Andrea Rimer

I intend to use scaffolding to assist the students in building on current knowledge. Just as scaffolding in construction provides a firm foundation for the building, scaffolding in education provides a firm foundation for student learning. Without a strong foundation, the students have nothing to build on.

I have learned the importance of creating a learning objects database. This data base will store learning materials that can be used in the same course again or in other courses. This will save time creating courses in the future, as the materials will be saved in one area and can be retrieved easily at later dates.

The biggest takeaway from these modules includes the various types of online learners that can disrupt learning in an online setting. I intend to use the strategies for managing these types of learners to maintain positive relationships with all students in the course and maintain attrition rates, as disruptions such as these can affect the learning environment for learners willing and motivated to engage and learn.

Providing feedback is essential to keeping students engaged and motivated. It is important to make sure the feedback is timely, constructive, and worded in such a manner that students can remain motivated and learn from it.

I've always enjoyed getting to know my students as individuals and allowing them to know a little bit about me. This helps to provide a trusting relationship in which students feel comfortable coming to me with questions or concerns. I love the idea of using a video or shoulders and up photo. These suggestions make the introductions much more personable.

I had never considered dropping a student from a discussion prior to this. However, the recommendation was that if a student does not heed to previous warnings and consistently strays from the topic, they can be dropped from the discussion. To me, that is important in classroom management if all other attempts to manage the situation were unsuccessful.

I have learned that the LMS a teacher uses has many functions that enable students to be engaged and interact with each other. I plan to explore more of these options the next time I teach a student online. 

I agree it is a good idea and will boost a student's confidence level if they have unlimited attempts to complete a quiz. I have not done this before, but will do so in the future.

I intent to remember that, even if students attend an asynchronous learning environment, it is important to maintain frequent, or regular communication with them so they do not fall behind or feel left out. I do not want to risk any student falling behind because I failed to reach out to them or recognize they were struggling.

My biggest takeaway is that online courses need to be learner-centered, and students must be engaged with each other and the instructor. Also, delivering content in a wide variety of ways will keep the students engaged and enhance the learning process.