Observation of Online Teaching Form

Faculty Member: Dr. Raychelle Harris

Evaluator: Dr. Curt Radford

Course(s): Fall 2015, ASL 752: Sign Language Practicum OL1/OL2

Scope of Observation: Online course using Blackboard as LMS.
Goals: Easy to navigate; bilingually balanced in both ASL/English; encourages
engagement/interaction; provides immediate and constructive feedback for students.
Follows the program curriculum and course syllabus.
Observation:
Date(s):

September 30, 2016

Time Duration(s): 1 hr

Context: The course is delivered via online. The goal is to make sure the course is appropriately
designed to accomplish the overall goal of the course.
Rating: 0 - No evidence, 1- Needs extensive mentoring, 2 - Needs improvement, 3- Satisfactory, 4- Done
Well and 5 - Truly Exemplary, and N/A - does not apply.

1. Course LMS: Is the course layout user-friendly, clear, and

navigable? Is the design consistent throughout? Is the content chunked
in manageable portions?
Notes: The sidebar was clearly outlined and easy for students to navigate.
The list was manageable. The text buttons wereself explanatory. The layout
was consistent in the modules as well.

Score: 4

2. Faculty & Student Interaction: Does the course delivery and design
promote genuine academic interaction between faculty and
students? Between students? Do all students have opportunities to
contribute?
Notes: Yes The course was designed for students to interact with the
instructor. The videos, assignments, and discussion board were also
designed for student to interact with their peers and the instructor. Office
hours and contact information was easily accessible and clearly outlined.
The instructor would often used the announcement feature to communicate
with students. If there were any updates or changes within the course it
would be posted in announcements.

3. Subject Area Mastery: Does the faculty member show evidence of

content area expertise? Are they familiar with current trends, research
and publications in their field? Are they able to answer questions, guide
and support students in mastering the content?
Notes: Students had access to resources, articles, and current information that
supports the content. Feedback was given in ASL/English. Instructor
provided additional explanation in both languages (ASL/English) so students
could master the content.
4. Instruction: Does the faculty member present clear objectives or plans

Score: 5

Score: 5

Score: 5

for the lesson? Was the pacing appropriate? Were various presentation
formats used? Were difficult concepts approaches in a variety of ways?
Notes: Instructor provided expectations for each objective. Rubrics were
provided and explained. The course includes videos, folders, and bullets so
students could pace themselves. Materials were organized in such a way
students could access the information to complete their assignments.

5. Active and Personalized Learning: Are students actively signing,

writing, typing or utilizing other forms of self-expression? Do students
have opportunities to gather, synthesize, analyze information? Are there
collaborative learning activities? Are there alternatives or flexibility in
format submissions or topic selection for students?
Notes: There were several options and opportunities for students to participate
and interact with the content. The objectives were accomplished through
assignments, quizzes, discussion board. The course activities were designed to
measure whether or not students mastered the objectives. Different formats
were used.

Score: 4

6. Assessment: Are the course and assignment grading criteria

communicated clearly? Are the rubrics clear and provide meaningful
feedback for students? Are large projects split up in smaller
assignments? Are there opportunities for students to receive informal
feedback? Are feedback and grades posted within a reasonable amount
of time? Is the grading center updated frequently and accessible?
Notes: The instructor used both ASL/English to provide feedback.
Washback videos were evident and feedback was given. The gradebook was
organized and students knew what was expected of them. The gradebook is
updated.

Score: 5

7. Inclusion: Are student characteristics such as race, gender, class,

ability/disability, religion, language, geographic region, sexual orientation
taken into consideration in the course syllabus, design and delivery? Are
different perspectives and viewpoints included? Does the course material
represent a variety of voices?

Score: 5

Notes: The instructor does a great job addressing diversity. All perspectives and !
viewpoints were evident throughout the course. Students are taught from the
beginning of the course to be sensitive and respectful to other viewpoints.
8. Bilingualism: Are both languages provided in a balanced
format? Does the instructor introduce him/herself in ASL? Are the
syllabus, course assignments and assessment tools introduced and

Score: 5

discussed in ASL? During interactive discussions, do the students have

opportunities to discuss content in ASL and English? Are there
opportunities for students to complete assignments in ASL?

Notes: Bilingualism was evident throughout the course. The instructor should !
be used as an prime example of how bilingual should use in an online course. The
instructor took advantage of situations that could be accessible in both languages.
numerous.
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Total: 38/40
Additional Notes: The course was designed well with students in mind. The modules
were organized and accessible. The bilingual component of the course impressed me as
Dr. Harris provided students with ASL for the rubrics,
Recommended Areas for Improvement: The sidebar should include access to the
syllabus. The syllabus should also be posted in the course module as its own folder or
part of week one. This will allow students to have access to the syllabus in different
places.
Signature of Observer:

Date:

9/30/2016((

9-30-16
Faculty Member Signature*:_____________________________Date:_________________

*The faculty members signature means that they have read this report fully, and does not
necessarily mean that they agree with the observation.
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