EECS Ecampus Instructor ProtocolRelevance, Collaboration, Innovation,

Experiential Learning

School of EECSOregon State University

Date of last update: June 24, 2014

Course Management At A Glance

0. Getting started1. Managing Your Course If You Are A New

Instructor Or New To Course (link)2. Managing Your Course (link)• Typical Course Content• Must Haves For Syllabus• Course Calendars and Due Dates• TA “To Do” List3. Being Available For Your Students (link)• Information Sharing – When and What• Best Practices from Justin W.• Office Hours For Instructors and TAs4. Student Collaboration (link)• Groups and teamwork• Discussion boards

5. Resources For Students That You Control (link)• Tools / Websites / Addl Resources• Information For Tools For Students• Roles (Instructors & TAs)• Student Expectations 6. Evaluating Students (link)• Assignments / Exams / Policies• Assignments (Guidance)• Working Ahead Policy• Assignments – Weekly Topic Summary• Exams• Proctored Exams and Quizzes• Code Sharing Policy• Managing Academic Dishonesty• Faculty Early Warning System• Blackboard Early Warning System

0. Getting StartedResources available to instructors (as of Fall13).• EECS Ecampus Instructor Protocol slidepack: https://

secure.engr.oregonstate.edu/wiki/eecs-classes/files/Instructors.InstructorProtocolAndAssociatedDocs/2014%20Ecampus%20

Instructor%20Protocol%20NEW.pptx

• [Wiki] Instructor Wiki: https://secure.engr.oregonstate.edu/wiki/eecs-classes/index.php/Main/HomePage

• [EECS Video] EECS Video Store: \\guille.eecs.oregonstate.edu\project\ecampus-video

• [EECS ClassDocDir] EECS Class Documents: \\stak.engr.oregonstate.edu\dept_www\ecampusfiles\

• Ecampus distribution list: ecampus-cs-team@lists.oregonstate.edu

• Weekly Ecampus instructor mtg (changes each quarter – ask Padma for current schedule/location)

• Ecampus CS Core Team (Terri, Karti, Joseph J., Justin W., Padma A., Terry R., Stephen R., Bob)

• EECS Ecampus CS degree website: http://eecs.oregonstate.edu/online-cs-students

• EECS Ecampus Program Staff: http://eecs.oregonstate.edu/online-cs-students/future-students/program-staff

• Faculty Blackboard Manual: http://ecampus.oregonstate.edu/faculty/blackboard/9/

http://eecs.oregonstate.edu/online-cs-students/future-students$s per credit hour, cost for entire program # of students enrolled in programStarting salaries for CS grads %age of enrolled that are womenPrevious degrees pie chart

http://eecs.oregonstate.edu/online-cs-students/future-students/admission-processApplication Deadlines

http://eecs.oregonstate.edu/online-cs-students/future-students/tuition-and-feesTuition and fees or additional categories

http://eecs.oregonstate.edu/online-cs-students/future-students/non-degree-studentsDeadlines

http://eecs.oregonstate.edu/online-cs-students/current-studentsNew stats for “nearly one out of two college graduates under the age of 25 are jobless or unemployed”

http://eecs.oregonstate.edu/online-cs-students/current-students/advisingUpdate office hours if needed.

http://eecs.oregonstate.edu/online-cs-students/future-students/graduate-success# of students who have graduated

http://eecs.oregonstate.edu/online-cs-students/future-students/program-staffadd and delete staff members as they change.

http://eecs.oregonstate.edu/online-cs-students/current-students/class-resources http://eecs.oregonstate.edu/online-cs-students/current-students/class-resources/online-tools

0. Getting StartedWebpages To Check For Updates At Beginning Of Term

1. Managing Your CourseThings To Do More Than 3 Weeks Before Term Starts If You Are A New Instructor Or

New To Course

• Meet with Ecampus and complete Ecampus training– Use of BlackBoard - Classroom management– Proctored exams - Discussion boards

• Meet faculty / instructor who developed the course materials and other CS Ecampus instructors (Joseph J, Justin G, Justin W).

• Get on distribution list ecampus-cs-team@lists.oregonstate.edu by talking to EECS eCampus advisors.

