Ashley Hammonds

It is important to identify how students engage in the learning environment. Noisy and disruptive learners can derail discussions and learning of others, while intimidators will consume the instructor's time to achieve their personal learning goals at the expense of others. The key to recognize and intervene early for the sake of the student and their colleagues. 

It's about using the right style, asynchronous or synchronous for the group involved. Learning where each student is at in terms of their approach to learning - ei. Avoidant, Competitive, Dependent etc. is key to elevating the learner's ability to engage and learn. 

The key is trust. Trust comes from the instructor's credentials and professional experience. Conveying this to the students is important for them to entrust their education to the instructor, but trust comes to understanding. The instructor should also learn about the student's goals, experiences and more to build a relational bridge to support the weight of academic rigor, and possible admonishment. It's the old adage, "People will not care how much you know until they know how much you care".

It is important to be familiar with the CMS platform infrastructure as well as become well verse in multimedia. It's not only about the way the instructor learns, but one must also have relative perspective on how students learn today. Structuring the content goal using modules and learning assignments is key to reduce student frustrations.