Sherry Smith

This module was full of very helpful information on management tips for records, communications, counseling, behavior, and conflict. I especially liked how the module zoomed in on focus areas regarding behavior and the sections for students that are noisy, quiet, disruptive, intimidating, and procrastinators, etc. We also learned that it is always so important to keep a record of all communication relevant to handling any problems. 

I really enjoyed learning more about the various types of student learners regarding Avoidant, Competitive and Dependent styles. Over my almost 20 years of teaching online, I have had all of these types of students in my courses. I plan to use the tips discussed in this module (especially for the shy and anxious students) to help me continue to provide a comfortable and engaging course community environment. I also liked the module area on the details for both types of discussion boards. I have mainly experienced the asynchronous discussion board throughout the years. I can definitely see how the… >>>

This module was full of excellent information to help me to work on all areas of projecting and maintaining presence from a distance, projecting and maintaining authority from a distance and also establishing a relationship with each learner. I especially enjoyed the tips on how we can make our instructor presence felt more and also how to further comfort, influence, persuade, inspire, and energize our students in positive ways. 

I learned so many helpful details for being a better online instructor. Some of my favorite learning areas are on the topics of active learner-centered learning, learning support, course delivery techniques and strategies, etc. I will continue to become more familiar with my college's online course delivery platform in order to provide my students with the most comfort and full support as possible to help them succeed in their academic goals.

We learned in this excellent module that we need to use multiple evaluations and multiple inputs in order to constantly improve our online courses. I plan to use more evaluation methods in my online courses to help with the key areas to improve student learning experiences, curriculum, professional development, and quality assurance, etc.

I believe that this was a very important and helpful module for improving the grading process overall. Key Take-Away: Assessment is the vehicle to improved learning and teaching. Also: Formative assessments are provided within and throughout the course and are not designed to be graded. Summative assessments are provided at the end of a lesson, unit, or course and are designed to be graded. So, balancing both of these types of assessments is a very important process. Rubrics are also very important and helpful. Rubrics streamline the grading process while providing meaningful feedback and promoting learning. All of the details… >>>

I feel that the most important area learned in this module is on the topic of scaffolding. As we learned, students create good learning scaffolding by building on prior knowledge and experiences, by taking cues from instruction on where to focus learning energy, and by depending on a good course framework to guide them through the course. I also enjoyed learning about the importance of creating a sustainable online learning community that involves developing forums in which students feel comfortable sharing ideas, opinions, and facts with others, etc. I am excited to apply all of the helpful information from this… >>>

This is an excellent training module and I'm so glad to be here. I like how this module strongly encourages consistency in however we choose to organize the content in our online course. I also really like how this module explains how students rely on nonverbal cues to shape their expectations and it encourages them to complete the assignments. I also really like the chunking method. I have used this technique for many years in my online teaching experience. Chunking is very beneficial for student learning and it is a learning style that fits many type of online learners. Thank… >>>