• Request access to Instructor Wiki and EECS Class Documents directory.

• Begin to attend EECS weekly eCampus instructor meeting.

• Get photo taken and bio written by Strategic Communications Coordinator (Rachel.Robertson@oregonstate.edu) for Ecampus website webpage.

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1. Managing Your CourseThings To Do 3 Weeks Before Term Starts If You Are A New Instructor Or New To

Course

• Review all course content • Add instructor introduction video (Sample on YouTube)• Add a “Read Me First” page in Blackboard that ensures

students read all important course related content.– Meet The Instructor video - Course calendar – Syllabus - Class welcome document– Other information you deem important

See next slide for how to add “Read Me First” page. • Any substantive changes to the course content will need to

be reviewed and approved by the eCampus Core Team

1. Managing Your CourseAdding the “Read Me First” Tab

• To make your “Read Me First” tab show up first for the students in Blackboard:– Go to Customization, Style, and then in Section 4, change the Course

Entry Point to the Read Me First page• Turn the “Read Me First” to Announcements after the first

week so the students will see the announcements whenever they log in.

1. Managing Your CourseThings To Do 3 Weeks Before Term Starts If You Are A New Instructor, pg. 2

• If your course requires group or team assignments, decide how those teams will be formed and how you will manage conflict requests from students. – Group formation: instructor assigns / students self-form– Potential conflicts:

• Team member not pulling his weight.• I don’t want to work with team member B (or vice versa)• Our team is not all in the same timezone.• One member drops class leaving a smaller team.

– Usually, you want to let the students manage any conflicts rather than you having to figure out a solution for them.

2. Managing Your CourseLANDING PAGE

• Beginning Of Term Checklist• Typical Course Content• Must Haves For Syllabus• Course Calendars and Due Dates• Provide direction to TA’s using a “TA To-Do List”

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1. Update course syllabus if required.- new supplemental material that you introduced last term- different order of presentation- new due dates (if those dates are embedded in your syllabus)- post in appropriate location

2. Modify your course calendar- update with new term references, new dates- modify topic descriptions if those have changed- Place updated doc as a PDF on EECS Class Resources dir. \\stak.engr.oregonstate.edu\dept_www\ecampusfiles\

3. Update Evaluation of Student Performance and grading policy document.- changes to how grade is calculated (%ages)- add in additional assignments you may have generated last term- Place updated doc on EECS Class Resources dir. \\stak.engr.oregonstate.edu\dept_www\ecampusfiles\

4. Generate your Office Hour document for this term.- See guidance in Instructor Protocol (section 3 – Being Available For Your Students)- Meet with TAs to set their office hours.- Capture all info in PDF doc and post on EECS Class Resources dir. \\stak.engr.oregonstate.edu\dept_www\ecampusfiles\

5. Update assignment documents.- Modify term references (move from Fall 2013 to Winter 2014 for example).- Change due dates appropriately.

2. Managing Your CourseBeginning Of Term Checklist, pg 1 of 2

6. Get initial announcements ready for Blackboard or elsewhere (welcome video, weekly info, syllabus etc.)- General welcome, things that might help with class and the materials.- Use of discussion boards, range of time for certain activities (based on background, learning style)

7. Report changes in class-specific tools for this page http://eecs.oregonstate.edu/online-cs-students/current-students/class-resources

8. Update any “Getting Started” guides that reference external websites/software. - Verify that website URLs haven’t changed. - Ensure that the instructions are still valid for current software versions.

9. Generate any required Piazza discussion spaces for your course specific to this term.

10. Clear discussion boards internal to Blackboard.

11. Update and submit eCampus Proctor Exam information.

12. Verify permissions on sensitive online documents in Blackboard.- Remove permissions to view exams, solution guides etc. from previous term

13. Submit book order to OSU Bookstore (usually 2 months prior to term start)

2. Managing Your CourseBeginning Of Term Checklist, pg 2 of 2

2. Managing Your CourseTypical Course Content

• Instructor introduction video (Sample on YouTube)

• Course syllabus (Example on Wiki)– Required elements (next slide)– A follow-on quiz is required to ensure students are clear on

objectives/requirements/policies etc.

