Suzanne Heppell

The way that we were looking at (if we ran the online concurrently with in class) would be that the online students would be on a video conferencing system that would allow total viewing and interaction with the inclass students. This would not be done with everything but we thought it would be useful if at least once a week they were able to see, hear and chat with others taking the class from a campus.

When we finally have the prototype of our program up and running, I am planning on having a graduated student help with the evaluation. This person would have taken the program in class and so would be familiar with the program. Do you see any downfalls with this? From a learner's point of view, I am hopeful that they would recognize what is missing as opposed to someone who does not know the material.

When we deal with mature students, their level of confidence in retaining information usually starts off low. When they get comfortable in the environment, realize that the instructor and staff are truly on their side, the improvement is quick. We celebrate "ah-ha" moments, as they truly do motivate the student to continue. From donuts to a free coffee from the vending machine to just a high five, pat on the back or thumbs up, we let that student know we are proud. How do you celebrate the "ah-ha" moments for a student?

For quite a few of our students, the external support sytems they have interfere greatly with their learning. Daycare, lack of understanding, weak management skills, car breakdowns, illness, etc are frustrating. We try to resolve most of these issues in the first couple of weeks they start. We know that "life" comes up and whaps them ever so often, but we are preparing them for the workforce. This is the time to get everything straightened out before they start work. But where should our line be in the internal support? How far do we go to ensure their success?