Weeks 2-8

Review the upcoming lesson/module materials

Prior to the start of each lesson/module, review the materials provided. This includes the readings, activities, assignments, etc. This will help you frame the student experience as they begin the next lesson/module. Students in your group may contact you with questions about the course content and assignments, so if you have any questions or need clarification, contact the lead instructor.

Email your group

Your lead instructor will likely send a weekly email and/or post an announcement to the whole class that recaps the course content thus far and frames the upcoming lesson/module content and activities. As a reminder, only the lead instructor should post whole-class announcements.

You should communicate with your own group via email at least 1-2 times during each lesson/module to review trends and address common questions or misconceptions. For step-by-step instructions on sending an email to your group, see the Tutorials page.

Summary of expectations

Provide guidance for the next lesson/module and reiterate expectations. Additionally, provide useful tips for studying and completing assignments as they go through the lesson materials. Add two or three sentences of reminders of specific due dates and any expectations for the lesson/module that might be helpful. Send this email at the end of one lesson/module and the start of the next.

Performance feedback

Review the student performance on the previous lesson/module and address common group questions or misconceptions (if any) that you saw in the previous lesson/module assignments and discussions. If there are any tips for improvement or any words of encouragement that are timely, that would be nice to state. This email should supplement the individual feedback you provide to students via the Gradebook. Send this email when you finish grading the lesson/module assignments. Close your email correspondence with your individualized statement indicating something along the lines of, "You can always contact me if you need any assistance..."

Grade the lesson/module assignments

Each lesson/module, you will be responsible for the following:

  • Grade discussions. Your lead instructor may also require participation in the discussion forums during the lesson/module. Please verify your responsibilities in this regard with the lead instructor.

  • Grade written assignments.

  • Review quiz responses, if there are fill-in-the-blank or open-ended questions.

  • Monitor group/team work. If there are milestones students are supposed to complete for a group/team project (for example, in an online discussion forum), review the group/team activity and follow up with students as necessary.

  • Enter a zero for any missing assignments.

Guidelines for grading student work and providing feedback:

  • Co-instructors should personalize all feedback using the student’s name.

  • The amount and type (e.g., using a general rubric that is filled out and returned to the student, copying and pasting frequently repeated comments from a central template of sample comments, or writing more detailed, analytical comments on an assignment) of feedback provided to students should be proportional to the complexity of the task assigned.

  • Feedback should provide both supportive and corrective comments (as demonstrated by the lead instructor).

  • Co-instructors are required to use any rubrics provided by the lead instructor to assess assignments and provide the type of feedback (including supportive and corrective).

  • When you have finished grading each module assignment, send an email to your group to let them know that grades and feedback have been posted. If there is a delay in the time frame by which grading is usually completed (within 3-5 days of the assignment due date), you need to inform students about the delay and let them know when they can anticipate receiving grades.

  • Ensure that a zero is entered for missing student assignments.

Timeline for grading

It is important that students receive feedback in a timely fashion so that they can incorporate feedback on their next assignment. For this reason, all grading and feedback on assignments that build or repeat weekly (such as lesson reflections, discussions, etc.) should be posted within 3 days of the assignment due date so that students have at least 3 days to incorporate the feedback into their next assignment. Grading and feedback of all other assignments should be completed within one week (7 days) of the assignment due date. Programs may have specific requirements; confirm with the program coordinator and/or lead instructor any program-specific guidelines and deadlines.

Communication of grading and feedback

Grades and feedback to students on assignments should be provided only through the grading tool in the course management system as this provides the most secure method for students to receive grade information. Please do not send grade information or feedback via email.

Monitor student progress

At the end of each lesson/module, please review the progress to date of all students in your group and alert your lead instructor of any non-participatory or underperforming students.

In particular, notify your lead instructor if a student in your group has not participated or submitted work for:

    • the last lesson/module

    • the last two lessons/modules or longer

Communicate with the lead instructor, who will involve the academic advisor, regarding any students who have not submitted timely work or are considering withdrawing from the class.

Request special exceptions to due dates

Due dates, acceptable circumstances for submitting late work, and any associated penalties for submitting late work are described in the course syllabus. If you have a question about whether a student request for late submission should be approved, contact your lead instructor.

