Sloan-C Blended Learning Research Perspectives

Here is one we use on our campus:

1. Learner Support and Resources

 Tips for being a successful student in a hybrid course
 Quiz to self-assess readiness to be a student in a hybrid course
 Contact information for technical support or Help Desk
 Checklist or other method for common troubleshooting tips
 Tutorial(s) or aids for how to use D2L tools
 Netiquette guidelines
 Contact information for the instructor
 Link(s) to Bookstore(s) to order textbooks or other instructional materials
 Checklist or other method for common troubleshooting tips
 Minimum computer hardware and software requirements
 Sources for any required plug-ins (and links)
 Links to appropriate campus library resources and services (e.g., reference librarian, electronic reserve, and online library tutorials).

2. Organization and Design

 Syllabus is easily located and includes:

 Course objectives
 Course completion requirements
 Expectations of students’ participation
 Clear timeline for face-to-face and in-class activities
 Expectations of availability of and turnaround time for contact with instructor

 Course content is “chunked” for more manageable learning
 Course content is organized in a logical format
 Topics are clearly identified and subtopics are related to topics
 Course schedule is available in a printer-friendly format for student convenience
 Layout of course is visually and functionally consistent
 Language of written material is friendly and supportive
 Clear directions are given for each task or assignment
 Expectations for synchronous versus asynchronous activities are clearly identified
 Sentences and paragraphs brief

3. Instructional Design and Delivery

 Promotes interaction and communication:

 Students introduce themselves online and are encouraged to respond to classmate introductions to establish online learning community parallel to face-to-face class
 Instructor introduces himself/herself online to model interaction
 “Ice-breaker” activity or other orientation session to get acquainted online
 Student participation is tracked and “wallflowers” drawn in to the discussions
 Students are prompted by facilitator to expand on relevant points
 Facilitator may play “devil’s advocate”

 Activities integrated with learning objectives:

 Each reading assignment and each activity matches a learning objective
 Activities have an assessment piece that links to a learning objective
 Tasks and activities are designated as synchronous or asynchronous
 Summary provided frequently, particularly at the end of topics, to reinforce learning expectations for that module

 Activities to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills:

 Discussions center on questions without a single correct answer
 Case studies
 Critique classmates’ assignments
 Collaborative exercises
 Discussions center on questions without a single correct answer
 Small group projects
 A variety of digital media, e.g., video, audio, images
 Games and simulations
 Interactive learning objects

4. Integration of Face-to-Face and Online Activities

 Face-to-face and online activities connect with each other in clear fashion
 What happens online affects and builds on what happens F2F, and vice versa
 Face-to-face and online activities are proportionately included in assessment plan
 Attempt is made to constitute both online and face-to-face peer learning community

5. Assessment of Student Learning

 Criteria used to assess participation in online discussion groups
 Students are not assessed solely on tests/quizzes but are provided ample opportunity to demonstrate proficiency in different ways
 Rich and rapid feedback – self-grading assignments released immediately
 Frequent and substantial feedback from the instructor
 Samples of assignments illustrate instructor’s expectations
 Detailed instructions and tips for completing assignments
 Due dates for all assignments
 Rubrics for all assignments identify assessment guidelines
 Grading scale
 Peer review opportunities
 Students apply rubric to their own work and describe/defend their score

6. Evaluation and Student Feedback

 Student input sought at regular intervals
 Evaluation survey at end of course
 Instructor solicits feedback on how delivery can be more effective for student learning (e.g., a Discussion Topic for Feedback)
 Instructor is willing to modify course (live) as needed to improve or fix inadequacies

Contributors
Evaluation Checklist for Online Courses was developed by the University Wisconsin-Milwaukee Learning Technology Center, in part, from the Instructional Design Tips for Online Learning by Duzer of Humboldt State University and California State University, Chico, Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, Rubric for Online Instruction.

Tanya M. Joosten
Instructional Design Consultant
Learning Technology Center
University Wisconsin-Milwaukee
tjoosten@uwm.edu

The CSU-Chico rubric for online courses could be modified for your purposes. Here's the link:

http://www.csuchico.edu/celt/roi/

Mark Laumakis, Ph.D.
Lecturer, Department of Psychology
Faculty-in-Residence, Instructional Technology Services
San Diego State University