EDUC 8842 – Module 3 Blog

After doing the readings and watching the videos, the conclusion that I have come to is that just like curriculum has changed to meet the needs of distance learning and the new age of students, so does assessment. The questions we ask about participation and grading are built on the old paradigm of coursework. I believe that participation grades are like class participation grades in a traditional classroom. They are subjective in nature and are not indicative of a person's understanding of the material. Now, having said that, I still believe that participation, especially in a distance education class is an important part of the learning process. As a distance teacher, I try to grade participation based on the quality of the individual's post and response. While Student A may be an outgoing and well spoken individual who is very knowledgeable about the subject and can provide a detailed posting full of personal experience, it does not diminish Student B's post that is well written and contains more researched material than personal perspectives. If both posts meet the academic standards I have established for the post, then both are equal in score. Student A's post may provide more assistance for other students because of the personal experiences, and thus he/she may have more responses than Student B, but again it does not mean that Student B should receive a lower score. The rubric provided for the posts should be based on accuracy of information, and demonstrates an understanding of the concept. That understanding may be textbook or real life experience. Both are valuable to the overall community.

A certain level of "forced involvement" is common for any online course. Most courses include a weekly discussion and mandatory participation. Primarily my students are adults, and I believe they have the right to participate or not participate in the discussion boards. Their decision of level of participation is up to them, as long as they understand the consequences of their actions. Posts that do not answer the question, are not well written, or lack depth, will not receive full credit. Responses to classmates are like those we have in our class. Reponses such as "I agree" or "Good answer", with no additional dialogue are not graded. The role of the instructor is to help facilitate the discussion, encourage students to elaborate on their thoughts, and develop students' written communication skills. However, I also believe that students have a right to fail. If they choose not to participate, then they must accept the consequences. I teach at the college level, and I tell my students they are adults and I will treat them as such. They will get out of my class, what they put into it.