Rubric for Online Course Design Standards

Transcription

1 Rubric for Online Course Design Standards The College Strategic Plan Identifies Goal A as we provide quality instruction in face-to-face, ITV, online and tele delivery methods to our students. As the online program of the College continues to grow, an expectation by students, constituents and accrediting bodies is that the College has methods to assure quality educational experiences for students. To help with this effort, the College has employed a firm to review all online s for compliance with adopted online design standards. Rest assured that this process is not to review content, only the design of the for meeting campus standards. From this point forward, all new and re-developed online classes will meet the online design standards prior to being offered to student for enrollment. Below is the first step to getting your reviewed. Please complete the cover page below (first page) and return this page to your Dean. The following pages include information on the Online Course Review Process and the Online Course Design Standards Rubric that will be used to review your. Refer to Appendix A for a more detailed description of each standard. Appendix B will be completed at the initial consultation with the Northeast Community College instructional designer after the external reviewer has returned the rubric. Course Information Instructor: Which Division of the College is this taught: Course Title: Catalog description of the : Is this the first semester you have taught this online? Yes No 1

2 2

3 Exemplary (6 points) Standard 1: Web Page Display Satisfactory Needs Improvement (3-5 points) (0-2 points) Notes Score Standard 1.1: Course pages and content items comply with W3C s WAI accessibility standards. Standard 1.2: Course pages and content items display properly in the LMS supported browsers. 100% of pages and content items comply with W3C s WAI accessibility standards. 100% of pages and content items display properly in the LMS supported browsers % of pages and content items comply with W3C s WAI accessibility standards % of pages and content items display properly in the LMS supported browsers. pages and content items comply with W3C s WAI accessibility standards. pages and content items display properly in the LMS supported browsers. Standard 1.3: Hyperlinks are used to redirect students to the correct location mentioned and open in a new window when leaving the -site. 100% of hyperlinks are used to redirect students to the correct location mentioned and open in a new window when learning the -site % of hyperlinks are used to redirect students to the correct location mentioned and open in a new window when learning the -site. hyperlinks are used to redirect students to the correct location mentioned and open in a new window when learning the site. 3

4 Exemplary (6 points) Standard 2: Course Organization Satisfactory Needs Improvement (3-5 points) (0-2 points) Notes Score Standard 2.1: The Announcements tool is used to provide frequent, class-wide messages that mention student tasks and provide links to those tasks. Standard 2.2: Students are asked to review the syllabus and complete a syllabus confirmation as two of their first tasks. Standard 2.3: Unused Course Site Tools are removed from the Course Guide located in the left hand navigation menu of the. The Announcements tool is used to provide frequent, class-wide messages that mention student tasks and provide links to those tasks for % of the duration of the. For example, since some announcements could address multiple weeks, 3-4 announcements could be sufficient for the entire. Course directs students to review the syllabus and complete a syllabus confirmation as two of their first tasks. All unused Course Site Tools are removed from the Course Guide located in the left hand navigation menu of the. The Announcements tool is used to provide frequent, class-wide messages that mention student tasks and provide links to those tasks for 50%- 75% of the duration of the. One of the unused Course Site Tools remains in the Course Guide located in the left hand navigation menu of the. The lacks Announcements tool is used to provide frequent, class-wide messages that mention student tasks and provide links to those tasks for less than 50% of the. Course does not direct students to review the syllabus and complete a syllabus confirmation as two of their first tasks. Two or more of the unused Course Site Tools remain in the Course Guide located in the left hand navigation menu of the. 4

5 Standard 2.4: Each contains contact information about Student Support Services. Standard 2.5: The Calendar provides due dates of student tasks and links to those tasks. Standard 2.6: The content files are stored in the instructor s Repository. Standard 2.7: The organization and naming of content items mimics the textbook s organization and naming scheme. Standard 2.8: Content items have appropriate access settings. The contains contact information about Student Support Services. 100% of the s due dates of student tasks and links to those tasks are provided on the Calendar located in the left hand navigation menu of the. 100% of content files are stored in the instructor s Repository. The organization and naming of content items within the mimic the textbook s organization and naming scheme throughout 100% of the. 100% of content items have appropriate access settings % of the s due dates of student tasks and links to those tasks are provided on the Calendar located in the left hand navigation menu of the % of content files are stored in the instructor s Repository. The organization and naming of content items within the mimic the textbook s organization and naming scheme throughout 75-99% of the % of content items have appropriate access settings. The does not contact information about Student Support Services. s due dates of student tasks and links to those tasks are provided on the Calendar located in the left hand navigation menu of the. content files are stored in the instructor s Repository. The organization and naming of the content items within the mimic the textbook s organization and naming scheme throughout less than 75% of the. content items have appropriate access settings. This Standard is not part of the external reviewer process but is an expectation to be met. This Standard is not part of the external reviewer process but is an expectation to be met. 5

