MEDT 7472 Online course review instrument

Adapted from University of West Georgia 5-Star Online Course Review and National Standards for Quality Online

Course : Classroom Strategies for Inquiry Based Learning

Grade Level: Pre-service teachers/Professional Development
Teacher(s) of Course: Shelly Rodriquez and Kelli Allen
Date of Review: January 28 - February 4, 2018
Reviewer: Nickey Grandea

Rating Scale
0 Absent - component is missing
1 Unsatisfactory - needs significant improvement
2 Somewhat satisfactory - needs targeted improvements
3 Satisfactory - discretionary improvement needed
4 Very Satisfactory - no improvement needed

Standard A: Introduction and Information Score

The goals and objectives clearly state what the participants will know or be
A1 able to do at the end of the course. The goals and objectives are 2
measurable in multiple ways, and are aligned to National/State standards
The course content and assignments are of sufficient rigor, depth and
A2 breadth to teach the standards being addressed. 3

Students are encouraged to introduce themselves to the class

A3 4
The course syllabus is easily located, and provides complete and clear
information pertaining to ALL of the following: course objectives, grading,
A4 instructor contact information, required materials, the nature of distance 2
learning, and honesty policies ensuring the integrity of student work.

Course requirements are consistent with course goals, are representative

A5 of the scope of the course and are clearly stated. 4

Information is provided to students, parents and mentors on how to

A6 communicate with the online instructor and course provider. 2

Minimum technology requirements and prerequisite technology skills are

A7 clearly stated. 0

Expectations for academic integrity, use of copyrighted materials,

plagiarism and netiquette (Internet etiquette) regarding lesson activities,
A8 discussions, and e-mail communications are clearly stated. 1

The instructor provides a biography/photograph, a welcome message, and

an appropriate self-introduction which presents the instructor as
A9 4
approachable and engaged.

Privacy policies are clearly stated.

A10 0

Content Notes

In general, the content of the course is well organized and logical. Improvement is needed in the areas of instructor contact info
honest expectations, and technology requirements. Including this information would improve the clarity of expectations.The ins
knowledgable, and approachable.
In general, the content of the course is well organized and logical. Improvement is needed in the areas of instructor contact info
honest expectations, and technology requirements. Including this information would improve the clarity of expectations.The ins
knowledgable, and approachable.

Standard B: Instructional Design Score

Course design reflects a clear understanding of all students’ needs and
B1 incorporates varied ways to learn and master the curriculum. 2

The course is organized by units and lessons that fall into a logical
sequence. Each unit and lesson includes an overview describing
B2 objectives, activities, assignments, assessments, and resources to provide 3
multiple learning opportunities for students to master the content.

The course instruction includes activities that engage students in active

B3 learning. 3

The course and course instructor provide students with multiple learning
B4 paths, based on student needs that engage students in a variety of ways. 2

The course provides opportunities for students to engage in higher-order

B5 thinking, critical reasoning activities and thinking in increasingly complex 2
ways.

Readability levels, written language assignments and mathematical

B6 requirements are appropriate for the course content and grade-level 4
expectations.

The course design provides opportunities for appropriate instructor-

student interaction, including opportunities for timely and frequent
B7 feedback about student progress. 3

The course design includes explicit communication/activities (both before

and during the first week of the course) that confirms whether students are
engaged and are progressing through the course. The instructor will
B8 follow program guidelines to address non-responsive students. 2

The course provides opportunities for appropriate instructor-student and

student-student interaction to foster mastery and application of the
B9 material. 4

Each activity and assignment is well-written, providing students with a

clear understanding of what is expected and how they should submit their
B10 work. 4

Students have access to resources that enrich the course content.

B11 3
Instructional Design Notes
The course would be more rigorous and engaging if students had more opportunities to make choices regarding the path they t
the activities increased through the course. More choices in media would also enrich the instructional design of the course.
The course would be more rigorous and engaging if students had more opportunities to make choices regarding the path they t
the activities increased through the course. More choices in media would also enrich the instructional design of the course.

Standard C: Student Assessment Score

Student evaluation strategies are consistent with course goals and
C1 objectives, are representative of the scope of the course and are clearly 2
stated.

The course structure includes adequate and appropriate methods and

C2 procedures to assess students’ mastery of content. 2

Ongoing, varied, and frequent assessments are conducted throughout the

C3 course to inform instruction. 1

Assessment strategies and tools make the student continuously aware of

C4 his / her progress in class and mastery of the content. 3

Assessment materials provide the instructor with the flexibility to assess

C5 students in a variety of ways. 1

The grading policy and practices are clear and easy to understand.
C6 4

Student Assessment Notes

The course lacks assessments. More assessments (both formative and summative) in a variety of formats would enrich studen
in the course design a lesson plan that contains the 5 E's would be a great way to include an authentic assessment in the cours
below for more detail.

Standard D: Technology Score

Clear and consistent navigation is present throughout the course.
D1 4
The course is complete (does not have any section under construction).
D2 4
All external links are functional
D3 4
Supplementary resources and links are available to students and are
D4 labeled as required or optional. 3

Rich media are provided in multiple formats for ease of use and access in
D5 order to address diverse student needs. 3

The course uses content-specific tools and software appropriately.

D6 4

Technology Notes
Overall, technology is used effeciently in the course. Additional media in different formats would be beneficial. For example, us
provide information rather than plain text would make the course content more visually appealing.

