I think participation is an important rule to run a online class. Scoring posts is a good way to do it. I think the length of assignment should be changed to two week, so students could have enough to prepare for it.  And I can say this course is totally worth my time and effort. 

I felt that the initial deadline for the posting was too soon. There wasn't very much time to do the readings and to watch the documentary before being responsible for a posting. There was plenty of time left in the week to respond to others. I think that a more reasonable deadline would be by Thursday. I didn't like how long it took to get feedback on our first assignment. It would have been better to know earlier the grade that I received so I could apply your feedback to the next forum. 

The first two forums were fairly difficult for me to post more than a couple responses to (and I would assume that is why I received a low score on them) because I felt as if I was able to answer the question completely in one or two posts. The way I look at the forums is if you can get your whole point across and explain in enough detail in a single post or two postings, then it would be fair to still receive an average score since you at least answered the question. However since I only made 2 posts on the first couple forums I received an F on both. That frustrated me some because I felt like I had answered the question in quite a bit of detail but still earned a real low score.

I liked the Wednesday/Sunday deadlines, they were easy to keep up with. The organization of the forums was nice as well. Nothing negative to say about the forums.

I thought that the forums were very effective. The scoring was very fair and reasonable. The length for the week was also perfect. I didn't have any issues with the forums. The group sizes were a little big, it would have been nice to have smaller groups just so topics weren't shifting all over the place; but i did not have a problem with it. It was worth my time.

Everything was fine with me except that I did not get a good grade....

The initial deadline was fine.  With a set deadline I was able to plan my busy schedule around the deadlines to make sure that I got them accomplished well before the either Wednesday, or Sunday deadlines.  The scoring was alright.  I definitely noticed that it was easier to carry on conversations with some groups rather than others.  It was worth my time and effort when conversations continued.

I would definitely strongly hint at students to comment more often then not, otherwise it's hard to get points.

I found it confusing at first for the necessity for the initial wednesday post. It was most likely my oversight, but when I read due by sunday 11:55 I thought I had any time until then to do the forum posts.

There should be 3 deadlines for posting, Wed, Fri and Sunday, this would force a more lively conversation.

I think the forums were well worth the time and effort.  While I was guilty of letting life get in the way and not participating one week, I wish I had of because not only did it impact my grade, but I felt I really lost out that week.  The scoring was clear, the groups were great and there weren't any surprises.  If you read the directions, you knew exactly what you needed to do and what the expectations were.

I will say this class gave me nightmares and numerous headaches. Some of the opinions of my classmates drove me insane, but otherwise it wasn't that bad. I didn't have any issues with the initial deadline, scoring, or the length, or group size of the assignments. The question was it worth my time and effort would really depend on what type of feedback I was given by my classmates. I also did not enjoy some of the questions that were asked. For example, "What kind of historian are you?" I would never consider myself a historian and have no inclination of ever being one. I also don't believe in the short amount of time and the limited materials I covered in this class would allow me to give myself that title. Otherwise it was an ok class.

Overall, I think the weekly forums are a beneficial part to this class.

-I think the initial deadline of Wednesday is fair. It gives people a few days before posting anything to get on and read what the forum expectations are and then start thinking about how to respond.

-The 1-3 scale for scoring posts works good I think.

-The length of the assignment is fair for the most part, however I think if someone is able to cover all the questions in three or four posts, they should not be penalized points. There were a couple of forums I did towards the beginning of the term that I recieved an F grade, because I only posted two or three times that week. I think if people can reasonably answer the posed questions in only a couple posts, then they should still recieve enough points to earn a higher grade then an F or a D.

-The group sizes were fine. There were enough other students whose posts to read and respond to.

-Overall, the forums were worth the time and effort.

I honestly don't like having to post in the forums but I do understand why they are there. They do contribute a lot to the learning experience and it is a great help to read other students' thought on certain subjects. It is a bit frustrating to reply though. I've found that many are replying with the "I agree with you" type of posts. Other than that I found everything about the forums helpful. I thought the group sizes were big enough but not to big, the assignment length was the right amount of time and as much as I hated it sometimes the mid week deadline was helpful in providing just enough stress for me to get motivated and to participate.

I think the structure of the forums is very effective. The only reason I never made a post on time was because of my own poor time management. 