6 Exemplary (6 points) Satisfactory (3-5 points) Standard 3: Syllabus Needs Improvement (0-2 points) Notes Score Standard 3.1: The syllabus is consistent with approved NECC syllabus format. Standard 3.2: The Syllabus tool is used to display the syllabus. 100% of the syllabus is consistent with approved NECC syllabus format. The syllabus is displayed in the Course Syllabus tool % of the syllabus is consistent with approved NECC syllabus format. syllabus is consistent with approved NECC syllabus format. The syllabus is not displayed in the Course Syllabus tool. Exemplary (6 points) Satisfactory (3-5 points) Standard 4: Content Needs Improvement (0-2 points) Notes Score Standard 4.1: Content is provided in an appropriate medium. Standard 4.2: Content is provided in an appropriate format. 100% of content is provided in an appropriate medium. 100% of content is provided in an appropriate format % of content is provided in an appropriate medium % of content is provided in an appropriate format. Less than 75% of content is provided in an appropriate medium. Less than 75% of content is provided in an appropriate format. 6

7 Exemplary (6 points) Satisfactory (3-5 points) Standard 5: Instruction Needs Improvement (0-2 points) Notes Score Standard 5.1: Student tasks support objectives. 100% of student tasks support objectives % of student tasks support objectives. Less than 75% of student tasks support objectives. Standard 5.2: Content and its delivery is multimodal (students are reading, writing, listening, watching, handling, discussing, judging, etc.) whenever appropriate. Standard 5.3: If used, commerciallyproduced content material is balanced with instructor developed content. 100% of content and its delivery is multi-modal. The contains a balance of commerciallyproduced content material with instructor developed content % of content and its delivery is multi-modal. The relies heavily on commercially-produced content material (50-99%) with a small amount of instructor developed content. Less than 75% of content and its delivery is multi-modal. The relies 100% on commerciallyproduced content material and lacks any instructor developed content. 7

8 Standard 5.4: Provide activities requiring student interaction (e.g., Discussions, Chat Room). Standard 5.5: The Assignment tool is used by the instructor to deliver assignments and by the students to submit work. 100% of the modules provide activities requiring student interaction. The Assignment tool is used by the instructor to deliver assignments and is used for student submission consistently throughout 100% of the % of the modules provide activities requiring student interaction. The Assignment tool is used by the instructor to deliver assignments and is used for student submission throughout the 75-99% of the. modules provide activities requiring student interaction. The Assignment tool is used by the instructor to deliver assignments and is used for student submission in less than 75% of the. 8

9 Exemplary (6 points) Satisfactory (3-5 points) Standard 6: Assessments Needs Improvement (0-2 points) Notes Score Standard 6.1: At least one graded task is completed within the first week to meet financial aid requirements. Standard 6.2: Multiple and varied types of assessment activities are used. Course provides one graded task to complete within the first week to meet financial aid requirements. The integrates more than 4 different types of assessment activities. The integrates 3 different types of assessment activities. Course does not provide one graded task to complete within the first week to meet financial aid requirements. The integrates 2 or fewer different types of assessment activities. Standard 6.3: Assessments are provided throughout the entire term of the. 100% of modules provide an opportunity for student assessment % of modules provide an opportunity for student assessment. modules provide an opportunity for student assessment. 9

10 Exemplary (6 points) Satisfactory (3-5 points) Standard 7: Legal Issues Needs Improvement (0-2 points) Notes Score Standard 7.1: Instructors have assured compliance with copyright laws. Standard 7.2: A privacy waiver for public-tool postings is provided for students to accept. Standard 7.3: Course meets Universal Design standards for ADA accessibility. 100% of content that is not the instructor s content complies with copyright laws. A privacy waiver for public-tool postings is provided for students to accept. 100% of components meet Universal Design standards for ADA accessibility % of content that is not the instructor s content complies with copyright laws % of components meet Universal Design standards for ADA accessibility. Less than 75% of content that is not the instructor s content complies with copyright laws. A privacy waiver for public-tool postings is not provided for students to accept. components meet Universal Design standards for ADA accessibility. 10

