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Promising Practices

 

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Each of the links found below provide rationale, tips, and recommendations for using specific techniques, control panel options, and tools in distance courses. You will also find links to more information about using specific Blackboard tools and management options.

 

How to Orient Students to the Discussion Board

Tips on the importance of orienting students to the technical aspects of the board and to course-specific procedures.

 

Socializing Students to the Discussion Board

Tips on techniques to quickly socialize students to the board.

 

Managing the Discussion Board for Large Sections

Techniques to reduce the number of postings required for large sections.

 

Use the Assignment Feature to Manage Written Assignments

This is a single location to grade, provide comments, and exchange assignments with students.

 

Teaching the Discussion Board

Key steps you should take to make the discussion board the interactive tool it is designed to be.

 

Managing Discussion Boards

Tips on managing forums for reading, replying, and grading.

 

Reinforce the Vocabulary of the Discussion Board

Definitions to show the differences between a discussion board, a forum, a thread, and a post.

 

Using Announcements

Have you ever put up an Announcement and it did not appear where you thought it should appear? This section contains tips and suggestions for using Announcements in your course.

 

Using the Course Information Menu Item

This section discusses why it is important to provide students with some sort of general overview of the course.

 

Using Menu Design

Want to learn how to customize your menu? This is the place!

 

Using the Course Calendar

The course calendar is one way to push additional notifications about important course events. Want to know more? Look no more - this will help.

 

Using Course Availability

You have to make your course available so students can see the course.

 

Using Introductions as a Way to Personalize the Course

Introductions (instructor and students) are important for the success of a distance course. Come inside and see some examples and additional information.

 

Using Self-assessment Activities

Students in distance courses often have little sense of how well they are doing in relation to classmates. Self-testing is one option that allows students to gain understanding of their strengths and weaknesses.

 

Using Specific and Descriptive Criteria for Assessment of Student Work

Students want to know more about how they will be assessed. Taking the time to carefully outline the criteria for assessment will make the assessment process more transparent.

 

Using Specific and Descriptive Criteria for Student Participation

If participation is a key component of your course, carefully define your expectations for participation. This is the place if you want to learn more.

 

Using Expectations for Online Behavior

Students benefit from knowing your specific expectations for online behavior in your course.

 

Extracting Syllabi Information for Distance Courses

Students seem to ask a lot of questions about items that are found in the syllabi. Online readers scan information far more than they read the information. Extracting key elements of your syllabus and placing these in an online format may increase the liklihood that students ask questions about these items. 

 

Using Tone to Increase Interaction

How in the world can tone be connected to interaction in a distance course? Find out here.

 

Using Planned Interactions

Certain types of interactions should be planned and used in the distance course.

 

Using Feedback to Increase Interaction

This section contains tips and suggestions for using feedback to increase interaction in your course.

 

Using a Regular Cycle of Reminders

Planning and tracking a regular schedule of reminders and communications to students helps instructor make sure that all students are informed in a similar manner.

 

Student Generated Content

Ideas for having students produce products or content to demonstrate learning compentency.

 

Managing Coursewide Communication

Ideas for how to more efficiently manage communications to all students in the course.

 

Reciprocity and Cooperation

How students working together, communicating with one another, and a degree of independence from the instructor is beneficial to learning.

 

Communicate the Posting Procedures

Rationale and illustration of communicating your procedures for posting to the discussion board.

 

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