The deadlines for the forum post were entirely reasonable, and there really isn't anything to complain about them. As a student it's just easy to procastinate an online forum to the last minute. It might help discussion if these was a more varried deadline requirements for it throughout the week to motivate better and more fequent posting. Like a certain post count throughtout the week on certain days.

A very useful part of the course. Scoring and deadlines were fine as well as group size and randomness. 

The group forums where really helpful. It helps to get the main points made. One week it was like reading the same post over and over again. It is hard to make meaningful contribution to a forum like that. The last two week there was two questions to answer. That mixed it up a little, and was easier to find posts to respond to.

I'd like to say that the first post deadline is a good idea, but I did have a problem meeting it in this last forum. Life has a terrible way of happening when we least expect it, so I can see how the first deadline might work against us sometimes.

I felt the scoring, length, and group size were fine. I had no problems with any of these categories. I can definitely say that the forum assignments were worth my time, however.

I was fine with the way the posts were graded, as well as the deadlines and week long timeframe to complete the posts. I do think that the groups could have been larger though, as smaller groups limits the number of viewpoints displayed. I also feel like the limited subject material for each forum creates for a very repetative conversation, and that could be a reason for late participation. I personally put posts off until Sunday's because I knew I would simply be repeating the same things over and over again in different way, and to different people. In the future you may want to consider having more topics available for discussion each week, as more topics lead to more conversations.

I thought that the first and last dedline was pretty reasonable. The scoring was pretty good too. If you actually put some time into answering the question, instead of waiting till last minute and rushing, then the points you got were good. I liked the random groups that we were put in. It made it kind of fun to talk to different people and be able to read their opinion on different topics. I thought that this was a very fun class and I learned a lot. 

I would like to read online, because that really saves me a lot of money, but, be honest, it is not good if sometimes I missed the new post, or I can just leave it there and not to read it. For a history, I think a textbook is necessary. I have taken some classes that used free materials, and teachers post their notes online, it works, but not really well.

I think it's a great idea to focus on OER. Textbooks and class materials are too expensive, especially when they are only used for one term. Even if you buy them secondhand, the cost adds up on top of an already expensive tuition. Many of the textbooks that are required cost several hundred dollars and you cannot purchase old editions because of small changes that have been made to them. I purchased a $300 textbook for my Spanish class. That wasn't even technically a textbook as it wasn't bound. It was a photocopied version that still cost that much. The old edition was considered "outdated" and the bookstore would not buy it back because it wasn't a bound book. I think that the information available online is often more relevant and recent than the textbooks I have bought. For those that are concerned with the degradation of the environment, online textbooks save a lot of paper. I spend a lot of time reading the news and watching videos online. In our information age, it only makes sense for classes to evolve into an online format. Or at least an online platform for information to be accessible to everyone for free. Student loan debt is a serious problem and the cost of textbooks adds to that financial problem. 

I would prefer to stick to the current method of reading materials for the course. As expensive as some of the textbooks can be, I can return them to the Titan Bookstore on the LCC campus at the end of the term and get half of what I paid for them back, amd that to me seems more conveinent then having to go online and print the assigned reading off for each week. Then it would end up costing money to buy printing paper and ink, so it does not seem to me like it would be totally free. I have not taken any other History class that has free online textbooks.

I like the idea of having all materials available online for free. It would save money and rather than carrying a backpack full of heavy textbooks, carrying a tablet or laptop computer would be much easier. I have taken a couple online classes that didn't require any textbooks and provided all the needed materials online.

the idea about not buying textbooks is great, I think that if you make your students surf different websites they will ultimately find information that contradicts one another, which is basically your main goal. This idea will be awesome, I think a student will be researching much more information about the topic this way. The issues that were covered in the textbooks can easily be found online as well. I have never taken an online course that has offered free online materials. 

I have not taken any general elective class that used only online materials even thought most of my major classes, journalism, uses only online reading materials.

I really don't think we need to get a textbook with high amount of money because the lecture is based on the book and textbook is going to be read only one time .... that compared to the usage of the text book, it is a huge waste of our money.

I have noticed that since taking several online classes, my eyes have become more senitive to the computer screen, so personally I think that actual books are nice.  The cost isn't as nice however.  But I'd rather keep my vision in good condition and hunt online for a cheap priced book and purchase it that way.