11 Evaluation Provide a quantitative final score for this. Standard Possible Earned Percent Standard 1: Web Page Display 18 points Standard 2: Course Organization 36 points Standard 3: Syllabus 12 points Standard 4: Content 12 points Standard 5: Instruction 30 points Standard 6: Assessments 18 points Standard 7: Legal Issues 18 points Notes: Reviewer s Name Date of 1 st Review Date of 2 nd Review 11

12 Appendix A Standard 1: Web Page Display A webpage is designed to never exclude. Federal and State laws and college policy require our Web pages to be accessible to special needs patrons. Designing pages for a large audience with multiple learning styles is also a sound online instruction technique. Standard 1.1: The pages and content items comply with W3C s WAI accessibility standards. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) provides strategies to make webpage displays and online content accessible to visitors with disabilities. See the WAI Quick Tips at (See also Standard 7.3.) Standard 1.2: The pages and content items display properly in the LMS supported browsers. HTML webpages, images, and embedded videos must be designed to display properly. Sakai 2.8 works best with Internet Explorer 5.5 and newer, Netscape 7.1 and newer, and Mozilla Firefox 1.5 and newer. Design for a target screen resolution of 1024x768. This standard also applies to other content items such as downloadable files. To switch into Student View (how the student will see it): In the View Site As dropdown menu, select the role of Student. To return to the instructor s view, click Exit Student View. Standard 1.3: Hyperlinks are used to redirect students to the correct location mentioned and open in a new window when leaving the -site. All hyperlinks redirect the student to the intended location. Anytime a hyperlink links to a location outside of the Sakai, the link is designed to open in a new window. This is also advantageous to have content items open in a new window if they are to be used while referencing a Sakai page. An example would be having opened in a new window a text-document containing glossary terms while the student is reading a text-lecture on a Sakai page. To set most items to open in a new window: Use the HTML Editor s Insert/Edit Link button (which opens the Link Properties control panel), select the Target tab and select New Window *_blank+ from the Target field s dropdown menu > click OK Standard 2: Course Organization - The goal when constructing a is to organize and name content items so that the student will never get lost or need to ask Where do I go? Standard 2.1: The Announcements tool is used to provide frequent, class-wide messages that mention student tasks and to provide links to those tasks. In Sakai, the Announcement is the only efficient method to display timely directions to all the students. For this reason, the use of Announcements is considered essential and thus a standard feature to be used in every. To add an Announcement: Click on the Announcements tool located in the Course Guide > click the Add button > Enter an Announcement Title > type your directions in the Body text field > set the Access and Availability > click the Add Announcement button. Standard 2.2: Students are asked to review the syllabus and complete a syllabus confirmation as two of their first tasks. The syllabus is a fundamental tool that prepares the online student for success. The syllabus provides a foundation of stability for the student in a technical environment where permanence is not always guaranteed. The syllabus confirmation provides the instructor a level of protection during student protests. An alternative to a confirmation is a syllabus quiz. Standard 2.3: Unused Course Site Tools are removed from the Course Guide. 12

