OEC Online Pedagogy 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which principle of online course design ensures that learning objectives, instructional activities, and assessments all align with each other?
- Constructive alignment (Correct answer)
- Content saturation
- Distributed practice
- Spaced repetition
Correct answer: Constructive alignment
Constructive alignment ensures that what students are taught, how they practice, and how they are assessed all target the same intended outcomes.
Question 2: A student emails saying they feel isolated in the online course. Which instructor response BEST addresses the underlying pedagogical issue?
- Recommend the student take a face-to-face class instead
- Increase opportunities for peer interaction and collaborative activities (Correct answer)
- Tell the student isolation is normal in online learning
- Suggest the student contact campus counseling only
Correct answer: Increase opportunities for peer interaction and collaborative activities
Adding collaborative activities and peer interaction opportunities directly addresses the social isolation that can reduce engagement in online courses.
Question 3: What is 'netiquette' in the context of online education?
- A software tool for tracking student activity
- A set of etiquette guidelines for respectful online communication (Correct answer)
- The technical process of setting up a course in an LMS
- A grading system for online participation
Correct answer: A set of etiquette guidelines for respectful online communication
Netiquette refers to the expected standards of respectful, appropriate behavior and communication in online environments.
Question 4: Which strategy BEST helps students who are new to online learning manage their time effectively?
- Providing no deadlines to avoid pressure
- Including only one large assignment per course
- Offering a detailed course calendar with milestone dates and time estimates (Correct answer)
- Requiring daily logins tracked by the LMS
Correct answer: Offering a detailed course calendar with milestone dates and time estimates
A detailed course calendar with time estimates helps novice online learners plan their workload and develop independent time management skills.
Question 5: In online pedagogy, what does 'presence' most broadly refer to?
- The physical location of the student during class
- The degree to which students and instructors feel real, connected, and engaged (Correct answer)
- Students' attendance in synchronous sessions
- The instructor's workload in the course
Correct answer: The degree to which students and instructors feel real, connected, and engaged
In online learning, presence encompasses the sense of being real, connected, and actively involved — covering teaching, social, and cognitive dimensions.
Question 6: Which approach to assessment BEST supports continuous improvement in an online course?
- Administering only a single high-stakes final exam
- Using both formative (ongoing) and summative (end-of-unit) assessments (Correct answer)
- Grading only written essays, not interactive activities
- Relying entirely on self-reported student confidence surveys
Correct answer: Using both formative (ongoing) and summative (end-of-unit) assessments
Combining formative and summative assessments gives instructors data to adjust instruction in real time while also measuring overall achievement.
Question 7: An instructor uses a 'flipped classroom' model in an online course. What does this PRIMARILY involve?
- Teaching content live during class time and assigning readings as homework
- Having students review instructional content before class and using class time for application (Correct answer)
- Replacing all assessments with student-led presentations
- Letting students choose which topics to study each week
Correct answer: Having students review instructional content before class and using class time for application
In a flipped model, students engage with new content independently beforehand so that class time (synchronous or asynchronous) focuses on practice and deeper application.
OEC Online Pedagogy 5
Which principle of online course design ensures that learning objectives, instructional activities, and assessments all align with each other?