• Course calendar (Example on Wiki)– Guidance on content (next slides)– Post this file as PDF at EECS class doc repository EECS ClassDocDir.

• Class Welcome document (Example on Wiki)• Grading Policy

– Explicit guidelines on grading and evaluation of student performance– Post this file as PDF at EECS class doc repository EECS ClassDocDir.

2. Managing Your CourseMust Haves for Syllabus -1

• Blackboard instructions • Statement regarding students with disabilities• Academic integrity statement • Reference to EECS Code Sharing Policy webpage• Student Expectations section that includes this verbage:

– Must be able to use Google to find supplemental material/resources• Include any useful websites/resources you already recommend

– Policy on compiling code for assignments/projects– That a reasonable amount of time needs to be spent searching online

resources for an answer to a problem before asking TAs or the instructor. This is a critical skill for success as a software engineer.

– That code debugging help will be provided only after a student has exhausted other resources and explicitly narrows down the problem

2. Managing Your CourseMust Haves for Syllabus -2

• Paragraph on Ecampus Electronic Forum Participation Expectations:

This program strives to prepare students for careers in computer science, which includes preparing students to communicate professionally. Therefore, students in this class are expected to communicate in a professional manner in discussion forums, email messages and all communications for this course. Critiques, disagreements, problems, or other topics of a sensitive nature can be addressed, but should be addressed civilly and professionally. If a student's communications become unprofessional, disruptive, abusive, inflammatory, or if they otherwise obstruct the learning process of the class, the instructor may restrict the student from participating in the electronic forums associated with the class and notify Ecampus and the OSU Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards. Productive learning communities and workplaces depend on civil, professional discourse. It is our hope that this policy strengthens your learning community and prepares you for the professional workplace.

2. Managing Your CourseCourse Calendar and Due Dates

• The calendar for the course with assignment/project due dates and exam dates should be on Blackboard and included in the course schedule file

• The due dates should not change during the term• A link to a Google calendar for a specific course can be

provided to students to include in their google calendar(e.g., https://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=oregonstatecs271%40gmail.com&ctz=America/Los_Angeles)

• The due dates should also be indicated on every assignment/project

2. Managing Your CourseProvide direction to TA’s using a “TA To-Do List”

• Make effective use of TA resources by providing clear guidance on tasks and expected completion dates.

• Providing each TA with a course “To Do List” is a good way to do this.

• The next 2 slides provide example “To Do Lists” – create one in a format that works for you.

• Regularly review the status of the “To Do” list items with your TA

2. Managing Your CourseProvide direction to TA’s using a “TA To-Do List”: Example 1

2. Managing Your CourseProvide direction to TA’s using a “TA To-Do List”: Example 2

3. Being Available For Your StudentsLANDING PAGE

• Information Sharing – When and What• Best Practices From Justin W.• Office Hours For Instructors and TAs

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3. Being Available For Your StudentsInformation Sharing – When & What

• Email– Personal/confidential correspondence regarding grades, extenuating

circumstances– For attachments when unable to upload in Blackboard– Setting up appointments for office hours/chat

• Webpage– Course webpage?

• Blackboard– Post information/announcements for entire class

• Piazza– Posting of questions related to course material/assignments

• A conversation rubric can be used (see example file “ConversationRubric.pdf” on Instructor Wiki [Wiki])

– Posting additional resources

3. Being Available For Your StudentsInformation Sharing – When & What

• Google Hangout / Adobe Connect / Skype– For online help sessions or chat– For conducting office hours

• Internet Relay Chat (IRC)– For live interactive Internet text messaging (chat)– Instructions on using IRC are at

https://web.engr.oregonstate.edu/~wolfordj/wiki/index.php?n=Main.IRCGuide

3. Being Available For Your StudentsInformation Sharing – When & What (Thoughts from Justin W.)

• IRC discussion– The class IRC chat room should be your go-to place for discussion.

When myself or a TA are available, we will be in the chat room. When you are working on an assignment you should be in the chat room. I will log the chat room discussion and it will count towards your meaningful discussion grade.

• Piazza forum– The Piazza forum is to be used for well prepared, thoughtful questions.