Once you receive permission from the lead instructor to allow a student to take a quiz, exam, comprehension check, etc. after the deadline has passed, you will need to work with your instructional design team to provide the student access to the quiz. Send an email to your instructional design team with the request and copy your lead instructor.

If the course policy requires that the points for any late work (including quizzes) be manually modified (for example, the student can only receive 50% of the final score because it was submitted late), then you will need to manually adjust the student’s points after the student has taken the quiz. You may need to send an email to the student to follow up and explain the change in points after making the adjustment.

IMPORTANT: In all cases, please make sure you have reviewed the course policy on accepting late work and discussed the student situation/request with the lead instructor.

Send Academic Status Report information to your lead instructor

An Academic Status Report (ASR) is a method of providing early, personalized feedback regarding a student's progress in a class, and it is not part of the student's official transcript. When a status report is submitted for a student, there are three ways students are offered assistance: they receive a notice on their My ASU page and an email and call from their advisor to determine if there is any support that can be provided.

Review students in your group who may not be meeting expectations and send a list to the lead instructor, as it is important that they be alerted about students who are not performing well or may need additional support. The lead instructor will notify you of his or her preferences concerning responsibility for submission of the ASR to the class roster in My ASU (i.e., you compile information and send to your lead instructor, or you enter the information and the lead instructor will review and submit). Because online classes are on an accelerated schedule, it is very important that students receive feedback on an ongoing basis regarding their academic status in the class. The college recommends ASR submission during week 2 of the course, and then as needed throughout the course.

The information you will need to provide to the lead instructor includes:

  • Student's current grade/status in the course

  • Specific reasons and corrective actions for the student (see the ASR Job Aid for specific reasons and corrective actions)

Refer students seeking Honors Enrichment Contracts to the lead instructor

NOTE: This information is relevant primarily for undergraduate honors students enrolled in iCourse sections of courses included within the online BAE Educational Studies program.

Undergraduate students in Barrett Honors College may request to complete an Honors Enrichment Contract in the course for which you are a co-instructor. Please note, students must complete Honors Enrichment Contracts only with full-time ASU faculty; part-time faculty may not oversee these contracts. Please refer students seeking Honors Enrichment Contracts to the lead instructor of the course, who will discuss the possibility of an honors contract with the student.

Monitor student wellness

If you are concerned about a student who is exhibiting behaviors that are indicators of someone in need of assistance, it is necessary to intervene and seek consultation for determining the best course of action in responding to these situations. For information about behavioral indicators and connecting with the appropriate college and university contacts and resources, please review the Faculty and Staff Guide for Assisting Students with Behavioral Concern, MLFTC Students in Distress Protocol, and the Student Resources information on this site. To submit an incident report, complete the form and send it to the Office of Student Services, or you may send it directly to the Dean of Students Office at deanofstudents@asu.edu.

For all students, including those online, in cases of potential harm to self or others—for immediate assistance, call 911. Additionally, feel free to consult with:

For non-emergencies—and as follow-up to emergency situations—submit an SOS Referral with the MLFTC Student Success Team via online form. Before submitting the form, be sure to let the student know you are concerned and that they can expect to hear from one of the Student Success Team members. Additionally, students may explore MLFTC success coaching and schedule an appointment with academic, career, wellness, or financial coaches.

Communicate with your lead instructor / attend a regular meeting

Your lead instructor should communicate with all co-instructors on a regular basis. The lead instructor will likely send you emails with reminders, tips, course updates, etc. They may also schedule a teleconference or web conference on a regular basis during the session. These meetings provide valuable information about class policies, grading practices, maintaining inter-rater reliability, and ideas for revisions to the course materials.

Please communicate regularly with your lead instructor about any questions you have regarding your role and responsibilities, student issues, class materials, etc.

Share with your lead Instructor any exemplary student work

As you grade student work, please notify the lead instructor if a student submits exemplary work that might be used as a model for future students completing an assignment. The lead instructor may find it useful to share the example with other co-instructors. You should also request that the student provide consent using our Student Coursework Release form for their work to be shared with others (instructional personnel, other students, external audiences).