Victoria Au

This module goes more in-depth on the concept that many people are visual learners.  This module gave us examples of how we can apply this knowledge to help students learn.  I like the idea of breaking up the monotony of lecture every so often, to do a visual activity, to help reinforce a topic.

In this module, I learned that although games and class activities are effective teaching/learning tools, different students have different learning preferences and comfort zones.  In this module, we learned individual learning activites that might better suit such learners.

In this module, I learned different activities and methods of engaging the class, to help with retention of information.

From this module I learned that students learn best in an active learning environment, and also, that it takes exposure to material 6 times, before a student can retain it ~90%

Through "Common Instructor Mistakes" module, I learned that we are all human and make mistakes.  The important thing is to acknowledge and correct it right away, and learn from it so that it won't be repeated.

In "Managing Student Behavior" module, I learned useful tips on understanding students' behavior, and how to correct the behavior in order to move forward with the class.  While some individual attention and care is helpful for students, we as instructors also need to think of the class as a whole, and have the end goal of moving the whole class ahead.   And we should be aware and collaborate with the resources available to us, such as our fellow instructors, and administration if needed.

Through "Dealing with Challenging Students" module, I learned that there are different reasons why a student may be challenging.  The module gave examples of how to approach these different kinds of students.  I will try to apply these methods in class, and will try to remember that every student is different, so I may have to try multiple methods.

In "Setting the Stage for Success" module, I learned that it is important to be clear on your expectations.  As instructors, we should ensure students have a good and clear understanding of the syllabus, and what we instructors are expecting from each assignment and exam.

The "Managing the E-Learning Environment" module had useful lessons and advice on how to handle situations that we may come across in an online classroom.  There are some unique situations that may pop up in an online classroom, such as knowing when to use different tools (individual chat, group chat, public forum, email), considerations for students with competing responsibilities, and helping students to resolve alienation and/or technical issues.

In "Engaging Learners" module, we learned the difference between asynchronous and synchronous discussions.  I learned the types of situations in which asynchronous discussions would be more effective, and vice versa.  Also learned about how to give online feedback, and about fostering effective online discussions for different types of students.