13 An unused Tool make students wonder if they are to be using the tool in some way. To remove an unused Tool: Click on the Site Editor link in the Course Guide > click the Edit Tools button > uncheck the Tool then click the Continue button > click the Finish button. Standard 2.4: Each contains contact information about student Support Services. Every page contains a link to the Northeast Support Services website: Click on the Support Services link in the Course Guide. These services are also explained in the Online Student Orientation. You could also include Support Services information in your syllabus. Standard 2.5: The Calendar provides due dates of student tasks and links to those tasks. A calendar provides a single place for students to quickly view due dates and plan accordingly. Linking to content items from the calendar delivers the student to the task without the threat of getting lost. Standard 2.6: The content files are stored in the instructor s Repository. (This Standard is not part of the external reviewer process but is an expectation to be met.) A Repository is a storage-site where all files are uploaded. When inside your, link to items stored in the Repository. Inside your Repository s Resources page, create a folder for each of your s; then inside each folder, create a folder /file structure based on the organization you prefer (such as instruction based on Chapters or Units or Weeks, etc.). Standard 2,7: The organization and naming of content items mimics the textbook s organization and naming scheme. (This Standard is not part of the external reviewer process but is an expectation to be met.) Replicating the structure of the textbook inside the creates a familiarity which helps students navigate the. If a textbook is not used, a consistent organization and naming scheme should be employed. Be very clear when composing directions; describe procedures in detail (especially for the first few weeks as students acclimatize to the processes). Provide good examples and bad examples of assigned tasks; provide a grading rubric that clearly illustrates your expectations. Standard 2.8: Content items have appropriate access settings. Students should not have access to content items before they are needed, such as the Midterm and Final exams. If an instructor does not want students to work ahead, setting access dates are essential. An instructor may also limit access by permitting only group members entry or perhaps restrict the posting permissions of a student violating discussion netiquette. Standard 3: Syllabus - The syllabus is the teacher-student contract. Serving also as the s owner s manual, the syllabus anticipates any sort of concern the student may have about the functioning of the and addresses those concerns inside the syllabus. Reading the syllabus functions as the online equivalent of the first day in a face-to- face classroom when classroom policies and procedures are communicated to the students. Standard 3.1: The syllabus is consistent with approved NECC syllabus format. Follow the Faculty Handbook guidelines and consider the Online Course Syllabus Checklist for additional suggestions. Standard 3.2: The Syllabus tool is used to display the syllabus. To post the syllabus: Click on the Syllabus tool in the Course Guide > click the Create/Edit button > click the Add button > enter a Title then type or paste your syllabus in the Content box > click the Post button. Standard 4: Content After the selection of the medium, technical preparations need to be considered when providing content items during online instruction. The goal is to present and provide content that is delivered at any connection speed and is easily accessed by the student without the need to install new tools, purchase new software, or re-adjust computer settings. 13

14 Standard 4.1: Content is provided in an appropriate medium. If it needs to be read, provide the text. If it needs to be seen, provide a picture. If it needs to be heard, provide an audio recording. If it needs to be demonstrated, provide a video recording. If it needs to be touched, create an interactive simulation. See the F2f-to-Online Matrix for more specific possibilities located in the Faculty Roundtable or Sakai Training Materials. Standard 4.2: Content is provided in an appropriate format. Best Practices include: Text only to be read is presented as an HTML page. A text document only to be read and downloaded is provided as a PDF. A text document for editing (and re-submission) is provided as an RTF. Graphics/images are appropriately sized (avoids the need for scrolling on a 1024x768 resolution) and are compressed (provided as a jpeg, png, and/or gif). Text-based lectures include relevant visuals and hyperlinks to supplemental content. An un-narrated slideshow is provided as a PDF. A narrated slideshow contains a mix of text and visuals (images and/or animations) and presented as a swf/flv or MP4 video and progressively streamed. Audio files have good sound quality and are compressed (mp3). Video files are of good quality, produced as a swf/flv or MP4 video with screen dimensions between 320x240 to 640x480, and are progressively streamed. Lengthy audio and video footage is divided into 3-5 minute clips and assembled with a table-of-contents. The duration of playable media is communicated in minutes and seconds. Controls are provided for playable media. Interactive media requires students to take relevant actions to complete tasks. Simulations are as realistic as technically possible. Content complies with WAI guidelines. (Note: Apply the practice whenever the content item is used; the Standard does not require that the contain each content item mentioned here.) Standard 5: Instruction - An essential goal of online instruction is to reproduce the activities of the f2f classroom in the online environment. Course content and student tasks should be designed so that students are interacting with the content, interacting with other students, and interacting with the instructor. Standard 5.1: Student tasks support objectives. Student tasks, activities, and projects are relevant to instruction and support the learning of the subject-matter. Standard 5.2: Content and its delivery is multi-modal (students are reading, writing, listening, watching, handling, discussing, judging, etc.) whenever appropriate. This strategy satisfies different learning-style preferences, accommodates students with disabilities, offers students choices of how to consume the content, and most notably strengthens retention. Standard 5.3: If used, commercially-produced content material is balanced with instructor developed content. Heavy reliance on e-pack materials, textbook supplements, purchased curriculum, etc. does not produce an NECC product. Instructors should use commercially-produced materials very judiciously, and if possible, customize commercial content to fit the current needs of the students. More preferred is content produced by the instructor; this results in highly-customized content incorporating the NECC instructor s experience, expertise, and personality. Commercial materials can be difficult to manage and maintain: Often commercial materials come improperly formatted for Sakai integration; this results in time-consuming efforts to reformat the material or requires sending a request to the publisher to build a version compatible with Sakai. Many types of commercially-produced materials require frequent renewals of licenses/permissions so as not to violate copyright laws. Some products are not WAI compliant. Consult with the CTC before purchasing commercial products. The CTC does not support other LMS-platforms besides Sakai. 14

