Rubric for Online Instruction

Rationale
California State University, Chico's first strategic priority is to create and enhance high quality learning environments. Academic technologies, especially online or web-enhanced courses, have a significant role in the creation of those learning environments. The University's Strategic Priorities challenge faculty and staff to use academic technologies to create and enhance high quality learning environments in a demonstrable manner.

What should a quality online course look like?

This rubric offers a framework for addressing this question. Use of this rubric represents a developmental process for online course design and delivery, and provides a means for an instructor to self-assess course(s) based on University expectations. Furthermore, the rubric provides a means for supporting and recognizing a faculty member's effort in developing expertise in online instruction as part of our commitment to high quality learning environments.

The Rubric for Online Instruction can be used in one of three ways.
1. As a course "self-evaluation" tool - advising instructors how to revise an existing course to the Rubric for Online Instruction. (Workshops may be offered for faculty to learn how to address each category in the rubric, demonstrating with examples.) 2. As a way to design a new course for the online environment, following the rubric as a road map. 3. As a means for getting public recognition for exemplary online instruction - going through a nomination/recognition process on a campus. Faculty can receive recognition to go in their RTP file.

Historical Perspective

The process by which faculty and staff came together to write this rubric is available for your review, at http://www.csuchico.edu/celt/roi/history.shtml. This describes the history and work of a dedicated committee. The Rubric for Online Instruction initiated the Exemplary Online Instruction Awards, a recognition made public at the annual CELT Conference in Chico, CA. The Web site demonstrating examples of exemplary online instruction is available for viewing, from the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching web site, http://www.csuchico.edu/celt/.

License

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.

Category 1 Learner Support & Resources

Baseline
A. Course contains limited information for online learner support and links to campus resources. B. Course provides limited course-specic resources, limited contact information for instructor, department, and/or program. C. Course offers limited resources supporting course content and different learning abilities.

Effective
A. Course contains adequate information for online learner support and links to campus resources. B. Course provides adequate course-specic resources, some contact information for instructor, department, and program. C. Course offers access to adequate resources supporting course content and different learning abilities.

Exemplary
A. Course contains extensive information about being an online learner and links to campus resources. B. Course provides a variety of course-specic resources, contact information for instructor, department, and program. C. Course offers access to a wide range of resources supporting course content and different learning abilities.

Rubric for Online Instruction, CSU, Chico, Copyright 2003 / Revised 2009

Rev. 4/2/09

Category 2 Online Organization & Design

Baseline
A. Much of the course is under construction, with some key components identied such as the syllabus.

Effective
A. Course is organized and navigable. Students can understand the key components and structure of the course. B. Course syllabus identies and delineates the role the online environment will play in the course. C. Aesthetic design presents and communicates course information clearly.

Exemplary
A. Course is well-organized and easy to navigate. Students can clearly understand all components and structure of the course. B. Course syllabus identies and clearly delineates the role the online environment will play in the total course. C. Aesthetic design presents and communicates course information clearly throughout the course. D. All web pages are visually and functionally consistent throughout the course. E. Accessibility issues are addressed throughout the course. (Including: sight, mobility, hearing, cognition, ESL, and technical.)

B. Course syllabus is unclear about what is expected of students.

C. Aesthetic design does not present and communicate course information clearly.

D. Web pages are inconsistent both visually and functionally. E. Accessibility issues are not addressed. (Including: sight, mobility, hearing, cognition, ESL, and technical.)

D. Most web pages are visually and functionally consistent. E. Accessibility issues are briey addressed. (Including: sight, mobility, hearing, cognition, ESL, and technical.)

Rubric for Online Instruction, CSU, Chico, Copyright 2003 / Revised 2009

Rev. 4/2/09

Category 3 Instructional Design & Delivery

Baseline
A. Course offers limited opportunity for interaction and communication student to student, student to instructor and student to content. B. Course goals are not clearly dened and do not align to learning objectives. C. Learning objectives are vague or incomplete and learning activities are absent or unclear. D. Course provides limited visual, textual, kinesthetic and/or auditory activities to enhance student learning and accessibility. E. Course provides limited activities to help students develop critical thinking and/ or problem-solving skills.

