the r

oKn syste& %or asyn=hronous =on%eren= ng. Th s s su=h a 5ey =o&9onent n su==ess%ul onl ne =ourses that the s=hool shoul/ /o e2eryth ng t =an to %a= l tate ts use. 5.5.* S$ n' r' &n$"r, c" AlloK ng all onl ne =ourses to use the sa&e general nter%a=e ;e.g. Ne8CT< /e=reases the learn ng =ur2e %or stu/ents Kho are ta5 ng onl ne =ourses. Instea/ o% ha2 ng to %a& l ar .e the&sel2es K th a neK nter%a=e %or ea=h =ourseD stu/ents K ll 8e a8le to 6u&9 r ght nto learn ng an/ 9art = 9at ng n the =ourse a%ter ta5 ng the r % rst =ourse. 5.5.4 N""' ,or $"c%n&c ( #u//or$ To o2er=o&e the te=hn =al 9ro8le&s o% the =ourseD strong te=hn =al su99ort shoul/ 8e su99l e/ 8y the s=hool. Instea/ o% /eal ng K th te=hn =al 9ro8le&sD the nstru=tors shoul/ 8e a8le to %o=us the r energ es ent rely on tea=h ng the r =ourses. References [1] Chickering, A. W., & Gamson, Z. F. Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. AAHE Bulletin, 39: 3-7, (1987). [2] Moore in Keast, D. ?ToKar/ an "%%e=t 2e Mo/el %or I&9le&ent ng ' stan=e "/u=at on $rogra&sAD T%" A1"r&c n =ourn ( o, D&#$ nc" E'uc $&onD 11 ;2<D ;1++M<. [3] MooreD M.G. >Con$"1/or r+ I##u"# &n A1"r&c n D&#$ nc" E'uc $&on?D "l&s%or/D !YQ $erga&on. ;1++I<. [4] KhanD B.H. >@")AB #"' In#$ruc$&on?D "ngleKoo/ Cl %%sD !JQ "/u=at onal Te=hnology $u8l =at ons ;1++M<. [5] MooreD M.G. H KearsleyD G. ?D&#$ nc" E'uc $&on: A #+#$"1# V&"<?D Bel&ontQ Na/sKorth $u8. Co. ;1++J<. [6] Cu8anD L. >T" c%"r# n' 1 c%&n"#: T%" c( ##roo1 u#" o, $"c%no(o!+ #&nc" 1:*C?. !eK Yor5Q Tea=hers College $ress. ;1+OJ<. [7] @aettlerD $. >T%" E-o(u$&on o, A1"r&c n E'uc $&on ( T"c%no(o!+? "ngleKoo/D CFQ L 8rar es (nl & te/D ;1++I<. [8] N n/s=h tlD M. SThe NNN an/ =lassroo& resear=hQ Nhat 9ath shoul/ Ke ta5eTAD E'uc $&on ( R"#" rc%"rD 2M;1<D 2O-33D ;1++O<. [9] Chickering, A. W., & Ehrman, S.C. Implementing the Seven Principles: Technology as a Lever. AAHE. WWW URL:

htt9QRRKKK.aahe.orgRte=hnologyRehr&ann.ht& (1997) [10] CRLT. Teaching in a Web based distance learning environment. CRLT Technical Report No. 13-00. Indiana University Bloomington. WWW URL: htt9QRR=rlt. n/ ana.e/uR9u8l =at onsR=rltII13.9/% (2000). [11] Mikulecky, L. Diversity, discussion, and participation.- Comparing Web-based and campus-based adolescent Literature Classes. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 42(2), 84. (1998). [12] IBM. IBM HCI guidelines-principles. WWW URL: htt9QRRKKK. 8&.=o&R 8&Rh= Rgu /el nesR/es g nR9r n= 9les.ht&l (1999) [13] Nielsen, J. Jakob Nielsons Web Site for Usable Information Technology. WWW URL: htt9QRRKKK.use t.=o& (1999) [14] Shneiderman, B. Designing the user interface: Strategies for effective humancomputer-interaction. Addison Wesley Longman. (1998) [15] Merr a&D @.B. ;u (&$ $&-" R"#" rc% n' C #" S$u'+ A//(&c $&on# &n E'uc $&on . Jossey-Bass In=.

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