Tarakeshwar Pilarisetty

Businesses in the 21st century are looking for critical thinkers, and this requires instructors to imbue their students with higher order thinking skills. Group activities have been found to be beneficial in imparting skills needed for critical thinking. Collaborative, cooperative, and problem-based learning approaches are some activities which can help broaden students’ minds and provide them with a better understanding of their thoughts and ideas.

In the course of this module, we learned that traditional teaching methods require a redesign in order to be useful in an online environment.  Though such a redesign requires both time and effort on the part of the instructors, it helps students develop critical thinking skills. Clear communication between the instructor and the learner at the beginning of the course should stress on both the effort involved and expectations. In this context, rubrics help instructors to constantly monitor the students learning.

Active learning requires effort from both learners and instructors. Though there is an initial reluctance from both learners and instructors to adopt to the requirements of active learning, it should be emphasized that material presented in the right way enhances the critical thinking and problem-solving skills of students. Institutions also play a role in active learning, especially in the context of technology. 

Active learning empowers the learner, with the role of instructor being relegated to that of a facilitator or a coach. Active learning provides an opportunity for learners to be immersed in the subject. It also gives both the instructor and learner to reflect.

In addition to high level of student participation, it is important to ensure the quality of participation. Well-defined rubrics help instructors to assess and improve the quality of discussions. Employing instructional strategies which allow one to effectively communicate and collaborate helps develop a meaningful community where students feel safe to share their opinions and viewpoints.

To help students become successful online learners, instructors should be aware of generational differences. The instructor should provide clear, simple, and concise instructions to meet the outcomes/objectives/goals of the course. Students also need to possess several vital skills to be successful in an online learning environment.

Important to have consistent communication guidelines and effectively manage the entire communication process to ensure that instructor-to-student (I2S), student-to-instructor (S2I), and student-to-student (S2S) communication can thrive.

An effective communication process ensures the emergence of an engaged, organized, and respectful, learning community.

there are several tools to effectively communicate with students in an online environment. It is However, it is important to assess and reflect on a tool’s effectiveness to ensure proper usage and productive communication.

Both intrinsic and extrinsic motivators are the key to success of adult-learners. Extrinsic motivators are useful in enhancing intrinsic motivation. 

Security and Autonomy are important ingredients for motivation of adult-learners. Reinforcing them is the key to them being successful.