It should be used when you need to post more complicated snippets of code for which you are seeking specific help. There will be a post from me that demonstrates the correct way to ask a question on Piazza.

3. Being Available For Your StudentsInformation Sharing – When & What (Thoughts from Justin W.)

• Skype / Google Hangout / Adobe Connect– These forms of video communication are essentially elevated support

channels. We try to avoid using them for simple or non-specific questions as they prevent other students from benefiting from the discussion. However, if enough students are having a similar problem we will start an online video chat session for the group to come to.

• Email– All email sent to myself or a TA should include [CS275] (including the

square braces) as the first word in the subject. Additionally email should only be used for grading related questions. If you are confused about a topic and need help, use Piazza or IRC. If you email us questions, we will simply ask you to either ask us in IRC chat or post it to Piazza.

3. Being Available For Your StudentsOffice Hours for Instructors and TAs

• Need sufficient office hours on the weekend prior to assignment submission for introductory programming classes (CS 161/162, 165, 261)

• Office hours should cover the different time zones students are in

• Online chat/discussion boards may be set up for other times during the week

• Once finalized, document the term office hours for instructors and TAs in a file and post as PDF at EECS class doc repository. EECS ClassDocDir.

4. Student CollaborationLANDING PAGE

• Groups And Teamwork• Discussion Boards

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4. Student CollaborationGroups and Teamwork

• If your course requires group or team assignments, decide how those teams will be formed and how you will manage conflict requests from students. – Group formation: instructor assigns / students self-form– Potential conflicts:

• Team member not pulling his weight.• I don’t want to work with team member B (or vice versa)• Our team is not all in the same timezone.• One member drops class leaving a smaller team.

– Usually, you want to let the students manage any conflicts rather than having you have to figure out a solution for them.

4. Student CollaborationDiscussion Boards

• Piazza forum– The Piazza forum is to be used for well prepared, thoughtful questions.

This will be the main method by which students interact with each other and engage in discussion on particular topics.

• Good online communication– Justin W. has written a great summary of how to engage in good

communication online. His tips are here [webpage].

5. Resources For StudentsLANDING PAGE

• Tools / Websites / Addl Resources• Information For Tools For Students• Teaching Assistant – Roles and Responsibilities• Student Expectations

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5. Resources For StudentsTools / Websites / Additional Resources

• BlackBoard for course delivery and management• Teach or Blackboard for submission of assignments• Piazza for class related questions/discussions

– In Blackboard replace the default “Discussion Board” link with an identical option that redirects to Piazza (see file,“How to add Piazza to Blackboard menu.pdf”) on Instructors Wiki (Wiki)

• Google Chat / Hangout/Skype/IRC for real time discussions and office hours

• Adobe Connect for video help sessions• Tools for specific courses

5. Resources For StudentsInformation on Tools for Students

• Instructions for setup of IDE (Eclipse)– http://eclipsetutorial.sourceforge.net/totalbeginner.html

• Instructions for compiler (Java, C, C++) setup• Introduction to Piazza, TEACH, Blackboard

– See example file assignment0.pdf (Wiki)

• A comprehensive list of tools students will need for program (webpage) and by class exists (webpage)

5. Resources For StudentsTA – Roles and Responsibilities, Online eCampus post-bacc CS courses

• Availability– Be available for office hours/chat– When holding online office hours: if you are trying to help a student

and your office hours are finished, be sure to let the student know where he or she can get additional help. E.g. if a student shows up at the last minute and you don’t have time to answer the question, explain the situation and encourage the student to post the question on Piazza, email the instructor, etc. Make sure that students have a place that they can turn to for help.

• Be courteous, responsive and timely to student questions/concerns– Need sufficient office hours on the weekend prior to assignment

submission for introductory programming classes– Keep all communications cordial. In case of dispute, refer student to

instructor.– Stay active on Piazza – watch for questions / concerns / issues.

Modified by Tze 08.22.13, previous version to Backup in this slidepack

5. Resources For StudentsTA – Roles and Responsibilities, Online eCampus post-bacc CS courses

• Manage student expectations – Send an introductory email at the start of the term– Introduce self on Piazza– Record intro video and post it (takes the place of in-class intro).– When you write an email, include a line encouraging students to

contact you if they have any questions. This helps students understand that you are there to help them and that you want them to succeed.

