Allison Forbes

Blog

I thought the class offered a lot of helpful tips to engage students. I teach at a few online schools and it was a good reminder of different things I could be doing in the classroom. I like the analogy that we as online facilitators are directors.

In my on ground classes, I tend to use power point, but within my power point we stop and have discussion questions as well as activities so it breaks the information up. In my online classes, I provide videos and journal articles and ask the students to reflect on their reaction. I also… >>>

Allison Forbes

Discussion Comment

Losing Student Interest

I have found student interest in a class can vary depend on the subject that is being taught. Some information is harder to engage students than others. When the energy level goes down in the class, I have them take a break. I then have us talk as a group as to why the information is important and how it relates to the "real" world. Asking students to write down what the find interesting and confusing about the topic is important as well.

Allison Forbes

Discussion Comment

The First Day

The first day of class often creates nerves both for students and the instructor. As we have learned in the module, the first day of class, can set the tone for the rest of the course. Having some sort of game is important. This relaxes the students, provides some laughs and helps everyone get to know each other. I teach Introduction to Psychology. One of the things I do is have a discussion about what they think the course is about. Often many students do not understand why they have to take the course, but after this discussion they are… >>>