Trinh’s problems are far-reaching, but I believe that they can all be traced back to communication.

The fact the Trinh receives course communication on multiple platforms creates a logistical nightmare at best, and an incredible waste of time as well.  Trinh must organize her course so that she receives communication in one place that she will also commit to responding to within a certain time frame.  It is not fair to expect her to keep office hours, but a turn-around of 36 hours would seem reasonable.  Trinh must be diligent in her efforts to remind students to contact her using the desired channels and to respond using only that channel.

The department must also step up and give her the resources she needs to effectively manage the course.  While she does meet half of her teaching requirement, 150 students at once is too much.  In my school division, online courses are limited to 40 students per section and no more.  If the teachers’ timetable is able to be altered so that they can offer another section, then that course will be expanded and if not then it will be capped.  The department needs to set clear policy on student volume in the course so that Trinh may successfully implement her learner-centred environment.