• Communicating with students– Be patient with students. These topics may be easy for you, but they

might be quite difficult for the students. Keep this in mind and do not be afraid of explaining a topic (even one from a prerequisite course, if necessary) from the beginning.

– Emotions are easily misinterpreted in online communication so be cautious and write your emails in such a way that you don’t sound angry or aggravated.

Modified by Tze 08.22.13, previous version to Backup in this slidepack

5. Resources For StudentsTA – Roles and Responsibilities, Online eCampus post-bacc CS courses

• Grading of assignments and exams– Make sure you understand all grading criterion in course. In case of

homework and labs, you may be asked by the instructor to do it yourself so understand how to assign credit.

– Know the book so that you have the same frame of reference to the students.

– Look over the assigned topics every week before office hours (for frame of reference).

Modified by Tze 08.22.13, previous version to Backup in this slidepack

5. Resources For StudentsStudent Expectations

• Must be able to use Google to find supplemental material / resources– A reasonable amount of time needs to be spent

searching online resources for an answer to a problem before asking TAs or the instructor. This is a critical skill for success as a software engineer.

– Code debugging help will be provided only after a student has exhausted other resources and explicitly narrows down the problem

• Useful websites:– http://www.khanacademy.org/– http://www.coursera.org/– http://stackoverflow.com/

6. Evaluating Students(Assignments / Exams / Policies) LANDING PAGE

• Assignments– Guidance

– Working Ahead Policy

– Weekly Topic Summary

• Quizzes and Exams– Guidance

– Proctored Exams and Quizzes (What To Do for Technical Issues)

• Code Sharing Policy• Managing Academic Dishonesty• Faculty Early Warning System• Blackboard Early Warning System

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6. Evaluating StudentsAssignments Guidance

• Assignments should be posted/made available at least one full week in advance of the due date

(e.g., posted on Sunday and due the following Sunday)

• If a change is made to the requirements of an assignment (not just a clarification) then students

should have a full 4 days to finish the assignment. Instructor should also send email to students

notifying them of the change.

• All major assignments due midnight Sunday (not in the middle of the week!).

• Smaller assignments due mid-week.

• Types of assignments – automated grading, 1-0 grade worksheets

• Solutions for major assignments posted midnight Sunday (or later if late assignment submission

is permitted)

• Assignment grading to be completed by Wednesday

• Online help session for assignment may be scheduled

• Spell out compilation requirements in programming assignments.

• Include introduction to weekly assignments to help students get focused on the lecture material

(see this slide)

6. Evaluating StudentsAssignment - Working Ahead Policy (New as of Oct 2013)

Students Working Ahead In Class Material, Assignments and Test Matl.The current policy is to provide learning materials typically one week in advance or in some cases, in advance of the weekend prior to that one week. Check with your class instructor for specifics or to cover instances where an exception may be granted. Reasoning for Instructor Protocol:We prefer that students not work ahead of their classmates either in readings / videos or quizzes, programming projects or exams. This may seem counterintuitive given that the program is delivered online. The reasons are centered around continuing to foster a collaborative class / course learning environment. When some population of the class is working ahead, those students have less connection to their fellow student as they are working on different readings / assignments. Therefore, quality and quantity of class discussion online decreases while potential for confusion increases as questions will be originating from students working on different parts of the course. Having some students work ahead in assignments increases instructor overhead when managing potential changes to the assignments and does not allow instructor / TA feedback to roll forward into future assignments. Exceptions may be granted because students are going to be out of town, engaged in civic duties etc. but it typically must be requested by the student in advance and it is completely at the discretion of the course instructor.

New material inserted by Tze 10.31.13. Content validated by instructors Oct 2013.

6. Evaluating StudentsAssignments – Weekly Topic Summary

• A summary of the topics / readings / videos as well as assignments that will be covered or due that week in your course is required to be communicated to students in your course.

