Stephen Shastay

I always tell my students that they are here to learn and I am here to teach; and if we have personalities that conflict, then we should not lose focus on our goals. Personality conflicts (teacher/student or student/student) are absolutely devastating. It can shut down the class. We address these problems immediately. The fallout from a conflict between two students can affect 50 other students. Most of them will tolerate the situation, but none of them like it. Our teachers are counseled that a happy class will have a lower attrition rate than an unhappy one. I can't see the… >>>

This post is in response to Question 1 of Quiz 2. The question is: The primary reason for online students to feel alienated is: A Inadequate knowledge of computer technology B Unavailability of technical support C Absence of face-to-face interaction D Quality of instructor support The correct answer is C. I chose D. I understand that the lack of face-to-face communication is a problem, but it is a problem that the students are aware of before they sign up. Every retention meeting that I have ever attended has always focused on the teachers as the critical element in keeping students… >>>

I'm having great trouble understanding why the length of the course is not considered critical. I am referring to the 4th question of the first quiz. "Which of these is not critical to successful online learning? Answer: A Instructor support B E-learning being the student's preferred mode of learning C Readily available technical support D Duration of the course I chose B. I can't see how that is a factor unless the student actually hates the Internet. Even then, I don't see why a student can't learn in an environment that he does not like. As proof, I offer any… >>>

Once they enter my classroom, older students are the same as young ones. Why? Because everybody is different. Everybody has goals, needs, requirements. And they are all different. Every single person. A teacher must be able to reach all of the students. One can argue that each student has different needs; but in truth, despite those needs, the students will almost certainly be taught in a group setting. For instance, if the only diversity found in a class is age, the teacher will still be unable to focus on the individual needs of each student. If you direct your attention… >>>