Dee McCaffrey

Games are one of the best ways to engage learners, and there is much data that can be gathered to assess student learning and also discover ways to improve the game/learning environment.

I have learned that collaborative games are a good way to not only connect users with each other, but also helps them to learn how to solve problems together.

I learned that the ability to connect users with each other is an important part of social presence in gaming.

Games can be a fun way to learn and implement concepts learned, but are time consuming to create and may not be suitable to all students.

 I learned that the syllabus is very important for establishing methods of communication.

I learned that each module should be conistent in appearance and length of time to complete the work and activities. Videos or other visual material should be presented in small chunks of 5-10 minutes, rather than long presentations.

It was valuable to learn of all the different types of student behaviors in the e-learning environment.

I have learned that I should send students emails asking them how the course is going and if there is anything I am doing that they don't like.

I learned how to create my bio, and ask students how to introduce themselves so that we can all get to know each other and build relationship.

It is great to have an understanding of the full course structure, even though most colleges I teach for do not allow instructors access to many of these features.