Maili Torres

I learned that VR offers best practices for students to become immersed in the "real world" and learn how to make decisions and communicate and collaborate.

VR helps to foster collaboration and increases overall engagement. However, there are also several disadvantages which include costs and faculty not knowing how to use it.

I learned that the self-study demonstrates an institutions transparency when it comes to strengths and weaknesses. They should clearly show how they meet each of the criteria and provide a response for those that do not apply rather than leaving it blank. They should also acknowledge any deficiencies, but have a plan on how to correct or improve it.

I learned that there are many accrediting agencies that exist and that it is important for an institution that is looking to get accredited, should look for those agencies that align with their mission and goals.

There are regional accreditations and national accreditations. It is important to understand how the accreditation process works and what is included in a self-study because it provides objective information that will help guide the quality improvement process. 

The site should always be ready with documentation and staff. They should greet with visitor and "be ready, not surprised." The purpose of these visits is to assess that the institution is doing what they say they are doing.

Instructors need to be proactive rather than reactive. They are responsible for obtaining copyright permissions and best practice indicates that they should change their resources from semester to semester. 

Faculty should understand copyright laws or use the information in this module for reference if their institution does not have a solid copyright policy in place. Faculty should set the example for students.

I appreciate the vast amount of resources provided for ideas on how a lab would work in the online setting. 

I like the idea of awarding badges to students to help motivate them when taking asynchronous online courses.