Jessica Bajorek

It was valuable to learn how to structure and chunk modules to create more engagement and ease-of-use for students.

It was valuable to learn about the different forms of learners in this environment, and especially about how to engage quiet learners with nods to their interests in course discussion. I also thought the use of an FAQ board was a valuable tip.

I like how this section talked about the importance of leaving room for small talk and building community during synchronous lessons. So much of the time I feel like the emphasis is on the material, but some of the magic of the classroom happens in being with one another.

I think this training is important and valuable in terms of thinking of how best to support and engage with online students, but I think it also begs the question of how to approach students who opt into online learning environments because they prefer less face-to-face interaction and do best with self-study courses. How can we provide support to them while also allowing them to work how they work best?

Something that I hadn't thought of before that this section addressed was being aware of how student time zones can impact how they move through an e-learning experience. Because a class is asynchronous, I think it can be easier to forget those considerations, but getting a bigger picture of the students and their lives, even when you are not face-to-face with them, is important for adapting a course to best suit your student body.

I thought it was important to note that the same tools will be applied differently per the instructor's teaching style. I've found in my previous experience with teaching online courses that it has been difficult to really build out a course as I would envision it when having to work in the confines of a standardized Canvas shell, but I liked how this highlighted the different mediums of support that instructors could take into account and how it can become more individualized.