Chandra Johnson

Comment on Professor Kolapo Ige PhD's post: Dr. Ige:  I agree with your statement, "Continuous evaluation ensures the course works in reality, not just in theory."  This is particularly relevant when it comes to competency-based learning.   This helps the student as well as the instructor with know whether transfer of learning has occurred or if there is a gap in how the information presented has been processed. 

Thank you for sharing your insight on the topic. 

Dr. Johnson

Instructors should use a variety of technology to provide a full learning experience for the students.

Support learning through facilitation rather than trying to direct everything. This is helpful with encouraging student interaction, guiding Q & A, providing students a safe place to be creative, and build their critical thinking skills.

Integrating technology into the learning environment is great tool if utilized wisely and the instructor is knowledgeable of how to use it. It is important that instructor utilize the right technology to get the most value from it.

Accidents to occur. There should be specific rules, including safety precautions included in the instruction for class. By doing this, safety becomes a natural, integrated part of the course rather than a sidebar. 

Students should be taught how to properly use the equipment, supplies, or software before using it.  Safety gear should be worn when any tools are being used or when chemicals are present.  We also must show proof that students have received safety training. 

Bloom’s Taxonomy states one's psychomotor, cognitive, and affective should be addressed when assessing a competency. It is helpful to break down the objectives on the lab or shop environment into skill categories based on foundational, technical and professional. 

We all have a dominant learning style yet often mix styles. When developing instruction, paying attention to varying learning styles helps to meet the needs of all students. Teaching in the lab environment can allow the instructor to identify quickly some of their students' learning styles. As an instructor, this is a great opportunity to learn your students to better assist them as time goes on shoudl they encounter problems with understand a technique in lab. 

A competency-based curriculum is important to find a balance between learning the competency and the development of the whole person. A skilled worker needs to have the ability to problem solve, critically think, and demonstrate interpersonal skills.

For me, this is particular relevant as accidents can happen in the work environment; therefore, workers need to be able to think, assess,  and come up with a solution quickly as some situation can be life threatening. 

Lecture notes help to guide an instructor during their course. They work inconjunction with the lesson plan to assit the instructor in real time during their course.  Intergrating technology in the classrooms helps with engagement.  It also help students with becoming more comfortable with technology which is something that is important to their future employers.  Forms of assessments are necessary to provide evidence of the skills they have mastered. 

The ABCD model is a structured approach to ensuring that objectives are clear, measurable, and aligned with the learning outcomes. I find this interesting in that it helps with curriculum mapping to show where we as a school are aligned with what we say are going to do or provide the students academic wise. 

Lesson plans are great for helping to keep instructors on track during with delivering the course material during each class as well as planning out activities to help with classroom management.  They are create resources in case an instructor has to be out and a sub is needed to cover a class.  I like to use them as a resource to help new instructors especially those that have never formally taught.