October 2006

5 Suggestions for Equitable Online Facilitation
By Marianne Castano Bishop, Indiana University South Bend
Handling equity and diversity issues sensitively can be a key to retention in online programs. In asynchronous discussion forums, participants usually come from diverse backgrounds, including gender and culture, and the textual cues they post online are usually reflections of their own diversity. Such postings sometimes disclose personal information, whether the authors are consciously doing so or not. These disclosures could impact the interaction online in meaningful ways.

Course Portfolios: The Next Generation
First it was teaching portfolios, modeled on the way artists showcase a collection of work. The idea was to assemble a series of artifacts and reflections that captured the details and essence of one’s teaching. Teaching portfolios continue to be used as an alternative way of documenting and describing the often-private work that occurs in the classroom. They have been followed by something even more specific, the course portfolio, which allows faculty to delve deeply into the details of a single course. A new book, Making Teaching and Learning Visible, takes course portfolios to a new level.