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[the anon asked]

Fiona, It is indeed MUCH easier to keep track and grade in an online discussion than in a regular classroom discussion.  Primarily because I have an exact record of what a student said, and when they said it.  For my classes, we have a clear grading rubric, that was provided for me and works very well for me.  Each discussion is worth 20 points (and discussions overall are around 30% of the final grade).  For 20/20 a student needs to post between 3-6 quality messages on at least two days, one of which is before the weekend.  There is a lot of information about how we define "quality," but essentially it means that they have some idea of what goes on in class, can use/reference the class materials, and give thoughtful responses to my questions or other class mates (instead of just, "I agree").  The score goes down from there if a student posts only two messages, or they are on the same day, or only on the weekend, or are not of good quality.

[Ms. Q]

In addition to everything that's been said, online courses are seen as a way to increase revenue with almost no investment in the physical plant. Unlike traditional courses, the fire marshall doesn't care how many students are packed into a class.

I also teach online, and we are constantly being bombarded with messages about the need to "increase retention" in order to "increase enrollment." In pursuit of this goal (increased revenue) the school is accepting pretty much anyone who applies. Every semester I get more and more students whose command of English is simply not adequate. They may be extremely intelligent and capable, but they cannot read and understand the course material or my responses to their e-mails. In several cases, I cannot understand their e-mails to me.

I find the students to be like the little girl who had a little curl -- when they are good, they are very, very good, and when they are bad, they are horrid.

I do respond within 24 hours, because I'd rather deal with one or two e-mails at a time than spend a couple of hours once a week dealing with everything -- but that's my choice. I also choose to grade every day for the same reason. And it gives me something to do while waiting for something interesting to show up on the CHE.

[nyt reader]

nice article in today's NYT about how students
can be demanding with e-mails ...

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/21/education/21professors.html?ex=1141189200&en=5101027d00284aa7&ei=5070&emc=eta1