Teaching and Learning Online Best Practice Tami Eggleston Professor of Psychology Professor of Psychology McKendree University

Top 10 Best Practices for Online Teaching & Learning 10.) Know your “big picture” and learning objectives Forced to be more selective Forced to be more selective 9.) Text book selection is crucial 8.) ORGANIZATION! Consistency, Clear guidelines, Clear Consistent Structure (i.e., Buttons) Consistency, Clear guidelines, Clear Consistent Structure (i.e., Buttons) Each Week one Folder (Avoid dates, except one location) Each Week one Folder (Avoid dates, except one location) Reading road maps Reading road maps

7.) Discussion Boards Have one general Discussion Board for FAQ’s Have one general Discussion Board for FAQ’s Required and Optional DB’s Required and Optional DB’s Student engagement, faculty involvement Student engagement, faculty involvement Regular grading Regular grading 6.) Have a section with general policies (e.g., contact times, netequette) 5.) Many small quizzes rather than one large test (be more creative than just mc)

4.) Clear Grading Rubrics Rubrics Grade Book Grade Book Points tend to be easier for online classes Points tend to be easier for online classes 3.) Assignments and group pages Peer Editing Peer Editing Group projects Group projects

2.) Personalize It! Homepages Homepages Intro Discussion Board (ice breakers) Intro Discussion Board (ice breakers) Class Webpage Class Webpage Try to send personal s Try to send personal s Holiday cards Holiday cards Something in the mail (e.g., M&M’s) Something in the mail (e.g., M&M’s)

1.) Be a presence! Virtual Office Hours (virtual classroom) Virtual Office Hours (virtual classroom) Set times when you will be online Set times when you will be online Respond to DB questions Respond to DB questions s s Quick feedback on projects Quick feedback on projects Quick grading on gradebook Quick grading on gradebook