Syllabus: The Most Useful Tool Analysis

In conclusion, all indicators point toward active participation in online discussion a major factor in the final grade a student may receive. All stakeholders, including the facilitator, need to be actively involved at a high cognitive level. This activity increases trust that must be built within a community of learners.

Furthermore, by analyzing the different modalities in the online class such as looking at the discussion posts of each student, quality of assignments, and participation in the collaborative group assignments Nagel et. al.(2007) were able to draw their own

Most useful has been the readings, as there is a huge amount of relevant information in the textbook that can be learned. All who well, some of it was already known through previous courses and work, some of it was common sense

From this study, results of both success and failure were discovered and documented. From the aspect of success, the following results were found: First, classes that had online discussion helped students that would normally be introverts in a traditional class, to be active in discussions. Second, this type of class helped to improve

After completing my first week of college classes, there hasn’t been a teacher that has made me feel as comfortable in class after reading their syllabus except for Doctor Hafer’s. Just the opening shows the passion put into seeing all of his students be successful in the course. Unlike every other teacher where the opening section is just a brief course description the English syllabus gives me hope. Even though I see myself as a bad writer, I can see myself becoming more of a stronger writer through this course.

With the goals of contributing to the understanding of distance education, professional practices, and their own learning within an online and distance environment, students in MDDE 601 participate in a series of online discussions. In this brief essay I will compare a sample set of my own MDDE 601 discussion posts against a provided grading rubric, in order to assess the functional and substantive qualities of my posts, as well as my engagement with the course content and fellow students.

This learning activity is designed for distance education students at Anne Arundel Community College (AACC). The activity is implemented within an online orientation course that is being proposed for first-year students at AACC to equip them with the necessary skills needed to complete an online course. The activity of this course that will be referenced in this paper is a discussion forum following the reading of an assigned essay. Students will be introduced to discussion forums within the first week of the course by posting an introduction for themselves. The discussion forum will require students to create their essay about what they believe. The students are required to post their initial post by Wednesday so that ample time is allowed for peer’s response. Students will also be required to respond to at least two students’ posting in the forum.

Online classes and the traditional classroom setting both offer many of the same advantages. They both provide the student with the same course content so there is no loss of curriculum between the two. Both demand the same time investment for learning, studying, taking exams, completing papers, and so on. Although it seems easy to think that with doing all of your school work online there isn’t any personal interaction with professors and peers, however, that is a common misconception. Online classes, like traditional ones, require a degree of contact with your peers and professors. It may not be as personal interaction as raising your hand and being called on, but you can e-mail your professor at any time and there are discussion boards and forums available for fellow students to communicate and help each other out.

It's important to read the syllabus so one can get a clear outline of what will be taught in this course. You will learn what is expected from you such as assignments, quizzes and attendance requirements. Also announcements are important to read too because it will keep you update on changes throughout this course. Announcements also let you know about opportunities such as extra credit as well as and new or important fact your professor may need to tell you.

First, you must show up to class. Then you need to ask questions, provide feedback, suggest ideas, help a peer on the computer, etc. Students are expected to actively participate in each class and in Blackboard discussions and assignments. Participation is defined as working actively within the class or your assigned group(s), adding to the discussion of in-class activities, whether role-plays debriefing, case analysis, or learning opportunities in the classroom, and posting responses to and questions for discussion threads assigned in Blackboard. Participation will be included as part of the grade in this course. You will be assessed on your participation in the classroom (beyond simply attended class) and your participation in discussion threads. So, you will have to actively be in class and participating each week to earn your points. Active input from students in regard to their experience and opinions will enrich the class experience. In addition, a student’s interactive involvement in all discussion posts and assigned activities is important for creating a shared learning environment. This includes during class as well as participating in online discussions outside of class.

However, advocates of classroom learning believe the online method isolates the students from one another as well as their professor minimizing the overall value of taking the course. They also claim that students learn better when working together with their instructor and their fellow classmates. Students learn better when they are given the opportunity to ask questions, join in class discussions, and they move the process of learning forward through their participation. Face-to-face advocates firmly believe that this kind of interaction is not possible over the Internet; and for many types of education, e-learning will never meet the potential of live human interaction in the classroom. An article in the New York Times titled, “Second Thoughts on Online Education,” backs up the points made above. A recent research published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, comes to the conclusion; “A rush to online education

There is a lot of poor communication in online classes. There will be students who will never email the instructors for more details about an assignments, or, there will be older students who don’t know how to email the instructors for more details. If the student doesn’t understand an assignment, and never emails to ask for more details, can result in a poor grade for the lack of knowledge in knowing what they’re doing. There’s one final drawback to not having social interactions with instructors; Students can potentially miss out on building relationships that can result in helpful guidance and recommendation letters down the road when needed.

Technology is changing every aspect in our lives, even the way we learn. Online classes are a rapidly growing trend it today’s society. Online classes are a cost-effective substitute for traditional courses and more convenient for many, so more schools and universities are offering this option. Due to the increase in online course enrollment, people are questioning if students truly learn something from online classes because it’s not a traditional learning environment. Online classes are just, if not more, effective as traditional classes because grades have increased and online discussions provide students with the chance to interact through networking while earning a degree for less than what it would cost to enroll at the same university.

Time for a face to face class is very difficult if a person works 40 hours a week but an online course can put an ease on the time restriction because the person does the work at their own pace and time. It is also easier to sign up for an online class than a class at a college. Message boards are in use if the students need to leave a question or a comment about the subject their on. They also save time by not traveling to the college and trying to find a parking space.

Andrew Simoncelli once said, “Students who take online classes must be motivated, independent learners.” This is relevant because independence and motivation is what it takes to succeed in an online course. Online learning will not only expand what students learn, but will also bring a number of positive changes in the way students are taught. Courses online have changed everyone’s look at learning all over the world. It allows more opportunities for observers to learn online rather than learning in class. Another affirmative of taking an online course is flexibility and convenience. Students who would like to experience some of these ideas should look into an online class!