Online Persona | Origin: EL108
This is a general discussion forum for the following learning topic:
Preparing Students to Become Good Online Learners --> Online Persona
Post what you've learned about this topic and how you intend to apply it. Feel free to post questions and comments too.
It's important to teach students how to manage their time with proper time management.
Creating a dedicated workspace and setting a consistent daily schedule are critical. The students should also actively engage with peers and ask for help if needed.
Comment on Danielle Davis's post: Prepare students for online learning requires fostering self-discipline, time management and proactive communication.
Comment on Danielle Davis's post: Prepare students for online learning requires fostering self-discipline, time management and proactive communication.
Everyone learns in their own way, what works for some wont work from all. Being able to adapt and teach the material in a multitude of ways is key in ensuring the class as a whole is understanding the material.
I think it is really important to remember that everyone learns differently and at their own pace. It may not be obvious is someone is having a hard time processing information. It is important to find out if students need more resources or accommodations if they are struggling.
I learned how strongly an instructor’s presence and communication style influence student motivation in an online environment.
I came away realizing that teaching in a virtual space is about truly meeting learners where they are, not just presenting material, and being honest about my own areas for growth along the way. Going forward, I plan to be more deliberate in helping each person build the habits, confidence, and awareness they need to stay engaged and succeed in this environment.
One area of this module really caused me to really stretch my thinking about students who struggle with learning disabilities when I came to the following statements: “Students may also process information more slowly and need more time than typically expected to understand the course content. This disability may also lead to a lower level of reasoning and a lack of ability to follow logical steps. However, this may also be connected to memory issues such as students having a lack of ability in remembering or recalling information.”
In nursing programs, there is a critical need for students to prioritize safety and sequential order when performing procedures. For the learning disability mentioned above, the instructor should seek to reduce the student's cognitive load and provide opportunities to experience structured repetition. Some examples follow as it relates to how I could better meet the needs of nursing students who struggle with learning disabilities:
- Chunking: Break down complex procedures (for example, insertion of the nasogastric tube) into small, manageable steps. Don’t move to Step B until Step A is mastered.
- Visual Aids: For students with reasoning struggles, create a visual "decision tree" to aid them in navigating clinical logic.
- Scaffolding: Create guided notes or outlines before lectures so they can focus on listening rather than frantic note-taking.
- Mnemonics: Teach classic nursing mnemonics (like ADPIE for the nursing process or PQRST for pain assessment) to anchor knowledge.
- Spaced Repetition: Revisit core concepts often in low-stakes settings to move them from short-term to long-term memory.
- Frequent Breaks: Brief breaks, regularly scheduled, can hinder "cognitive overload" and mental fatigue during long clinical days or exams.
I think videos are very helpful with online learning to engage students
It's important to present material in a way that meets the needs of all types of learners. It's also important to stay in good communication with students to help them with time management and keep them engaged in the course.
A productive study and learning environment outside of the classroom is extremely important, and it is something I plan to discuss with students during the first week of both in-person and online courses. As a traditional student entering college right out of high school, I did not fully understand the impact that environment can have on learning. Looking back, I realize that many of the distractions I experienced during my undergraduate studies were related to not choosing study spaces that supported focus and engagement with the material. Years later when working on my graduate degree I had a better understanding of the importance of a distraction free learning and studying environment.
Comment on lashonda morrisey's post: Time management is a challenge for all students balancing real life responsibilities with the rigor of these educational programs.
It still just as important in an online environment to support motivation and any learning disability challenges.
When instruction does not align with a student’s current level of understanding, it increases the likelihood of frustration, disengagement, and failure.
Including visible and audible weekly communication with students to engage interest and remaining approachable.
It is important for me to assess my own skills. Then determine how I can best support my students.
I have taken online classes in the past, and the one that stood out the most were the ones that include my instructor's voice. So, in the weekly announcements, I always include a video lecture, which I record on Zoom. I walk students through the weekly slides, assignments, and concepts, but I hadn't considered the aspect of disabilities. It gave me the idea to add Closed Captions to my Video Lectures.
From this module, I have learned that helping students succeed in the online environment requires much more than simply delivering course content. I now better understand the importance of assessing both my own strengths and weaknesses as an online instructor, as well as helping students evaluate their readiness for online learning. This course highlighted that effective online instruction involves supporting students with technical skills, but also helping them develop important non-technical skills such as time management, communication, and self-motivation. I also learned how essential it is to guide students in building their online persona and understanding the expectations of online coursework. Moving forward, I intend to apply these lessons by being more intentional about preparing students for online learning, identifying their individual strengths and challenges, and providing clear guidance and support to help them achieve their learning outcomes.
