Assessment 1

This online course did some of the things that research has suggested should be done at the beginning of an online course.  The class began with introductions from the instructor and suggestions that we do the same.  The introvert in me appeared and I gave very little information about myself.  Face to face classrooms begin similarly in that the professors give a brief background of themselves, followed by student introductions.  While a posted picture is not necessary in the face to face community, it could be very helpful and even encouraged in the online community.  Some members of our online community have already posted pictures on their blogs.  I choose to post a picture on an interest of mine rather than a picture of myself.  The online community selects to have students involved in collaborative group work early on to help build interactions and foster relationships.  It has been my experience that face to face communities allow for individual projects in the beginning and group work later in the semester.  In my face to face community groups were formed based on interest in a topic or common grade level responsibilities.  Our online groups were formed by the instructor, not sure the reasoning behind the groupings.  In online groups, members have to show their presence or engagement through posting and responding to posts.  Face to face communities could use this but basically they contribute by way of class discussions in person. 

Research also suggests that students have opportunities to engage in non-content related conversations.  Our online community does have a forum set up for this, but it has not been used and we are over a month into the course.  Engagement in non-content related conversations just “happen” in a face to face community.  Talk moves to these areas before class starts, during breaks and sometimes during class conversations. 

In both communities, the instructors facilitate and create learning environments that are conducive to critical thinking and collaborative work throughout the course.   

	Beginning 1	Developing 2	Accomplished 3	Score
Discussion Topics	Student did not post answer to discussion question	Student posted the answers to the questions but left out required elements	Student answered each question and included required elements	3
Discussion participation	Student responded to none of the discussion questions	Student responded to some discussion questions	Student responded to all discussion questions	3
Assessment Criteria	Student did not compare and contrast communities	Student compared or contrasted communities but not both.	Student compared and contrasted communities	3
Assessment Grammar	Assessment was not on topic, unclear and contained many errors	Assessment was on topic but contained some errors	Assessment was clear and on topic.	3
Assessment Question 1	Student did not answer question 1	Student answered question 1 but did not incorporate it into the compare and contrast	Student answered question 1 and incorporated the answer into the essay	3
Assessment Question 2	Student did not answer question 2	Student answered question 2 but did not incorporate it into the compare and contrast	Student answered question 2 and incorporated the answer into the essay	3
Final Score				18/18= 100%
Comments: This student clearly met the learning objectives and answered questions in the assessment. The student was able to relate and bring background knowledge into the essay. He or she also included research to create his or her essay.