Online Course Interaction Guidelines
In the meeting, Stephanie presented on the importance of regular and substantive interaction in online courses, as per the Department of Education's guidelines. She explained that regular interaction is between a student and an instructor before the student's course completion and must provide opportunities for substantive interactions. Substantive interactions involve teaching, learning, and assessment and must include at least two of the five elements: direct instruction, assessing or providing feedback on coursework, providing information or responding to questions about the course content, facilitating group discussions, or other approved instructional activities. Stephanie emphasized the importance of these interactions for student engagement and success and the potential consequences for institutions not adhering to these guidelines. She also discussed how to incorporate these guidelines into teaching strategies, particularly for asynchronous online courses. The conversation ended with an invitation for questions.
Guidelines for Substantive Interaction in Courses
Stephanie led a discussion about the guidelines for substantive interaction in online courses. She clarified that activities such as entering student grades, posting announcements about assignment deadlines, and posting video lectures do not qualify as substantive interactions. She emphasized the importance of regular and substantive interaction primarily initiated by the instructor, such as monitoring grades, reaching out to struggling students, and providing personalized feedback. She also highlighted the need for direct instruction, which should be live and synchronous, not just recorded lectures. The discussion concluded with the importance of providing timely, appropriate, and personalized feedback to students.
Monitoring Student Progress in Online Courses
Stephanie discussed the importance of monitoring student progress and providing support in online courses. She emphasized the need for faculty to be proactive in reaching out to students and facilitating group discussions. Stephanie also highlighted the importance of maintaining office hours and providing feedback on coursework. She clarified that for asynchronous courses, faculty must engage in at least two of the four activities: assessing and providing feedback on coursework, providing information and responding to questions, facilitating group discussions, and offering direct instruction. For synchronous courses, the faculty must hold regular class sessions and engage in at least one more activity. Jeremy asked about the requirement for direct instruction in online courses, and Stephanie confirmed that offering optional class sessions held regularly throughout the semester would meet this requirement.
Documenting Student Interactions in Courses
Stephanie and Kristy discussed the importance of regular and substantive interactions with students in their courses. Stephanie emphasized that these interactions should be documented and included in the syllabus to ensure compliance with the Department of Education's (DOE) requirements. She also suggested that these interactions could include weekly announcements, video lectures with discussion prompts, and graded assignments with meaningful feedback. Stephanie stressed the importance of flexibility in implementing these interactions, as they may vary depending on the course content and discipline. She also encouraged faculty to be proactive in documenting their interactions with students to avoid potential issues with the DOE.
Teaching Online Courses and Engagement
The faculty discussed the challenges of teaching online courses and the importance of documenting interactions with students. Stephanie suggested that documenting interactions in the syllabus or course schedule could help prevent potential issues. Denise expressed concerns about the feasibility of requiring students to participate in discussions or attend optional synchronous sessions, given that many students do not read the syllabus or watch videos. Stephanie reassured her that providing detailed feedback and holding regular office hours could still meet the requirements. May shared her experience of tracking student engagement and using Proctorio to insert quiz questions into videos to ensure students watch the lectures. The team agreed that while the regulations can be challenging, they are necessary to ensure quality teaching and student engagement.
Links to copies of Handouts for Stephanie's Presentation: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Q1M_k7DtVKqRavXwj_hj9Xcbjwd8ufkl/view?usp=drive_link
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e-wj3IOvzuvabO2lHVKyafTk64CdM-2Z/view?usp=drive_link
Richard and Stephanie Maldonado discussed the new evergreen program, which updates textbooks annually, eliminating the need for instructors to rebuild courses from scratch. They also explained the process of updating courses, including the release of new material on June 2nd and the ability to opt out of updates. Richard clarified that the ISBNs for textbooks would not change except for the opt-out versions. Dr. Peoples expressed concerns about the timing of updates and the potential for changes in test questions and materials. Richard reassured him that the updates would not affect courses set up before June 2nd. Kimberly confirmed that the department would not be updating to the new edition for the summer but would do so for the fall. Richard also clarified the pricing and features of the Sharpen app, and Kimberly confirmed that the department would not be updating to the new edition for the summer but would do so for the fall. Richard mentioned he would send detailed information about the new McGraw-Hill "opt-out of updates" feature to the faculty. There was a suggestion about having another meeting to discuss implementing the new McGraw-Hill textbook updates for fall courses.
Kimberly presented the updates of the Assessment Results for Transfer Courses ACCT 2301 and ACCT 2302. She confirmed that the Assessment Results look great for the Spring 2024 through Fall 2024 semesters for Assessment 1. She discussed the analysis of the question results and explained what questions show scores below the target goal of 80%.
Spring 2025 Taskforce Update:
Three homework problems were added for implementation in Spring 2025 to Acct 2302 courses. The following problems were added.
Changes to Homework Assignments: Chapter 1, Chapter 7, Chapter 9
· Chapter 1: Add homework problem E1-8 (Exercise: Calculating Costs)
· Chapter 7: Add homework problem M7-5 (Mini Exercise: Analyzing Special Order Decisions)
· Chapter 9: Add homework problem E9-4 (Exercise: Interpreting Direct Materials Price, Quantity Variances)
For Fall 2024 Assessment 1, the target goal of 80% of students receiving a 70% or better score on Assessment #1 was not met. The target goal for Assessment #2 was met. The target goal was not met in Fall 2023 for Assessment #1 either, but the target score goal was met every other semester. Acct 2301 Fall Assessment results tend to trend lower than Summer or Spring. For the Spring 2025- Assessment #1, our target goal was met in the Asynchronous and Hybrid modalities. The goal was not met in the Classroom and Synchronous modalities.
Kimberly discussed ways for Continuous Improvement: We need to create a Uniform Assessment Guideline for Acct 2301 and figure out a good method for collecting question breakdown data in Acct 2301.
Acct 2301 Google Sheet:
Acct 2302 Google Sheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16innaYeLoNJu4--kOIpkVv7poKIe6n9nv0bgIPR0Txo/edit?usp=sharing
Denise discussed the department's assessment results and proposed increasing the goal to 80%. Denise presented information on what question scored below 70%. She also suggested revisiting the assessment tool over the summer. Okera proposed looking into the effectiveness of unlimited check my works and the sharing of tests and quizzes. The team agreed to table the discussion on sharing tests and quizzes until the next meeting. The faculty discussed the pros and cons of sharing tests and quizzes for upper-level courses. Discussion was held about what courses would benefit from having the unlimited check my work option as an assessment tool. Denise mentioned that students should be better informed on taking asynchronous classes versus synchronous courses. The Assessment Results with Acnt 2303 show that students score above 70% in synchronous courses. Denise, Okera, and Kelli will review and potentially update the assessment tool for Acnt 2303 over the summer or at the end of spring.
The next meeting was scheduled for April 11th at 1 PM at the Highland campus. Larry also reminded the team to submit their budget worksheets for the upcoming TACTYC event by Monday.
Dr. Peoples provided information on what else is required for ACBSP, which is to address students that have graduated employment/satisfaction assessment from courses.
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