Online classwork can be broken down into two categories: content and assignments. Content is the stuff you have to read, watch, listen to, and do prior to completing your assignments. Typically this type of work is ungraded, completed independently, and required. Assignments are things like exams, papers, speeches, discussions, and multimedia projects that you are required to complete, individually or with a group, for a grade. In short, content is what you’re expected to learn, and assignments are the ways you demonstrate that you’ve learned the content.
The good news is that online classwork isn’t all that different from face-to-face classwork. The biggest difference is that the work is completed and submitted online. For example:
- Instead of listening to a lecture in class and taking a pencil-and-paper quiz, you may be watching a video of the lecture and taking an online quiz afterwards.
- Instead of handing a paper in to your instructor in person, you may be emailing a copy of your paper, typing an answer, or recording a video of your response.
- Instead of raising your hand to ask a question, you may be emailing your instructor the question or posting a question on the discussion board.
Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s have a closer look at online course content and assignments.
Online Course Content
Types
If you recall, content is the stuff you have to read, watch, listen to, and do prior to completing your assignments. What’s really nice about an online course that generally isn’t available in a face-to-face classroom is your ability to study and review the content as much as you need to master the material prior to completing an assignment. Here are a few examples:
- Read. Textbook chapters, nonfiction/fiction books, journal articles, and online web articles
- Watch. Instructor lectures, TED talks, “How-to” videos, and feature films
-
Listen. Famous speeches, music tracks, and podcasts
-
Interact. Interactive web apps, maps, timelines, role play, and simulations
Who’s Responsible?
Most of the time you’ll be reading, watching, listening, and interacting all by your lonesome. Occasionally, though, you’ll be asked to collaborate on content with a group of your peers. An example of this is if the instructor divides students into groups, assigns each group multiple readings, and then asks each group to divide the readings amongst group members so each member can explain to the group what they’ve read. This “divide and conquer” strategy for learning content can save your group members valuable time.
Online Course Assignments
While your instructor may ask you to read, watch, listen to, or interact with certain content, they will likely evaluate your understanding of the materials in the form of a graded assignment. For example, you may be asked to read a chapter from your textbook (content) and then take a quiz (assignment) on what you’ve read. Assignments generally come in two forms: individual and group.
Individual Work
At times, your instructor will evaluate your understanding of the course content through assignments that you complete by yourself. Some examples include:
- A quiz you complete in the Learning Management System (LMS)
- A written exam or a paper you submit to the LMS or via email as a Word document
- An online speech you record using a webcam and submit via the LMS or directly to the instructor
- A discussion forum where you write a post and respond to your peers in the LMS
To recap, unless you’re told otherwise, individual assignments are created and submitted by you and you alone. Don’t freak out! You’re not really alone. You have plenty of resources at your university to draw from throughout your online experience, including your instructor, your institution’s Writing Center and Speaking Center, the library, and more!
ACTIVITY: Reading a Rubric
Your instructor may choose to provide a rubric to help guide you as you complete your assignments. A rubric is a scoring tool that sets out your instructor’s expectations for each element of an assignment. The typical rubric divides an assignment into parts and provides descriptions of the requirements associated with each part. Your instructor may give you a rubric as a document, or they may utilize the rubric tool within the LMS.
The rubric below is an example of one you might see for an online presentation assignment. When viewing a rubric, you’ll be able to easily identify how much the assignment is worth and how to achieve the highest grade possible. Let’s take a closer look at the parts of this rubric.
- Title: Sample Online Presentation Rubric
- Total Points: 40
- Criteria: This assignment is broken up into four criteria (relevance, concept integration, creativity, and grammar, spelling, and organization)
- Ratings: Includes a description of how to complete the task simply and completely and the points associated with each.
| Sample Online Presentation Rubric | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Criteria | Ratings | Pts | ||
| Relevance | The topic fits with the subject and makes sense. 10.0 pts |
The topic somewhat fits with the subject assigned. 5.0 pts |
Poor choice of topic, does not fit with the subject. 0.0 pts |
10.0 pts |
| Concept Integration | Course concepts integrated into presentation and/or topic. 10.0 pts |
Very little use of course concepts within topic. 5.0 pts |
Concepts learned in course were not used in presentation/topic. 0.0 pts |
10.0 pts |
| Creativity | The majority of the topic shows originality and inventiveness. 10.0 pts |
Some of the topic shows originality and inventiveness. 5.0 pts |
The topic displays a lack of inventiveness. 0.0 pts |
10.0 pts |
| Grammar, Spelling, and Organization | Very well written and organized, with no spelling or grammatical errors. 10.0 pts |
Generally well written and organized, with a few spelling and/or grammatical errors. 5.0 pts |
Poorly written or organized, with many spelling and grammatical errors. 0.0 pts |
10.0 pts |
| Sample Online Presentation Rubric | |
|---|---|
| Criteria | Relevance |
| Ratings | The topic fits with the subject and makes sense. 10.0 pts |
| The topic somewhat fits with the subject assigned. 5.0 pts |
|
| Poor choice of topic, does not fit with the subject. 0.0 pts |
|
| Pts | 10.0 pts |
| Criteria | Concept Integration |
| Ratings | Course concepts integrated into presentation and/or topic. 10.0 pts |
| Very little use of course concepts within topic. 5.0 pts |
|
| Concepts learned in course were not used in presentation/topic. 0.0 pts |
|
| Pts | 10.0 pts |
| Criteria | Creativity |
| Ratings | The majority of the topic shows originality and inventiveness. 10.0 pts |
| Some of the topic shows originality and inventiveness. 5.0 pts |
|
| The topic displays a lack of inventiveness. 0.0 pts |
|
| Pts | 10.0 pts |
| Criteria | Grammar, Spelling, and Organization |
| Ratings | Very well written and organized, with no spelling or grammatical errors. 10.0 pts |
| Generally well written and organized, with a few spelling and/or grammatical errors. 5.0 pts |
|
| Poorly written or organized, with many spelling and grammatical errors. 0.0 pts |
|
| Pts | 10.0 pts |
Adapted from the Presentation Rubric found at: http://citt.ufl.edu/online-teaching-resources/assessments/rubrics-in-online-learning/
Group Work
Group work (i.e. a group assignment or group projects) is typically multi-faceted, and may last multiple weeks or even an entire semester. They can be anything the group creates together, from a research paper, to a website, to a video presentation. When you work on a group assignment, you and your group members must coordinate efforts to arrange meeting times, divide up the work, provide feedback on one another’s contributions, and evaluate the group’s overall efforts.
