Discussion Comment

I teach fully online courses. Learners cannot just attend in an online class. They must participate somehow. Sometimes the responses to discussion questions may be short, or something like "great post!" or "I agree." To get more participation, I ask for substantive thoughts of at least three sentences. I ask what more could be addeed to this response? Dependent on the topic, I may give a personal story. In an ethics class, I may tell of a health care ethics issue that I personally have dealt with. Or, in health care management, I may discuss a real situation that has… >>>

Cheryl Anderson

Discussion Comment

When internal motivation is a bit too much

Hi everyone, Occassionally I will have an online learner who will report that they are taking 27 credits!!! These are people who are working full time, have families and all kinds of committments. They are totally motiviated to finish. It seems that these learners are indeed internally motivated. However,their intentions speed them through class with little time to reflect or really integrate the knowledge. I often wonder about the wisdom of allowing learners to enroll to earn so many credits.... Does anyone have some thoughts? How do I ensure that this super achiever is really learning my material?

Cheryl Anderson

Discussion Comment

Midterm Grade

At the Career College that I work with, midterm grades are a requirement actually before the midterm spot of the course. I think this is a GREAT idea. This is one way for learners to see how they are doing at the present time and what they may need to do to improve. For me, it offers a chance to reflect on who is doing well, who do I need to encourage more, etc. For all learners, I also add a personal note with the grade. A "great going" for those with a solid A to "it is not too… >>>

Cheryl Anderson

Discussion Comment

Getting the name right!

In the vein of getting to know your learner, I think getting the name right is very important. In the online environment, we see the name listed in the courseroom. However, the learner may go by their middle name or a nickname. I try to pay special attention to this during the introductions in Week 1. I keep a little list of those learners who use a nickname or different name than those diplayed. This seems to be one way of showing that I care, and that I am paying attention to the learner's personal needs.

Cheryl Anderson

Discussion Comment

Learner types

Hi everyone, I find discussing learning styles absolutely intriguing. I occassionally teach in a face-to-face physical therapy program. These learners expect activity and action in the classroom. As a whole, these are tactile learners. Many of the classes are actually held in lab settings. However, I teach health policy. It is one class where this group must be seated for some of the time. For this advanced group of learners, I use active case study discussions and challenge small groups to integrate new information, etc from their own research. Cheryl

Cheryl Anderson

Discussion Comment

When the textbook changes!

Hi everyone, I had an "aha" moment recently when the textbook updated to a 2010 edition and I still had the previous edition. When the learners ordered the text for the class, they received the latest and greatest. What seemed even more shameful to me, I was one of the chapter authors. The publisher had yet to send me my desk copy! The desk copies are not due out until September. Cheryl Anderson