Inactive learning disengage students
This brings up some excellent points. A lot of course success depends on the student's attitude towards the work.
I know that the challenge I have with these course is staying active. I am an audible person, Like to listen to a leacture, see it on the screen and then I can remember. Reading it does not work for me. I have to read these slides sometimes 3 to 8 times before it registers what I am reading. Thus these modules take 8 to 10 hours for me to finish. I wish they had someone reading the slides rather then expect me to read them.
When a student is bored, the instructor must be attuned to the disengagement. The instructor should try to redirect the attention to actively engage the student.
I found that it is interesting that instructional design is a fluid process. This topic has changed my perspective about teaching a class. Initially, I thought that my prep work was all that I need before a class starts. This topic has increased my awareness about the student and some of the challenges they might face. Being flexible abd adaptive is key.
Boredom can be a state of mind that good instructors should "try" address
It is very important to address the problem of boredom, especially with online classes. I believe it helps to connect the content to something in the students' lives...whether it be real world examples or discussing how they will use this information or skill in their new career choice that they are working towards. When students see value in what they are learning, they should be more engaged.
Stay engaged in order to monitor the flow of the classroom.
The point about how crucial it is to address boredom and staying on top of disengaged students (and how it 9is central to all instructional planning) was a key takeaway for me. Also, the reminder that stduents are dfferent and will have different stages in their learning journey, and so not a formula for what it takes to keep all engaged and participating in the learning process. We need to explore and stay open to new strategies for each class.
