I believe that rapid and frequent shifts in ideologies in education is not fruitful and will cause a lack of consistency and confusion in the educational system. There are principles in education that are never changing: reading, writing, and comprehension. While we live in a world where technology advances at a rapid rate, students must know how to write legibly, clearly, and with understanding. No longer are we competing only on the domestic front. We now compete on a global basis, and these "common principles" are consistent in other countries. These are the basics. When we move away from or… >>>

Each term, I have students who provide evaluations based on quality information that is aimed at helping develop the course. However, I also have students who provide evaluations are that do not yield much relevance in regards to making needed or relevant modifications in the course. Typically, the evaluations by the latter are from those students who chose to avoid taking responsibility in the course although every effort was made by me to help the student. I found that instructors cannot be swayed by such evaluations because it will cause the quality of your course to diminish. Doing so does… >>>

This area is of particular interest to me based on my experiences. It seems that there are many students who have trouble in the area of grammar (proper sentence structure, punctuation, spelling, etc.). It seems that the students must first master the skills in English / Language Arts before matriculating into core major courses. Without this, the student's ability to perform at the expected (and reasonable) level will not be satisfied, and the student's grade will suffer, not to mention the onset of frustration by the student and instructor. A few other instructors have shared the same issue, and we… >>>

I firmly believe that objective and subjective evaluations are necessary in every class because each offers a level of assessment that gives the instructor a final and accurate picture of the class generally and each student specifically. However, subjective evaluation is important for reasons beyond regular assessments. I found that many students lack the ability to think critically, express themselves in writing, properly structure and organize thoughts, and use proper grammar. While not every instructor teaches English, part of our duty is to ensure that each student is prepared to function in and beyond the class for their overall success.… >>>

Rubrics are wonderful for various reasons. Not only does the rubric help the students to focus on what is needed in their written responses, it helps the instructor focus on how to help the students learn and develop. This helps the instructor focus on problem areas, and work with each student in those problem areas so that the student can communicate in a more efficient manner. Rubrics allow for consistency and equity in grading, which again, helps the instructor to have focus. This will also help the students remain on task. Finally, this helps the instructor manage time in the… >>>

I honestly did not notice such a gap in the communication skills (input and output) until I began the journey of teaching online. Since the online environment consists primarily of written communication, I quickly learned that every student does not respond well to same method of communication. While this is true, I cannot bend to ineffective or "inappropriate" communication (i.e. "texting" language in an essay question). Every instructor must reach a happy medium wherein class announcements (e-mails or postings) are communicated effectively (i.e. appropriate and acceptable grammar, clear, and concise); however, the instructor can also cover any potential communication issues… >>>

The students typically respond at the end of the term regarding the class content and delivery method. I am able to use this to make quick/minor modifications, but the major modifications will take a term or two. However, I can also assess progress based on how well the class performs as a whole when new delivery methods are used. I recently released a mid-term summary outline for one of my classes because of the voluminous amount of material in the first half of the term. I plan to see how well the class performs on the final exam now that… >>>

1. As it relates to modifying course content, I find myself editing and modifying something each term. I make more major modifications every other term. The time needed for major modifications allows me to test over at least 2 terms how well the the students respond, and the effectiveness of the modification as it relates to the learning objectives. I've recently began to record video clips of myself each week discussing a few highlights from the materiel, important weekly announcements, and general encouragement. The students seem to engage well with new approach. 2. As it relates to student engagement, I… >>>

I learned early on that guidance in the online environment is important, specifically that of program manager. When teaching a new course, I experienced a situation where the publisher did not match the correct textbook with the homework and test questions during certain weeks of the course. This caused a serious issue in guiding the students through the course. My main goal was to keep the students focused since in the online environment, the student is primarily responsible for learning the material and completing assignments. However, once I was able to determine the root of the issue, I was diligent… >>>