Get Your Students Hired
This is a general discussion forum for the following learning topic:
The Asynchronous, Self-Directed Learning Model --> Shifts and Changes in the Education World
Post what you've learned about this topic and how you intend to apply it. Feel free to post questions and comments too.
Positive reinforcement from the instructors to students is so important to maintain course engagement. I like the idea of using badges throughout the course and rewarding students with extra points on a final assignment if they've earned all of the badges.
I appreciated the suggestions on strategies for learner engagement, and the idea of using scenarios that learners act out in an online setting.
Comment on Angela Cenina's post:
I agree with your comment. Critical thinking is such an important skill to have.
I thought the questions an instructor should ask themselves was very helpful in gauging if my current online course needs some updating
College students often struggle with writing and thinking critically because they may not have been taught how to reflect deeply on their work or analyze it in a structured way, especially regarding their unique writing process. I like to use past student examples, and break them down for students. I thought that students might feel overwhelmed with too many examples or resources, but they often appreciate them more.
We, as instructors, continue to play a central role even in asynchronous online learning environments, facilitating communication and ensuring students meet learning outcomes. While technology allows us to be flexible, it's crucial for us to provide structured content and promote student-to-student interaction to prevent isolation and enhance engagement. Asynchronous learning also offers students more time for reflection and creativity in their work, especially for assignments like lab tasks, but we must carefully design courses to ensure these tasks align with the desired learning outcomes and maintain quality communication.
It is important that instructors understand there are a variety of methods to teach and different styles of learners. Instructors must modify coursework to adjust to the learners while still delivering content in an engaging manner.
Virtual Reality, Augmented reality type of sim lab work helps students to develop critical thinking.
In my field, electrical engineering, there have been a lot of advancements in the area of online labs. There are a lot of great tools out there. The challenge is creating awareness so that they can be included in the courses.
I like the idea of encouraging student engagement by adding badges or some other "currency" as a reward system. Students respond well to gamification, and something like a duolingo-style proficiency progression could work well.
I love to engage my online students and find that if I share videos or lectures and then create discussions around the reflection of the content in the video or lecture the students engage more with the content.
I learned that it is essential to give students positive feedback to help with their engagement in the classroom.
I learned why my students dislike discussion forums so much. We've went with a live interaction chat room platform instead. I get far more engagement there and more peer to peer support. With no timing or deadlines, no requirement to do so, they all participate willingly. But moaned and groaned when prompted to use a standard forum. So, it's been improved upon with great results.
Keep in mind that instructors should not penalize a student based on their lack of access to technology
I found the additional ideas and tools discussed in the course very helpful. I will be implementing these strategies: using wikis and blogs; using video interviews or video reflection; having students create music videos or songs reflecting on course materials; having students create online collages or infographics to reflect on learning; and allowing students to videotape their experiments and post online.