SELECT THE RIGHT TOOL WHEN YOU CONSTRUCT AN ONLINE CLASS

Every Learning Management (LMS) has options to facilitate student/teacher private conversation. The tools have different functions and if you are designing an online class be sure know which is the most appropriate for you purpose.

               The assignment tool is for an essay or paper. This tool is poorly named, because there are many things we, as teachers, consider assignments. However, in many LMS, this tool is exclusively used for written work submitted for grading.

               The quiz usually is for short answer questions. It can be formative or summative. If it is formative you should allow students to retake at least once.  Most LMS allow teachers to include short answers or fill in the blanks in the quiz. However, that means the teacher must go in and correct, which is usually not the purpose, especially of a formative quiz, where students are checking whether they have mastered the concepts. Also, "fill in the Blanks" causes problems because it is often impossible to anticipate every response.

               The questionnaire or survey is for responses that can be anonymous. The default option is viewing only by the teacher/mentor, unless the teacher elects the option to show results to the class. It is mainly used to get feedback on the class.  Presently the survey option in Moodle requires that you select one of the preloaded surveys. The Questionnaire allows you to add your own questions.

               The journal is for teachers/student interaction in short paragraphs. Teachers can comment within the text. This tool is often used for reflections.

               Use of the right tool will make your life easier as a teacher and save you time too.