I am very ready to not spend money on textboks. I do think it would be rather confusing to find and locate thinngs and instructions would have to be very clear for students to know what to read. Maybe there could be, a my textbook folder with all the required info so it would be all in one place.

I have found most of my recent textbooks online and prefer to read themon the computer due to eye problems.

I prefer books so would have a difficult time adapting to a system like this.  While I understand the expense of books can be difficult for some, I think it is important to have those books and not make everything electronic.  The other thing is it can make it hard for those who have limited access  - either due to not having a computer at home, a tablet or having limited internet access.  

I have taken a class that only used free online materials, and it was ok. I personally prefer to have a hard copy book if it is required to read mass material from the book. Looking at a computer for to many hours strain my eyes, neck and shoulders, with a paperback book such as the Herring book it is much simpler to tote around with me. I do not like to print mass quantities of paper because it is expensive and bad for the environment.

Like you said, it sounds like it would probably be a good idea from the start. However speaking from someone who has had to deal with quite a few computer "problems" (i.e. - difficulties with the service you're using, printer issues, slow internet, etc.) it might not be the best choice. I also work in the bookstore on campus, so I know how expensive books can be. However, I think people are going to wish they had them when their computer crashes.

I perfectly happy buying textbook. I've found them to be pretty cheap on Amazon and Craigslist. I absolutely hate reading for long periods of time on the internet. I like to have a physical book to read from. I've taken a class that did not require a text book. Only the lecture notes on Moodle. I was okay with the idea but I don't think I would have liked it much if there were multiple links to get required information from to substitute for a textbook.

Paying for textbooks is always a pain, but I think it is important to have the main resource for the class available at all times. I'm not a particulary internet/computer savvy person, and having to slueth through any more than this basic internet course requires.... sounds like something I don't want to do. 

The course materials for this class were excellent and were extremely cheap to obtain or borrow. Free online sources are great to supplement the course materials, but I don't think it's worth it to read entire books on the computer, it gives me a headache after a while. It's easy to find links though on moodle if the professor handles it well, and there shouldn't be a problem. 

I am more willing to buy the textbook than want to read everything online. The class is perfect with the different materials, I could read the text at school and do everything else (papers, forums, PBS specials) on my computer at home or on my smartphone. Reading online texts would be more of a nuisance to me than being helpful.

I have taken a class that used only free materials printed from different web sights. It was just as effective as purchasing book. Actually more effective than some classes where you buy the book and do not even use it. I don't like reading long texts on-line however; i hate even more the rising cost of textbooks!

I've never had a class where the materials were free and available online. I kind of wish I had so that I might have better perspective on this. I can't say for certain one way or another. On the one hand, I'd like to not have to save up hundreds of dollars just for textbooks. On the other, I'm not so sure the online materials would work out so well. For one, it requires extensive research on the part of the instructor to find suitable materials. Some might choose to take a "minimalist" approach by providing only what is absolutely necessary, and still others may not be able to find adequate, reliable materials for every aspect of their course.

I don't know. It all sounds too good to be true to me.

I like this idea. I much prefer getting my material from online sources in smaller chunks than having to digest an entire book. It is more focused, and it is more familiar to todays student. It is also nice to get material from multiple forms of media such as audio and video.

I have not taken a class yet that uses only free online materials. Although it would be nice to have those free materials, I think that there are some drawbacks for me at least. One, I like to know ahead of time when there is something that we need to know and study. If something suddenly is added or disappears and I did not get the memo right away, I would really freak out. Also, I would rather have the book because I prefer to do school work away from my laptop where I do not have to worry about being distracted. 

I  never a web-based tool or service. 

N/A

One device that I have heard of however not used myself are I-Tablets or Kindle fire tablets which are electronic devices that allow you to download books and read them on a mobile tablet device. I dont know how much cheaper it would be to go that route but I have always thought it sounded like a cool new way to read a book. Another option would be purchasing an Ebook from the Titan Store (providing one is available since not every textbook has an Ebook as well), but this is also a cheaper alternative method to buying the physical textbook. The Ebook is simply an electronic copy of the same book.

None that I know of.

I think that more practice quizes would be benefical for the students in regards to the midterm and the final. 

I think the way it is now is great for future students as well.

Not that I know of.

I cannot think of anything.

Nope

I'm sorry but I don't have any. This is the first history class that I have taken in college.

I really can't think of any right off hand, but if I do I'll let you know.

i don't know of any.

