These expectations should be clarified and negotiated at the beginning of the course and then reinforced throughout it, especially when students fall behind. Many online lessons are designed with activities that will help consolidate some of the concepts covered in that lesson. One option would be to require some of these activities and to use them as part of the grade for the class. As discussed earlier, some of the activities could be optional and some could be student designed. However, the expectations should be clearly laid out at the beginning of the course, as should the way in which these activities contribute towards the final grade.
Tests are a traditional way of assessing student learning.
However, access to the Internet provides powerful and creative opportunities to explore the possibilities of authentic assessment. Class projects also have a long history as part of assessment, but as with testing, the online medium creates new and exciting possibilities. Before embarking on teaching an online course, consider what types of assessment will be used, and if appropriate, what combination of assessment types will be used to determine a grade.