Effective
A. Course offers adequate opportunities for interaction and communication student to student, student to instructor and student to content. B. Course goals are adequately dened but may not align to learning objectives. C. Learning objectives are identied and learning activities are implied.

Exemplary
A. Course offers ample opportunities for interaction and communication student to student, student to instructor and student to content. B. Course goals are clearly dened and aligned to learning objectives. C. Learning objectives are identied and learning activities are clearly integrated. D. Course provides multiple visual, textual, kinesthetic and/or auditory activities to enhance student learning and accessibility. E. Course provides multiple activities that help students develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

D. Course provides adequate visual, textual, kinesthetic and/or auditory activities to enhance student learning and accessibility. E. Course provides adequate activities to help students develop critical thinking and/or problem-solving skills.

Rubric for Online Instruction, CSU, Chico, Copyright 2003 / Revised 2009

Rev. 4/2/09

Category 4 Assessment & Evaluation of Student Learning

Baseline
A. Course has limited activities to assess student readiness for course content and mode of delivery.

Effective
A. Course has adequate activities to assess student readiness for course content and mode of delivery.

Exemplary
A. Course has multiple timely and appropriate activities to assess student readiness for course content and mode of delivery. B. Learning objectives, instructional and assessment activities are closely aligned. C. Ongoing multiple assessment strategies are used to measure content knowledge, attitudes, and skills. D. Regular feedback about student performance is provided in a timely manner throughout the course. E. Students self-assessments and peer feedback opportunities exist throughout the course.

B. Learning objectives, instructional and assessment activities are not aligned. C. Assessment strategies are limited in use to measure content knowledge, attitudes, and skills. D. Opportunities for students to receive feedback about their own performance are infrequent and sporadic. E. Students self-assessments and/or peer feedback opportunities are limited.

B. Learning objectives, instructional and assessment activities are adequately aligned. C. Ongoing strategies are used to measure content knowledge, attitudes, and skills. D. Opportunities for students to receive feedback about their own performance are provided. E. Students self-assessments and/or peer feedback opportunities exist.

Rubric for Online Instruction, CSU, Chico, Copyright 2003 / Revised 2009

Rev. 4/2/09

Category 5 Innovative Teaching with Technology

Baseline
A. Course uses limited technology tools to facilitate communication and learning.

Effective
A. Course uses adequate technology tools to facilitate communication and learning.

Exemplary
A. Course uses a variety of technology tools to appropriately facilitate communication and learning. B. New teaching methods are applied and innovatively enhance student learning, and interactively engage students. C. A variety of multimedia elements and/or learning objects are used and are relevant to accommodate different learning styles throughout the course. D. Course optimizes Internet access and effectively engages students in the learning process in a variety of ways throughout the course.

B. New teaching methods applied to enhance student learning are limited.

B. New teaching methods are adequately applied to innovatively enhance student learning.

C. There are limited multimedia elements and/or learning objects for accommodating different learning styles.

C. Multimedia elements and/ or learning objects are used and are relevant to accommodate different learning styles.

D. Course uses Internet access and engages students in the learning process in a very limited way.

D. Course optimizes Internet access and effectively engages students in the learning process.

Rubric for Online Instruction, CSU, Chico, Copyright 2003 / Revised 2009

Rev. 4/2/09

Category 6 Faculty Use of Student Feedback

Baseline
A. Instructor offers limited opportunity for students to give feedback to faculty on course content. B. Instructor offers limited opportunity for students to give feedback on ease of online technologyand accessibility of course. C. Instructor uses student feedback to help plan instruction and assessment of student learning for the next semester in a limited way.

Effective
A. Instructor offers adequate opportunities for students to give feedback on course content. B. Instructor offers adequate opportunities for students to give feedback on ease of online technology and accessibility of course. C. Instructor requests and uses student feedback a couple times during the semester to help plan instruction and assessment of student learning for the rest of the semester.

Exemplary
A. Instructor offers multiple opportunities for students to give feedback on course content. B. Instructor offers multiple opportunities for students to give feedback on ease of online technology and accessibility of course. C. Instructor uses formal and informal student feedback in an ongoing basis to help plan instruction and assessment of student learning throughout the semester.

Rubric for Online Instruction, CSU, Chico, Copyright 2003 / Revised 2009

Rev. 4/2/09