This course has some GREAT take aways! I love the concept of ATTENTION = RETENTION! Two of my favorite books are "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" and "Emotional Intelligence." I could see a lot of the principles from these books woven into this course with useful strategies of how to apply them!

I appreciated the opportunity this course provided to reflect on the characteristics of the 4 generations (veterans, baby boomers, Gen X and Gen Y) and apply some strategies that can be incorporated into my instructional planning. I really liked the concept of the "performance contract" to help the students take more ownership of their learning and setting goals for more effective study habits and class participation. Knowing that relevancy is VITAL to Gen Y students helped to reinforce my use of clinical experience and giving context to why they need to know this info/lesson for their career during my instruction.… >>>

I particularly liked the information on research that shows most instructors ask more closed questions, yet the evidence shows that open questions are more effective. I also appreciated the information about wait times when questioning. This course makes me want to pay even more attention to my own style of questioning.

I thought this course gave a good overview of different strategies involved in active learning, including the benefits, the risks, and potential barriers. I frequently use pausing and asking questions that encourage critical thinking, as well as small group discussions in my classes. I think the strategy I first plan to try after taking this course is the "guided lecture" where students are encouraged to just listen for 15-20 min and then take notes during discussion and review of the content just covered. I would like to provide an outline of what I have picked out as important or key… >>>