Overall feedback
Classroom Strategies for Inquiry Based Learning is an online course to provide instruction on the 5 E's model of lesson plannin
pre-service teachers and practicing teachers, specifically teachers in secondary education. The course strenghts include the ov
throughout the course, the activities of the couse are consistent with the goals and objectives, the videos used in each module
classroom activities, and the interactive discussions allow students to share ideas. The weakness in the course include the lac
the instructors, lack of privacy and honesty policies, and the lack of varied and authentic assessments. Adding greater variety o
would provide more differentiation throughout the course and make the modules more appealing and engaging for students. Th
course would be to include a final task where a 5 E's lesson plan is developed and shared with the instructors and peers. This
cumulatively as the course progresses, module by module. A discussion added to each module where students share aspects
receive feedback from peers would be appropriate. Perhaps students could teach the lesson and create a video similar to thos
modules.

Assignment requirements (to be filled by Professor only) NOT APPLICABLE TO Score

PROJECT 1 ANALYSIS OF ONLINE COURSE

A syllabus that tells the students the objectives of the lesson and provides
detailed and clear instructions on how to complete the week’s activities
and explains how the learners will be evaluated. It also must include
instructor’s contact information and office hours

The course is complete

At least two well-thought-out discussion topics pertaining to the lesson

Some type of pedagogically-sound project the student must complete

pertaining to the lesson.

Some form of advanced technology on display. This might include a

narrated PowerPoint lecture, podcast, video or movie cast, interactive
tutorial, etc.

Some form of assessment (quiz, rubric, checklist, etc).

The integration of the interactive tool (blog, wiki or digital storytelling) you
chose in the “Tools for online engagement and communication”
discussion, with instructions on how to access and the activities your
students will develop.

Total points 89
Standards for Quality Online

Comments
Goals and objectives should be more specific and
measurable. The objectives and learning outcomes are
general statements without being time bound or
measurable.
Assignments are similar from module to module. Varied
methods of instruction and assessment would increase
rigor.
Introduction discussion is included at the beginning of the
course.

Course syllabus could be improved by including instructor

contact info, information about the nature of distance
learning, and honesty policies. Instructor contact
information is vital to student success.

Excellent alignment between course goals and

Information on how to communicate with the instructor
requirements.
within the course is provided (question and answer
discussion forums). However, no direct contact
information is provided.

Minimum technology requirements are not mentioned at

all.

Netiquette is addressed. All other items listed in this

standard are absent.

The instructors provided their credentials, photographs, a

welcome message in text and video formats. They are
knowledgable and approachable.

Privacy policies are absent.

eded in the areas of instructor contact information, privacy policies,

mprove the clarity of expectations.The instructors are qualified,
 The course materials are generally in text and video
formats, providing some variety in delivery. Little variety
Comments
exists in ways to learn and master the curriculum.
Providing more variety in media (digital posters,
photographs, graphics, animations, comic strips) would
allow for greater accessibility for students.

Course materials are well organized and logically

sequenced. Including more learning activities and
opportunities would improve the course.
The instruction is engaging, but it is repetitive from
module to module. While the continuity is reassuring, it
Students
becomes can chooseby
too routine to the
watch
endthe
of videos, read the
the course.
transcripts, or both. However, that is the only choice
available. The course has a straightline path. Including
more choices in media would improve this aspect of the
course.
The course provides opportunites for studentts to think
critically and apply information. It is repetitive and does
not increase in complexity. Incorporating an authentic
assessment would increase the complexity.

All are appropriate to the target audience.

Each module ends with an assessment (quiz) where

feedback is provided. More opportunities would be better.
(See overall feedback below.)
The course includes explicit communication activities
during the first week of the course and contiuing through
each module. I am not aware of any program guidelines
to address non-responsive students. This aspect of the
course may be lacking because of the nature of the
course and target audience.

Discussions during each module encourage appropriate

interaction throughout the course.

All assignments are well-written and easy to understand.

The resources provided in the course are great. However,
it would be helpful to include more sample lesson plans.

o make choices regarding the path they take and if the complexity of
the instructional design of the course.
 Comments

Evaluation would be more meaningful if it included

authentic assessments (like lesson plans) instead of
focusing only on multiple choice quizzes as assessments.
The discussions may be used a formative assessment,
but the only summative assessments are the quizzes at
the end ofassessment
Ongoing each module.
occurs in this course. However, it is
not frequent (only at the end of each module). No
additional resources exist for students who are not
successful on the quizzes.

The course contains a progress page, where students can

monitor their participation in discussions and quiz grades.

Little variety in assessments. More assessments, in

different formats, should be included in the course.

Grading policies and practices are clear.

n a variety of formats would enrich student learning. Having students

ude an authentic assessment in the course. See overall feedback

Comments

Navigation through the course is clear and easy.

The course is complete.

All links function (with the exception of those that are not
accessible because the course is archived at this time).
Supplementary resources are available, but they are not
labeled as required or optional.
The media included are provided in multiple formats
(video and text) with downloadable links provided. More
diversity in the content materials would be beneficial.
The content-specific tools and software are used
appropriately.

mats would be beneficial. For example, using a digital poster to

y appealing.

ck
 tion on the 5 E's model of lesson planning. The target audience is
ation. The course strenghts include the overall ease of navigation
ectives, the videos used in each module are engaging and show real
e weakness in the course include the lack of contact information for
tic assessments. Adding greater variety of media in each module
appealing and engaging for students. The best way to improve this
ared with the instructors and peers. This lesson should be created
ch module where students share aspects of the lesson plan and
lesson and create a video similar to those used in each of the

Comments

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