Roberta Vedders

Whether or not a hostile environment exists on campus is an important consideration in what path to follow.

One concern I have is one distinction listed in determining if a complainant is credible is whether or not his or her story changes. With “trauma brain” following a traumatic event a person scrambles event details. The local Julie Valentine Center educated law enforcement officers about this factor.

As a nurse I have been a mandatory reporter for decades. My understanding of and appreciation for all the Title IX coordinator is responsible for has greatLu increased.

I also realize how well I was cared for by the institution I taught for when I needed to leave an abusive marriage.

I appreciate learning the ways the different reporting requirements compare and contrast with each other. Sexual violence is so under reported anyways, I appreciate the annual reports required of colleges.

Students are not motivated by the same thing. One may be motivated to get an A in the class, while the grade is not as important to another student.

Course requirements should not be so hard that each week is perceived by students as a potential to fail the course.

I really enjoy the acronym link/pair/share.

The mid-class fatigue is real. I appreciate learning about ways to bring back the vigor. I am a fan of mid-course evaluations. When I taught full-time it was in a 15-16 week semester. My mind cannot yet wrap around how this can work in 5 week segments. I am thankful for the acronym for REFOCUS:

RECOGNIZE/EMPOWER/FOCUS/OBJECTIVIZE/COMMIT/UNBURDEN/SURPRISE.

Comment on Christine Crist's post: 

I love seeing the light bulbs come on in clinical as students see what they have learned in theory played out in real situations.

I love hearing about the importance of student participation and recognition. I also appreciate the thumbs up for humor. Next year will be 50 years I have been a nurse, 20 years I have taught nursing. There have been many humorous things along the way. Each student has a file of humorous or more serious memories that are important to share some of.

By communicating with students about their individual needs and referring them to supportive resources, they can be helped to focus back on their professional goals. Maslow's hierarch is displayed again in that you cannot meet higher needs at the apex of the triangle until basic needs are met.

I appreciate the reminder to not get involved in meeting the needs that experts are in place to meet. As an instructor, the class must go on.

Group projects are so important. Include students evaluating their peers and a self-evaluation of participation. The knowledge students gain during the project will stick. Students have individual strengths they can contribute. Presentation to class helps prepare them for professional roles.

It did my heart good when I read that the adult learner's attention span was, I believe 14-18 minutes. This far exceeds the attention span of new college-age students. :-)

I also appreciate the mini lecture concept with time for active learning and the different ways to handle student questions in class.