Not that I am aware of

Nothing comes to mind

no

I think this would be the time to point out that I watched the entire "Vietnam: A Television History" series for free on YouTube. The guy's channel name is "ThatsRealNeato." This might save a lot of your students time, hassle, and most importantly, money.

I have often thought that recorded lectures put online as a podcast like audio file would be incredibly useful. This would also make digesting the material easier for people with busy lives, as a podcast can be listened to anywhere and at any time.

Well, at the moment I cannot think of anything that could be added to the class. I thought that this class was pretty well put together. 

For this course, I would say, the instructor should talk with students in the Forums, this would be great. The instructor could help students understand more about the materials. 

My only suggestion for this class is to offer feedback from our assignments sooner. That way we can use the information to produce better work in the future. 

The only other minor complaint that I would have about the course is that it seemed as if on the "written assignments", the score was weighed a little heavy on the writing aspect of it. In other words it seemed like a lot of the reason my final grade was lower than I expected is because of mechanical errors such as out of place or unneeded commas, exclamation marks, symbols etc. In my opinion with a history class, the most important part of the grade that should be weighed the heaviest on is the historical analysis and interpretation. It seemed like the instructor was maybe overly strict with the writing aspect of assignments. I can certainly understand papers that have excessive misspellings of words and grammar issues being docked points because of unorganization but mechanical issues like symbols I dont think should be made maybe as quite a big of a deal out of. Just my opinion. Other than that, I reallly didn't have any complaints. I appreciated the instructor keeping students posted through emails at the start of each week, letting them know what was going to be in store. I thought it was an interesting and beneficial class to take, and I would reccommend it to another student.

N/A

i loved this class, but the study guides really frustrated me because alot of the information on the test was not covered in the study guide. I studied everything on the studyguide, and thought I knew everything , but after the mid term I got an F. But I really enjoyed this class and I thought it was put together really well. 

Well, I felt like there were too much reading for this course which might have been better if there were less.

I think that's it.  I really enjoyed this class.

I dont think you forgot anything.

None at the moment

I thought this was an excellent, challenging course and I wouldn't change anything.

I appreciated the AIM videos even though many classmates believed that they weren't creditable. I would have like to see more opposing views such as these videos.

Overall, I think (for an online course) it is well organized. I never got lost when logging on and trying to find where things were located. I think you did a decent job of giving advice to students who needed it and making sure things were up and ready when they needed to be. Other then the things I mentioned earlier about the forums, I can't necessarily think of anything else right off hand. All in all, I think it was a well established online course.

Thanks!

I absolutely love your teaching methods just the way they are. I learn so much. I cannot think of any suggestions to improve the course.

This is a very well organized course. I see no real issues with it.

I found this course to be rather good, it actually forces you to be knowledgeable on the subject! But I do think it would be helpful as a student if there could be a list of terms and subjects to look for while reading the Herring book on a indivual chapter basis. Kinda like what was included for the Televised portion. Other than that, I'd say the class was rather good. 

nothing

None

If you're going to retain the written assignments, I think you need to do two things: first, make the instructions much more clear about your expectations for length, breadth, and depth of topic; second, reshape the second assignment so that it lends itself to more discussion. Beyond that, however, I think there needs to be some sort of handout or a video of you discussing the "how-to's" of writing a paper in history, because I found myself floundering and wondering how I was supposed to do this or expand on this, etc.

That's not to say that I couldn't approach you for help. I'm just the kind of person that would rather go down in flames than ask someone for a hand. I guess in that sense, I would expect there to be far more information available so that I don't have to ask you, "Hey, so what's this supposed to look like?"

I would not recommend the course for the simple fact that there are simply too many materials to go over each week. I understand that you are trying to present multiple perspectives of the war and its effects, but when you have to dig through two books, a TV show, and multiple online sources each week there is a greater chance to loose focus on the things that matter for exams. The course would be effective with nothing more than the TV show, so adding so many other materials on top of it is just too much, and frankly it comes off as assigning material for the sake of doing so. I feel like the Appy book is only in the course in order to justify the once a term paper, or that the paper only exists to justify the Appy book. As a student this really rubbed me the wrong way, and it really turned me off from the course as a whole, as I felt like I was being requried to spend substantial time on material presenting a point of view that was suplemental to the objective of the class.

I do not really have anything else to add or recommend.