• Freq: At the start of every week of the term.• Lecture videos should be posted so that they are available to

students early on Sunday for the coming week• Form: Can be thru Piazza, BlackBoard, Announcements, Email

etc.• Examples from Stephen and Justin

Added by Tze, 100813 based on agreement at Instructor Core Team meeting 100313.

Sample Weekly Update from JustinW

Sample Weekly Update from StephenR

Screen Shots from StephenR

6. Evaluating StudentsExams Guidance

• Only 2 proctored exams (Midterm + Final) per course• Provide specific instructions for testing center as proctors are very strict. See

example below on this slide (Instructor Info To Proctors.pdf).• Exams are conducted through Blackboard

– Typical answer boxes allow only 2 lines per answer– Use essay boxes for longer answers– May use uploading of a file through Blackboard

• This option should only be used in rare cases• Provide additional exam time as students sometimes have problems with

uploads • Please do not recycle exams from a previous term• It is strongly recommended that a midterm walkthrough video is created (in

addition to the solution) and distributed to students

Instructor Info To ProctorsBACK

6. Evaluating StudentsProctored Exams and Quizzes - What To Do If There Are Technical Issues

• Occasionally, computer or internet connectivity issues may arise that prevent a student from successfully finishing an exam/quiz once they have started it thru a proctor (i.e. ProctorU or other authorized proctor – see eCampus link below on authorization process)

• In most cases of an issue, eCampus will attempt to troubleshoot it with the proctor within the parameters set forth in the Proctoring Form that you completed and submitted at the beginning of the term for your course.

• If eCampus cannot resolve the issue, they will reach out to the course instructor for guidance.

Guidance for eCampus Instructors when proctor or testing issues arise• Each situation will be unique and time will be of the essence to the student as their exam window will be

progressing. (read: high anxiety)• It is likely that you will want some time to diagnose the situation before responding to eCampus or to the

proctor.• Recommended action – quickly acknowledge to the requestor that there is an issue and that “This matter is

being looked at.” This will provide you with the time to seek out advice from other eCampus instructors.• Required action -- If you are going to be absent / away during an exam period, find a replacement who is willing

and able to cover for you and ensure that you provide the eCampus Proctoring service with contact information for your backup (e.g., TA) so students can quickly get any needed assistance.

• eCampus proctor authorization process: http://ecampus.oregonstate.edu/services/proctoring/finding_proctor.htm

New material inserted by Tze 11.13.13. Content validated by instructors Nov 2013.

BACK

6. Evaluating StudentsCode Sharing Policy

See Code Sharing policy on EECS Online Student webpage link.

A system exists for detecting software plagiarism via Stanford Moss (webpage link) that has been used in CS 311 and other courses.

6. Evaluating StudentsManaging Academic Dishonesty

• In case of academic dishonesty – Re-evaluate with the guidelines/policy for collaboration

– Contact Prof. Bella Bose, Associate Director EECS to discuss nature of academic dishonesty (cheating, plagiarism, …) and appropriate next steps

6. Evaluating StudentsFaculty Early Warning Procedure

• The purpose of the early warning procedure is to alert faculty and advisors to students who are facing academic difficulty early in the term. This will give them the time needed to intervene and give students the help they need to succeed academically.

• There are two components to the early warning procedure:1. Monitor students in Blackboard using built-in early warning system.

2. Report students to EECS advisors.

6. Evaluating StudentsBlackboard: Early Warning System

• The early warning system in Blackboard can be used to monitor student progress.

• Three types of warning rules can be used:– Grade– Last access – Due date

• Blackboard Faculty Manual can be found here [webpage] (Early Warning System is section 4.3)

• Areas of potential concern:Doesn’t participate in class discussions Lack of attendance

Submits assignments late Quality of homework assignments is poor

Quiz or test results

Doesn’t ask for assistance when having difficulty

Create Rules to monitor student progress

Early Warning System is available under Evaluation section of Course Management:

Example of a Grade rule: This rule will trigger a warning if a student’s midterm grade is less than or equal to 60%

Example of a Last Access Rule: This rule will trigger a warning if a student hasn’t accessed the course in 5 days.

Example of a Due Date Rule: This rule will trigger a warning if a student did not turn in homework 1

Press Refresh to update and re-apply the rule

Pull down Review Rule Status to see warnings

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