Sarah Towne

This module drove home the point that instructors must be excellent facilitators to ensure that students are fully aware of the workload they will be expected to manage. Making the syllabus as clear and explanatory as possible is an essential step in this process, as are end of course surveys to register any difficulties students may have had due to the course organization and policies.

I think the most relevant point here is the need for a clear set of expectations (rubric) to develop not only a healthy environment for communication, but also a shared sense of community in the online classroom.  

I am hoping to utilize some of the things I've learned here to encourage more open communication and exchange of ideas among my students in the virtual discussions we have. It's inspired me to really think about ways to subtly make them feel more comfortable sharing their insights and point of view through modeling good communication tactics a bit more in my interactions with them.

I learned a lot about facilitating better communication through the development of patterns that help students understand the basic flow of information conveyed in an online course. The emphasis on clearly outlining expectations for student participation and engagement provided a lot of new ideas about how to better approach communication virtually.  

I like the emphasis on selecting the appropriate technology and online platforms to meet the needs of the students and course material. It's such a tremendous factor in determining the success of a virtual learning environment.

I learned about the importance of intuitive and consistent course design that helps students better understand how to navigate the various modules and assignments in an online environment.

This section really highlights the importance of selecting which aspects of an online course are best delivered asynchronously vs synchronously, and explained that it is possible to effectively incorporate both methods in a given class to get the best results. 

I learned a lot about the need to select technology tools that correspond to both my own teaching style and my students' needs, so as to better facilitate learning in the virtual classroom.

The role of good feedback in helping to emphasize and enhance the content and retention of student learning is really going to help me better tailor my suggestions and approach with students moving forward. 

The analogy of good, clear course syllabi and frameworks to scaffolding is quite apt. I like the discussion of how to monitor chats vs. discussion boards and how to create as much of an interactive experience as possible for all students to ensure their engagement and success in the course.