Record Keeping and Management

Within an online course, there will be many activities and projects for a student to complete. There will also be a variety of communications with students throughout the course - from the welcome e-mail to the certificate of completion.

So, how can you keep track of what each student has completed, and what you have sent to each student? How can you keep track of what you should be doing as a facilitator?

One lesson I learned early on is to prepare a record keeping system before the class begins! One of the simplest systems is a spreadsheet with all the activities and correspondence listed. As the class progresses you can mark off when assignments are done, record the grades, and document when you have posted announcements and reminders.

The Excel spreadsheet I've developed consists of several sheets.

Discussions

All the threaded discussions for the course are listed by date and topic. This is where I mark the participation grades for each discussion. If you are using a rubric for grading discussions, make sure you include a copy of that as well.

Projects

Each part of a project is listed with due dates. When the project (or parts of the project) is submitted, I mark the date received, when feedback is sent, and the grade.

Activities

Interactive activities that are included in the course are listed on this sheet. These might include surveys, case studies, virtual chats, quizzes, or a web safari. If a rubric is used for grading, include a copy.

Communication

Any standard communication or correspondence I plan on sending throughout the course is listed here, with approximate dates. These might include weekly announcements, discussion summaries, and acknowledgment of received assignments. I make sure I mark off when I have sent out the communication, so no one misses anything!

The link below is a copy of a spreadsheet template for you to modify and use. Please remember, this is just a template, a shell for you to begin working with and customizing for your own course!

Participation and Grade Spreadsheet

Ongoing Notes and Documentation

In addition to recordkeeping, it is important to keep notes and document your experiences during the course. This way you will remember what worked well, and what needs to be improved before you offer the course again. These notes can include so many things, from ideas for designing your course, to technology successes and failures, to inspirations for keeping your students engaged with the content and activities.

Each time I teach this course I continue to learn and modify the course. I don't have a specific format for this documentation - perhaps just using a notebook or blank sheets of paper with your grading spreadsheet will work. The important thing is to review these notes during and after the course!!