15 Standard 5.4: Provide activities requiring student interaction (e.g., Discussions, Chat Room). A major component of f2f classrooms is students interacting with each other through class discussions and debates, group work and collaborative projects, role-playing, and other forms of public expression. Peer-to-peer instruction techniques increase student retention. In its best forms, student interaction fosters an atmosphere of community amongst the students. Therefore, student-to-student interaction should be reproduced in an online. There are several tools that Sakai provides to allow student-to-student interactions. There are asynchronous tools such as the Blog, the Wiki, file-sharing, student Groups, and the Discussion (which is the easiest tool to manage compared with other options). There is also the Chat Room tool for synchronous, text-based communications. Standard 5.5: The Assignment tool is used by the instructor to deliver assignments and by the students to submit work. The Sakai s Assignment tool is a very efficient tool to manage the delivery, submission, grading, and archiving of student assignments. The practice of using an Assignment tool in all online s will provide a familiar process for online students taking more than one online. Standard 6: Assessments Standard 6.1: At least one graded task is completed within the first week to meet financial aid requirements. The completion of the syllabus confirmation/quiz does not satisfy this requirement. An Introduce Yourself to the Class assignment and/or a student survey or skills-pretest are tasks that would not require a textbook. This first task should be non-threatening and easily accomplished and designed to expose students to common procedures and tools (e.g., submitting to an Assignment tool or posting to a Discussion). Standard 6.2: Multiple and varied types of assessment activities are used. Different types of assessments provide wider measurements of a diverse range of student preferences (e.g., some students may not perform well during timed exams but are more comfortable with writing assignments). Options include self-check and practice quizzes, comprehension exams, rubric-guided projects, peer evaluations, class surveys, and e-portfolios. Standard 6.3: Assessments are provided throughout the entire term of the. Frequent assessments provide the most accurate measure of student comprehension. Assessments spaced throughout the term also insure that the student receives the entire amount of instruction as promised upon enrollment or listed in the catalog. Standard 7: Legal Issues Standard 7.1: Instructors have assured compliance with copyright laws. Whenever using someone else s content, the safest approach is to always get written permission from the creator. Permission also needs to be granted to convert copyrighted material from one format into another (e.g., converting a VHS tape into a swf/flv or MP4 video). Standard 7.2: A privacy waiver for public-tool postings is provided for students to accept. If an online public service (such as Blogger, Wikispaces, Google Docs, YouTube, Imagination-Cubed, etc.) is used for student communications, collaborations, or creations, a student waiver protects the instructor just in case the site closes. A waiver is still required even if the site can be set as inaccessible to public visitors. The waiver explains that the online public service is not in the control of NECC and that posted material there could be lost if the service closes; it also states the slight risk that any class content posted might become open to public viewing. The 15

16 waiver also informs the student to never post sensitive private information (home address, phone number, student i.d., etc.) and to create backups of posted materials. The waiver can be created like the syllabus confirmation. Standard 7.3: Course meets Universal Design standards for ADA accessibility. Efforts are made to accommodate students with special needs (physical disabilities, learning disorders, etc.). When a student requests accommodation, refer the student to the NECC Disability Services Office to establish the need and then adjust content and instruction accordingly. Common requests include extending the time-limit on a timed exam, providing text versions of Tests & Quizzes, and adjusting page displays (font size, colors, etc.). (See also Standard 1.1.) 16

17 Appendix B This is an addendum form for the process for review of online s based upon the Basic Design Standards of an Online Course adopted by Northeast Community College. Course Title: Instructor Name: Date of Feedback From 1st Review Provided to Instructor: 1. As the instructor for this, I have been given the opportunity to review the feedback provided on the Rubric for Online Course Design Standards by the external reviewer. I elect not to participate in a second review of the. Instructor Signature Date 2. As the instructor for this, I have been given the opportunity to review the feedback provided on the Rubric for Online Course Design Standards by the external reviewer. I elect to participate in a second review of the. I will consult with the Instructional Designer and understand that I will be provided resources to prepare the for a second review. I propose to have the ready for a second review by. (It is recommended that initiation of the second review occurs within 45 days after feedback from 1st review is provided to instructor.) Instructor Signature Date Copy will be provided to Dean 17