Clinton Smith

I learned that synchronous forums are not good for imparting essential information and some strategies for improving their use in online courses. I gained some insight in how to better run asynchronous discussion forums that I will utilize in my courses. It was also very helpful to identify the main learning styles and how to recognize them. This will be useful in engaging students with my course content. 

I have learned various ways of projecting your presence and authority online in a course. I have already practiced some of these methods, such as providing an email introducing myself to the class prior to it starting, but have learned other ways of managing discussion forums. One method that stood out, one I have not used before, is to re-post a discussion forum post from another student.  

Creating clear ways to navigate the CMS is essential for student and instructor success. Not only should the methods of navigating the CMS be present within the CMS, but they should also be taught prior to being used. It is also important to identify your role as the online instructor and to explain the nature of the course content. The instructor should be with all of the course delivery techniques and strategies. 

This module was a effective introduction to some of the theory and methods for encouraging critical thinking in students. I appreciated the specific suggestions for the use of group based work, collaborative/cooperative learning, and problem based learning. The suggestions in these sections provide concrete mechanisms for building critical thinking into a course. Based on these suggestions I have already begun to construct critical thinking exercises for my course.  

Active learning involves a shift from teacher-centered learning to a student-centered learning, which can present challenges for instructors both in their mindset and in learning new teaching methods. I find it interesting that some teachers may not approach this task enthusiastically because of a perceived lack of control over the course. I have the opposite sentiment because active learning presents a challenge and an opportunity to develop my teaching skills more in line with modern practices. This section provided some useful pointers on how to best adopt and implement active teaching techniques, though more research and experimentation is needed to… >>>

I have learned a lot more about the possible limitations and misconceptions associated with active learning, and some strategies that can be followed avoid them. I particularly appreciated the section on instructor limitations as it helped allay some of my concerns with switching to a wholly active learning model, but it was good see that limitations to transitioning to an active learning model can be institutional and technological and not placed entirely on the instructor. I think it will be a challenge to overcome some of the student complaints (I've heard those covered more than a few times) but this… >>>