Randell Wolff

I enjoyed reading about all the different kinds of students that can be encountered in an online classroom.  I have encountered examples of each kind many times over my teaching career.  I think the advice given on how to handle them is useful.

For my class discussions, I use asynchronous discussion boards and also have hold video sessions with all my students. I wasn't aware that instructors used synchronous text chat rooms to have discussions. I can see how there are many disadvantages to this approach.

I am happy to say that I seem to be using "best practices" when it comes to introducing myself to students and allowing them to do the same.  This is, as the lesson notes, a vital first step to learning.

One question I have after completing this course up to this point is:  What is the difference, if any, between a Course Management System (CMS) and  Learning Management System (LMS).  This is the first time I've come across the term Course Management System, so I'm curious.

I was really happy to see that the information provided in the video on advice to give students about answers to discussion questions matches what I give my students.

While I have worked with adult learners throughout my teaching career, I enjoyed reading about andragogy.  I believe this model will help me work more successfully with these kinds of students in the future.

I had never really given much thought to accessibility before, but I see that there are many things that need to be considered in order to make sure all students are able to engage with the content in my classes.

I learned that there are a lot more people involved in the process of integrating technology in the classroom than I had thought.  For example, I didn't even consider the role of admissions in this process.

As far as prompt feedback goes, I try to post grades and comments as soon as possible, preferably the day after an assignment is due.  Recently I have started using video feedback to give brief but direct comments. My students have responded favorably to this approach (as opposed to my usual detailed but easily ignored text comments).

I can certainly relate to students not having what I consider basic computer skills.  For example, I require students to submit work in Microsoft Word format so that I can insert comments when I grade them.  However, students will frequently submit PDF documents instead.  I'm not sure why this happens.  I would think that .DOCX would be the default format for a Word document, but somehow students still send the PDFs.  I make sure to provide detailed instructions on how to save documents, which includes handy YouTube videos, but it remains enough of an issue that I frequently have to… >>>