“Group work and collaboration works well if you recognize the leaders in the group and allow him or her to arrange projects, do your project assigned portion, and volunteer for any other duties with the assignment.”
When you’re working on a group assignment, you’ll have to work with others, and when you work with others, sometimes you may encounter issues. To help make your group assignment successful, here are a few tips:
- Get organized. As soon as your group forms, encourage your team members to assign roles (document manager, scheduler, meeting organizer, editor, etc.), swap calendars, and create a roadmap of responsibilities with due dates. Put everything in writing and make sure everyone has access. For example, if your school uses Google’s suite of online apps, you may want to establish a mutual Google calendar for your group’s schedule and put your individual responsibilities, etc., in a Google doc everyone can access.
- Stay in touch. Communication can make or break a group project. Make sure team members share their contact information and availability, and then develop a communications plan. As due dates approach, check in with one another to see if your group members need help.
- Address problems. If a group member or members aren’t contributing to the overall effort, contact the group member and ask them how they’re doing and if they need help to get back on track. If you and your group member’s efforts fail, you may need to bring in the instructor. Remember, it’s easier to fix or change a flat tire than it is to drive on three wheels.
ACTIVITY: Review Group Preparation and Evaluation Forms
When you’re assigned to a group, you may be asked to complete a form similar to the Team Roles and Responsibilities form below. Instructors use this type of information to help you and your group members get organized, take responsibility of your assignment, and stay in touch.
As you work with your group, you may be required to complete an anonymous peer evaluation of each group member based on criteria such as quality, attendance, interaction, and leadership. This can be handled through your LMS or through a Google Form like the Peer Evaluation form below.
Take a moment to review the two forms to see how they work. Read through them, make note of what’s included in each, and if you feel so inclined, go ahead and complete the two forms for the full experience.
Copyright
Copyright is the legal mechanism that protects the creators of original works, and their rights to their work. Simply put, it establishes a creator’s legal ownership of their work, and their right to determine who can use it, and under what conditions.
Can I use copyrighted materials? Should I?
In certain circumstances, such as an online course, it’s possible to use copyrighted materials (e.g. excerpts from a book or scholarly journal, images from a film, artwork, music, or programming code) without a license from their creator, under what’s called the Fair Use doctrine.
It’s always best to use non-copyrighted materials wherever possible. However, if you do need to use copyrighted works in your paper or presentation, it’s important to ensure you’re following the Fair Use rules. Copyright infringement is a federal crime with serious legal consequences. If you’re not sure of a work’s copyright status, or whether you’re working within the Fair Use rules, it’s in your best interests to find an alternative source.
Take a moment to learn more about using copyrighted and non-copyrighted materials by completing the following activity.
ACTIVITY: Get to know copyright, and your options
First, check out these great resources to learn more on copyright, and how to make sure you’re staying within the boundaries of Fair Use:
- The OWL at Purdue. They have a great list of strategies for Fair Use. They also have a host of information on how to avoid plagiarizing someone’s work, as well as how to properly cite your sources.
- The Center of Innovation in Teaching & Learning at the University of Illinois. They have a list of Best Practices when considering using copyrighted materials.
- Your institution’s library and Office of General Counsel. Both of these groups will likely have pages set up specifically to explain Fair Use as it pertains to students.
Then, explore some of the great resources out there for non-copyright materials—photography, artwork, music, video, and much more:
- Creative Commons Search. Offers access to search services provided by independent organizations. Be sure to verify CC license.
- Internet Archive. A library of free books, movies, music, etc.
- Wikimedia Commons. A media file repository for public domain and freely-licensed educational media content.
- Videvo. A site to search for free stock footage and motion graphics.
Need more ideas? Remember, Google is your friend! Search for copyright-free works and you’ll find all kinds of materials that are safe and legal for you to use.
The thing to remember about online classwork is that its goal is the same as face-to-face classwork: that you master the content presented in the course. What’s different is that you’ll have to learn delivery and assessment methods that require you to do things online. Some of this, like watching videos, will be simple. Others, like coordinating group projects online through platforms such as Google Docs, WordPress, WebEx, and Trello may take a little time to master, but will prove convenient and definitely make your online work easier.