Assessment #1

This student did a great job with their assessment.  They had a great interpretation of the material and through their assessment it was clear that they met all the objectives of the lesson.  The student made the learning relevant to their own situations and experiences.

The learning process in an online environment can differ depending on the students and their learning style.  In general, online learners should strive to be open-minded about sharing life, work, and educational experiences as part of the learning process.  Introverts as well as extroverts find that online learning requires them to utilize their experiences.   This has been very helpful for me; I am one of those who sometimes write down my thoughts on paper and then respond publicly. In the virtual classroom, nearly all communication is written, so it is critical that learners feel comfortable in expressing themselves in writing. Meaningful and quality input into the virtual classroom is an essential part of the learning process. If it is possible, one should take the things learned in an online course today and use them in the workplace tomorrow.  Contributing advice or ideas about the real-world as it applies to the subject matter that is being studied helps to internalize what the learning. 

A community of learners is a part of the learning process by offering support each other in their collective and individual learning. A community of learners can include all levels of learners, because everyone is learning, not competing. And, best of all, a true classroom community of learners allows the teacher to learn as well as the students.  However, it is important that the teacher builds a the community in an online classroom; which according my class textbook “Building Online Learning Communities” (R.M. Palloff and K. Pratt) can be accomplished by creating an effective container within which the course by posting goals, objectives, expected outcomes, guidelines for participation and thoughts/questions to kick off discussions as well as including assignments for collaboration.   In other words the instructor needs to be simple and not depend on any one form of technology and remember it is about using the best practices as educators and applying them in a completely different environment.  Technology should not drive the course --- instead, the desired outcomes of the course and needs of the participants should be the deciding factors.

	Beginning 1	Developing 2	Accomplished 3	Score
Discussion Topics	The student did not complete the discussion questions.	The student answered each question, but there were not many details and grammatical errors.	The student answered each question and brought good ideas with each discussion post.	3
Responding to Students Discussion	The student did not respond to any other discussion posts.	The student responded to some discussion posts.	The student responded to all required discussion topics.	3
Assessment Information	The assessment did not cite the book or the presentation.	The assessment cited either the book or the presentation, but not both.	The assessment brought ideas from both the presentation and the book.	3
Assessment Structure	The assessment was not clear and hard to understand.	The assessment was unclear in some parts.	The assessment was easy to follow and understand.	3
Learning Community	The student does not acknowledge the learning community.	The student mentions the learning community, however does do not develop the concept.	The student describes and understands the importance of building a learning community in an online classroom.	3
Learning Process	The student does not acknowledge the learning process.	The student mentions the learning process, however does not develop the concept.	The student describes and understands the learning process in an online classroom.	3
Total Score				18/18 = 100%
Comments: Great Job! You made the learning relevant by applying it to your own experiences, which is one learning method in an online classroom.  Please see my blog for ideas from other students.