Adela Mills

The content of the course can be delivered through assignments, lectures, discussions. Assignments that contribute to the students' enhacement of their critical thinking skills also increase the value ot a course from the students perspective. They can be focused on problem-solving which the students can easily apply to their daily living and interactions in their comunitites. Critical thinking skills drive studnets engagement.

Lectures: The five types of lectures need to be planned and crafted carefully and thoughfully to create relevancy and course value as well. These five kinds of lecture styles are: Expository, Suspenseful answer, Probem-Solving, Case-Study, and Interactive.

Discussions:… >>>

Synchronous vs Assynchronous online content: Synchronous is live or on real-time content and encounters with students/teachers

Assynchronous is not conducted on real-time but rather is pre-recorded, pre-posted content with deadlines for students to be able to access on-demand at their convenience

Advantages and disadvantages:

Synchronous online learning is more engaging; real feedback is obtained and interaction can be easily waged.

Assynchronous takes more effort to become engaging. Requires more planning on the teacher's side as lectures, guest speakers, etc. need to be pr-recorded. Requires more prep-time and closer constant monitoring to ensure students remain engaged and not feeling excluded

Blended… >>>

Reply to Maria Jimenez's post: I admire how pleased you are with your school's syllabi and course design. I'm curious, what woud you like to see changed or improved?

Course Integrity = Sound foundation to the success of the online course design. Interaction and engagement opportunities must be built in so students see how relevant their learning is to their academic growth and that of their peers. 

Administering a pre-course survey to identify potential problems that could contribute to attrition is a great best practice I learned in this module. I also liked the  way we can anticipate potential problems by clearly communicating course expectations to the students and how we can continue to motivate students and encourage them to stay engaged in their  online course learning process.

In this section I was reminded of the differences between synchronous and asynchronous instruction. Although group synchronous sessions are not encouraged; I understand how necessary it is to have one-on-one synchronous sessions when the need to clarify lessons or content confusion needs to be clarified. I learned the need to keep these sessions well-organized and brief with engaging prompts and positive feedback as well as gentle positive or constructive criticism. I often use humor to engage students and was glad to see this is a recommended strategy.

By projecting my presence as an instructor in an online course, I send the message of my support to my students learning and encourages their motivation. Motivation and their self-efficacy translates to their continued interest and engagement. Their engagement ensures all tasks are completed and feeds their learning and academic achievement by successful completion of the tasks and course.

I have learned that as with all education delivery endeavors, the online instructor must prepare and recognize the unique challenges the online learner faces as well as their unique learning styles and adaptations. Familiarizing with the CMS/LMS and becoming proficient at managing each activity as well as staying "present" in the daily activities designed in the course are pivotal to the success of all stakeholders involved.

I enjoyed re-learning about the different learning styles and methodologies. I particularly liked the idea of shortening the lecture and add more active learning practices such as problem-learning and demonstrations. Reminding myself that after introducing 5-7 new concepts I will likely lose my students' interest will allow me to modify my delivery and make it more varied.

I particularly enjoyed the different best practices about setting expectations and getting to know the students. I like the idea of passing around index cards and having each student write down their preferred name and personal interests. I intend to add this best practice to my instruction in future.