Sarah Towne

I am very interested in the Problem Based Learning model. I studied it as an undergrad and found it to be a truly unique way of making coursework personally relevant and much more engaging for students. I will definitely be exploring the model more in my classes moving forward. 

I love how active learning is so centered around the students' experience. This module encouraged me to pay special attention to the ways in which I might be able to approach course content to better capitalize on the input of my students both individually and as a group.

I like the idea of instructor as facilitator, and appreciated the emphasis on reliable technology in ensuring a course goes smoothly from start to finish. The responsibility of students to be proactive in their learning is also key, though I do see it as my task to find new ways to creatively inspire and motivate students to value what they are learning in the class.

I appreciated the focus on how important it is to provide relevant, ongoing feedback about students' performance and grades. I will be more conscientious in providing regular updates to each student moving forward.

I am excited by the idea of refining my course templates to further streamline my workload moving forward; there are some great tips here!

The concept of workload management is crucial to instructor success. I appreciate the idea of starting FAQ and FATQ discussion boards so students can ask peers questions about how to access course materials, etc. before they contact me. This will no doubt save me a lot of time usually spent answering often-repetitive inquiries about basic course navigation and performance, which can be easily answered by another student. 

I really would have liked to see an updated discussion about how to handle not only traditional forms of plagiarism, such as copying previously published work, but also advice on how best to respond to newer forms of academic dishonesty relating to the incursion of AI-generated content into the classroom. This is a new, but vitally important area for discussion and debate within the academic community as the technology advances almost daily at this point, an instructors will need to have resources and a plan for addressing the inevitable question of whether any of these new technologies should have a… >>>

The Seven Principles of Learning is a useful framework for understanding how best to lead and coach students for success in the online learning environment. Emphasizing the importance of time allocation and management is also key to students' ability to learn and accomplish coursework in a timely manner. 

This section really reinforces the need for providing students adequate instruction in the technology skills necessary to navigate the online course. I loved the suggestion of creating an entire video guide using screen capture technology just to walk students through all of the core functions they will need to know to fulfill the various demands of the course. 

Building a sense of community by reinforcing and modeling strong communication skills and building on prior knowledge is the prerequisite to creating a positive group learning environment in a virtual classroom. Students will learn best when they understand very clearly what is being communicated to them, and how they should respond. Being articulate and learning how to convey crucial messages in creative and interesting ways are vital skills for online instructors to cultivate.