Barry Westling

Jeff, Most (but not all) courses lead to or support the graduate in working in a specific job setting. When we can prepare students to be job ready, the employer, graduate, and institution all benefit by having a successful learning experience completed. Barry Westling

Wendi , I agree. I think personal and frequent chats with a student regarding their performance can make a significant contribution to the success of a student. Print or electronic information is OK, but I think a personal chat along with other methods can help convey our interest in their success. Barry Westling

Wendi , Short videos can be great, if they are short. One problem with professionally produced videos is they often provide valuable information but take 25-45 minutes to convey the information. While audible and visual learning are good, static sitting and watching a 30-minute video can lose students while our attempt is to engage them. So, where possible a short 2-5 minute video that demonstrates some point in a discussion is a terrific way to break up the learning into digestible bits using multiple media sources. We want to avoid having the medium be tedium! Barry Westling

Wendi , Creative instructors find creative and fun ways to make learning meaningful and enjoyable. Cards are a good example. Written exercises, discussions (pair share and group), white board, flip chart are other common activities that actively engage students. Even using the old overhead projector (if you still have them) can be an effective substitute for PPT slides. Barry Westling

Wendi , These are good activities. Student-centered instructors try to reach each student by understanding the students individual learning needs and then creating specific methods that cater to the their special learning needs. An specifioc action plan that is specific to a studuent is a good example. Barry Westling

Melissa, Yes, tracking good and not so good activities can be one reason to journal. I also make observations about students, ponder (to myself) about feelings and interactions, and sometimes note things I wish I had or ideas about how to do something better, all intangibles, but it's a place to record them and reflect on later on. Barry Westling

Lynn, This is a good tool to track performance, and probably saves some time if the students keep it up to date. I still like to spend personal time even though we use electronic grading, attendance, assignments, and course work. Barry Westling

Lynn, Good point. This is a soft skill, but is as important as any other skill learned in a class and designed to be practiced in the work setting. Consistently late submissions at work will lead to a short employment experience! Barry Westling

April, I'm with you. There are a lot of reasons, but in the end, I choose not to go there. Barry Westling

April, For me, all my pretest are ungraded and done just to act as a barometer of what I need to adjust to make my time (and the student's) more useful. Barry Westling