Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Roy, Great! As adult learners, they are also consumers who want (and need) feedback for reassurance or guidance if improvement is needed. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Awarding extra credit

Ivan, I just don't offer EC at all. My past poor experiences with demonstrate EC has more to do with points and grades than student learning. But each instructor and institution has to decide what works best for themselves. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Developing instructional backup plans

Ivan, I find the better back up plans are low tech, easy to implement, especially on short notice, are related to the general subject matter, are interesting and enjoyable, and don't waste the students time. They will notice if an activity is mere "filler", or is significant to their learning. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Using senses in learning

Mary, Lab is critical for many vocational courses. The "hands on" experience teaches the skills, but also uses a different part of the brain for memory and retention of information. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Selecting instructional media

Ivan, You've covered a lot of the essential requirements for analyzing if the media resources are adequate. Careful review of the answers to these questions will yield a practical approach to determine what is needed. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Using a teaching journal

Ivan, Right! It is always so interesting to look back at the past. It is often a helpful tool for planning for future events. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Informing students of status in course

Marco, It is the responsibility of the instructor to keep their grades up to date. Adult learners are apt consumers and want information that pertains to their grades and performance. Students should also be responsible to keep track of their own progess. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Informing students of status in course

Kelly, Right, conveying performance status, sharing grade information is needed, as is offering support, encouragement, and advice about success strategies. Sometimes, just the personal connection will provide the student with added hope for success in their class. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Awarding extra credit

Melissa, For me, I just choose to avoid the problems with EC and not give it. I'll sometimes give a bonus question on an exam. I've also dropped the lowest quiz score when I have a lot of quizes. Perhaps this is semantics, but "bonus" activities like this are related to learning, while I think most EC activities are not. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Using pretests as planning tools

Roy, Great. I don't always pretest but when I do, I am able to zero in on what areas need most emphasis. Barry Westling