WPU Online & Hybrid Instructional Resources

School of professioanl Studies (SPS) part-time Faculty Resource manual

The School of Professional Studies Part-time Faculty Resource Manual contains information and resources for part-time faculty to review and reference throughout their academic appointment.  Please note that some policies and guidelines are pulled directly from the Academic Catalog.  All faculty are expected to review the Academic Catalog for all official University policies and procedures as this manual is intended to serve as central repository for relevant academic information.

TEACHING ONLNE - tips & RECommendations

Introduce Yourself to Your Students

Include a faculty bio which includes your picture, credentials, and other appropriate information about yourself. You will also need to provide contact information, office hour availability, and turnaround time for student inquiries. Research has shown that for students to be successful in online courses, they must make a connection with the instructor. 

Establish an Online Presence and Set Expectations 

2. • Announce to your class the plan & structure for moving online.  Will there be any synchronous meetings or will the course be offered fully online?

   • Post weekly announcements/messages

   • Post the daily/weekly learning objectives

   • Establish a clear method of communication along with communication expectations.

     • How and how frequently will you communicate with students?

     • Utilize Announcement tool in Moodle and remind students that all University related communicate will be sent to their WPU email

   • What course materials are likely to be affected (schedules, syllabus, etc.)? How will you make students aware of changes in course materials and readings? What tools will you use to distribute this content? Describe your plan. 

   • How will students be required to submit student work (e.g. Moodle, email, Google Drive)?

Feedback Expectations

• Best practices is that students receive feedback and a grade on all submitted work prior to the next assignment deadline.  This allows for students to make any necessary adjustments or to seek academic support if necessary.

• Communicate with students your turnaround time for grading and providing feedback.  This will help set expectations for when students can expect to received feedback and grades on submitted assignments. 

• Below is an example of a message sent to students about grading & feedback expectations :

Hi everyone,

Today is the first day of class! You will see that each Monday I will post an Announcement with Information about what we are working on during the week. For Week 1, you have a Discussion Board and the APA Assignment. 

You will see that for the most part, each week, you have 2 things due. Since your Assignments are due on Sunday at 11:59pm, I will have the grading completed by the Tuesday following the due date. So for Week 1, since your APA Assignment is due 5/16 at 11:59pm, I will have it graded and any feedback to you by Tuesday 5/18 at 5pm. 

Please let me know if you have any questions each week.

Sincerely,
Dr. Jastrow

Grades

3. • Provide grades for assignments and/or activities given during the planned/unplanned event in a timely manner. Provide clear, detailed feedback.

     • Offer 1:1 virtual check-ins with students to review and discuss feedback

   • If grading participation in discussions, clearly state expectations for online comments, responses, questions and other online dialogue so every student knows what is expected. 

   • Grading Resources:

     • Moodle Grading Quick Guide: https://docs.moodle.org/38/en/Grading_quick_guide

Online Learning Options 

3. • Adding online course content (PowerPoint slides, Articles, Quizzes/Exams): https://docs.moodle.org/38/en/Teacher_quick_guide

     • Consider using Google Drive for large files and linking to your Moodle course

     • Use existing content

       1. Copy and share existing courses

       2. Finch Library provides access to an array of tools and resources