I incorporate Intrinsic motivators, I speak about relevance in the skill builds, so the student understands why they are learning what I'm teaching. Then the projects at the end of the week the student can make what they want using the skills they learned during the week.

I give the students video feedback complementing the students about the work that they submitted, telling them what was great about their work, and then I speak about what they could do to make their work even better. 

There's a discussion in some weeks so that the students can show off their work… >>>

One thing I've learned from this module is that student autonomy is important in helping adult learners develop confidence and take ownership of their education. I want my students to move beyond simply memorizing information and become comfortable thinking critically and applying what they've learned.

In my Med-Surg classroom, I plan to continue incorporating patient scenarios and case studies that require students to work through clinical situations rather than just giving them the answers. I also encourage students to identify their own learning gaps and bring questions to our supplemental tutoring sessions. I think it's important to provide guidance and… >>>

One thing I've taken away from this module is how important it is to establish a positive, supportive learning environment from the very beginning. Students want to know what is expected of them, but they also want to feel comfortable asking questions and know that their instructor is invested in their success.

I've tried to apply this in my own Med-Surg classroom by offering additional tutoring and review sessions outside of our scheduled class time. I've found that some students are much more comfortable asking questions or admitting they are struggling in a smaller, less formal setting. It gives me… >>>

Something I've learned about motivating adult learners is that they need to feel like what they're learning actually matters and has a purpose. Especially in nursing, students aren't just learning information to pass an exam. They're learning things they will eventually need to recognize, understand, and apply when caring for real patients.

I think one of the biggest things we can do as instructors is make the material relatable. I try to incorporate real-life experiences from my nursing career, clinical examples, and scenarios that encourage students to think through situations rather than just memorize facts. I also think it's important… >>>

During my masters and fine art, almost all the classes implemented autonomy. We had to research by ourselves to come up with projects. Once the project was done, we would speak with the instructor about our work, and this part was interesting to me because I got to learn more about myself from the work that I created. There are some aspects that I did not know about myself that I was showing visually in my artwork. 

How would I increase the autonomy of my students? 
I increase the autonomy of my students with projects each week, and give them… >>>

I would want an overview of the class, what software if any will be using, and know the goal of the class. What are we making? And with what software? Will I need to purchase the software?  I would want to know if we're meeting every week or every other week, and when are the due dates of the assignments and projects. I would want to know how does the instructor grade, does the instructor use a rubric? And lastly, I would want to know how I could receive help from the teacher, and which method the teacher would want me… >>>

I believe since the school caters to a wide variety of students -- age differences, some with jobs, full-time, part-time, some are parents, military veterans, etc -- with side a wide variety of students, it's important to understand each of their needs and hiow best to support and guide them in teaching.  Meet the students where they are in their lives, careers and potential caareers.

I tend to think of this concept when I hear people say that they "can't make the student do their work." Imagine the student's motivation like a teeter-totter. On one side you have a bucket of how they feel about themselves and on the other you have a bucket of how they think people feel about them. As instructor's we can't fill the first bucket, but we can fill the second bucket with enough praise that it tilts the seesaw and you dislodge the student from feeling like they're stuck in the mud.

Autonomy in the classroom gives adult students more ownership which in turn helps maintain motivation.

I think it might be helpful to have the students use some key words in their LMS profiles so we (the instructors) can more specifically cater to their needs in all of the classes. This might help withs some of the classes that aren't in the student's discipline directly. Like if we know someone wants to be a cinematographer, there are ways we can help them look at screenwriting in a way that makes the class more productive for them.