Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Hi Diane: One thing that may help instructors when setting up a grading system is the use of rubrics that are handed out the first day of class. Regards, Barry

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Setting up a grading system

Hi Randall, Grading rubrics are good because they tend to limit the subjectivity in grading. Rubrics can vary in their effectiveness. If we are trying to get critical thinking skills reinforced, a rubric that only measures mechanics is probably going to fall short. I tend to feel instructor made rubrics are better than those provided by professional or textbook publishers, but not always. For me, a good rubric will measure the desired learning accurately and be aligned with my studentent learning outcomes (SLO's). Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Role of instructor personality in delivery selection

Hi Bonnie, Sincerity is easy - we just have to be committed and be ourselves. Students somehow can tell, and I'd rather be an authentic version of me than an artificial version of anyone else. Students will give their trust and respect to someone they perceive is genuine. An I believe this trait can even overcome some relatively minor personality quirks. Afterall, truely, we can only be who we are when it's all said and done, eh? Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Organized and prepared to teach

Hi Bonnie, Great! I like your statement about encouragement, because to me, that is just as important as the delivery of course content. Share and care! Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Reengaging off-task students

Hi Randall, Normally participants in this class (ED105) position reengagement from the standpoint of distracted students and methods to get them refocused. But I recognize off-task certainly applies to those on the brink of or have reached a point of no return, so it's good to dialog about this aspect of student retention. Your last rotation may not have been as successful as you may have desired, but I firmly believe the instructor/teacher/facilitator has the greatest influence on student retention. Personality may contribute to a small degree. But most students are open to teachers who display genuine concern for their… >>>

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Selecting instructional media

Hi Randall, I think the cabability of providing a couple of live chats along with screen sharing should assist students much better than static exercises and one-way communication forums. I believe it's true that the more feedback and interaction with the course facilitator a student receives, their instructional time will be extremely more valuable. Ultimately the proof of all the efforts is to measure "did the student learn" and to what degree. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Organized and prepared to teach

Hi Sheree, Yep! If we want respect, trust and full engagement by students, we have to do our part to make that happen. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Setting up a grading system

Hi George, I really believe there are many ways to approach grading. But it all comes down to this: are we acurately measuring the degree to which a student did (or did not learn?). The best grading system in the world is fruitless if it doesn't measure the learning that occured. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Informing students of status in course

Hi Sunshine, This sounds awful! (at any level). Students thrive on feed back. Great if it's positive feedback, and even helpful when some critiquing is needed. But students need and want direction and are usually not resistant to it. Its like they're seeking leadership and we're the ones to provide it. So, frequent, early on support, coupled with advice, encouragement, and shared with courtesy and a sense of caring. That's the kind of teacher I'd want, so I espouse those sentiments in my interaction with students. Barry Westling

Barry Westling

Discussion Comment

Selecting sufficient course content

Hi George, The truth is sometimes it's just a trial and error thing. We can do our best to guess, but that's all it is, a guess. With time, we learn to have more material than there is time to cover, then if extra time is present, we can proceed as if that was the plan all along. Barry Westling