Samantha Daley

Planning and preparation are essential parts of the teaching and learning process. They set the tone of the course as well as show your students how you are professionally, 

As you develop as a leader, you need to develop your skills as a model, manager, and motivator for your students. A combination of all three is required but how much depends on your students in the courses. 

Today's businesses are seeking individuals with strong critical thinking skills. These skills include the ability to evaluate information, analyze complex situations, problem-solve, and recognize that being right is not always imperative. Making mistakes is inevitable, but they provide valuable learning opportunities. Businesses are in need of individuals who can effectively solve problems while utilizing critical thinking skills. These are some of the important points I plan on imparting to my future students in upcoming courses.

The key to active learning is student involvement and engagement. Students will participate, reflect, listen, and write, which are essential components of active learning. I plan to incorporate these aspects as much as possible in my future courses, whether they are online or face-to-face.

Self-determination, self-actualization, and self-reflection are crucial aspects of student success in the online learning environment. They enable students to take ownership of their own learning in courses that utilize active learning techniques. Active learning courses are not suitable for students seeking an easy, passive online learning environment.

Something that stood out to me was, "One of the benefits of a learning community in an online course is peer accountability. Peer accountability helps students to keep on task and feel that they are part of an ongoing effort to increase their learning opportunities"

It was very informative to distinguish the different types of lectures, such as expository, suspenseful answer, problem-solving, case study, and interactive. I already use many of these strategies in my classes and plan to continue doing so in the future.

In the "Learning Activities" section, I reviewed the significance of choosing supportive learning activities to enhance student engagement and content retention. Questioning techniques involve using open-ended questions, polar questions, probing questions, funneled questions, and leading questions to enhance students' learning outcomes. I intend to enhance my questioning skills when I teach my courses in the future.

In the "Characteristics of Quality Online Courses" module, I learned about the importance of structural integrity, navigational simplicity, and learner-centered focus in online courses. These aspects can help address diverse learners and stimulate intellectual interaction based on their experiences. I plan to apply these concepts to enhance engagement, increase work completion, and improve student achievement in my future online courses.