Many instructors feel that neither the instructional content or their teaching style lend themselves to full-blown online delivery. Yet even instructors who teach in only face-to-face environments can benefit by incorporating some of the elements commonly found in web-centered courses.

• Elements commonly found in distance learning modalities
  Instructor's who enhance their traditional face-to-face class with "CourseInfo" features, will likely find that they use the physical classroom environment more efficiently. For example, class time will not have to be taken up "handing out" grades. Nor will instructors who post student grades in the online gradebook have to send individual e-mails to students. The gradebook tracks student scores throughout the semester eliminating the need to tabulate final scores, thus saving time for both instructors and students.
  
  
• Another way instructors can enhance their traditional "face-to-face" class is by maintaining a class (FAQ) file. Instructors who maintain a class FAQ will mitigate the need to answer the same student questions over and over again. Moreover, by maintaining a class FAQ instructors provide answers to anticipated questions helping instructors create better, more thoughtful, learning modules.
  
  
• In this 30 minute module you're going to learn how to create and maintain a class (FAQ) and how to post grades from quizzes and tests from assessments NOT generated from the "test generator."
  
  
  1. Online Gradebook (15 minutes)
     1. Make sure there are students enrolled in the class. If not, create a pseudo (fake) student before proceeding.
     2. Enter class website (as instructor) go to the [control panel] [online gradebook] [spreedsheets]
     3. Add an entry to the gradebook and input a score for the entry
     4. Logout as instructor
     5. Login as student
     6. Go to [student tools] [check your grade]
     
     
  2. Class Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) (15 minutes)
     1. Login as instructor
     2. Go to [control panel] [course information] [add folder]
     3. Name folder "FAQ" [submit]
     4. Go to FAQ folder [add document] (each document will be one FAQ item)
     5. Type in your question at the [select document title] prompt
     6. In the [enter information text box, type in the answer to your FAQ item]
     7. Add two documents in this folder
     8. [return to course]
     9. Go to [course information] click on FAQ
     10. You have now generated an FAQ folder that you can update and build upon throughout the semester
  
  
• You should now know how to create and maintain a class FAQ and how to create and maintain an online gradebook for your face-to-face class.

© Dennis Keough, Southwestern Community College, April 27, 2000
By permission: North Carolina Virtual Learning Community